Lesson Plan - 8 Things to Know About Amanda Gorman

• Ask students if any of them watched the inauguration ceremony on January 20 and saw poet Amanda Gorman reciting a poem she wrote for the event. If so, what were their impressions and feelings while watching?

• Share the article “8 Things to Know About Amanda Gorman” with students. Discuss the questions at the bottom of the article. Suggested responses are:

1. Poets might be invited to speak at inaugural ceremonies to offer words of inspiration to the incoming president and vice president, as well as all Americans. A poem can express important messages, ideas, and emotions in unique ways. Inviting a poet also shows that we value poetry. 

2. Students might suggest that this shows Gorman is determined. She found a creative way to deal with her speech impediment.

3. Answers will vary.

4. Answers will vary.

5. Answers will vary.

• Ask: Why do you think the title of the poem is “The Hill We Climb”? What do you predict the poem will be about? 

• Show students this video from ABC News of Gorman reciting her poem at the inauguration. (Note that the video starts with an ad.) 

• Because the poem is long and will likely be difficult for younger readers to understand, you might focus on excerpts of it, as suggested in the discussion questions below. Encourage them to pay attention to the thoughts and feelings the poem evokes for them, and not to worry if they don’t understand all of it.

• Watch Gorman as she recites the beginning of the poem, up until the words “only to find herself reciting for one.” (0:00-1:15) What do you notice? What words, lines, rhymes or rhythms stand out to you? What do you think Gorman’s voice and body language add to the poem?
  (Answers will vary.)

• What does the poet tell you about herself in the poem? Why do you think she includes this?
  (She says she is “a skinny Black girl descended from slaves and raised by a single mother.” She could dream of being president yet finds herself reciting a poem for one. She might include this to tell the audience who she is, to show what is possible and the progress America has already made, and to reflect on how she uses her talent. It shows she’s proud of who she is.)

• Watch Gorman as she recites the lines starting with “To compose a country . . .” until “we must first put our differences aside.” (1:30-1:53) What message do you think these lines have?
  (Students might suggest that our country is made up of all different kinds of people, but we have to look beyond our differences to move ahead and become a better country.)

• Watch the end of the poem, starting with the line “So let us leave behind a country better than the one . . .” (4:41-5:40) What are your thoughts about this part? What is its tone, or feeling? Do you have a favorite line or two from this section? What do you like about them? 
  (Answers will vary. Students might suggest that the tone is hopeful because these lines are about becoming better as a country. It is also rousing. They might remark on the repetition of “We will rise” and variations of it. They might note that the last two lines are almost the same, urging us to be brave enough to see the “light,” or what we could become.)

• Now that you’ve studied the poem, why do you think the title is “The Hill We Climb”? Has your answer changed from before reading? What might the hill stand for? What might be at the top of the hill? Do you think the title is hopeful? Explain.
  (Students might suggest that the hill stands for difficult times we face. At the top of the hill might be better times–but we have to “climb,” or make an effort, to get there.)  

• Write!
  Have students brainstorm messages they would like to share with President Joe Biden as he starts his term. What do they hope he will accomplish for our country? What do they think our country needs? Then invite them to turn their messages into poems.

• Perform!
  Have students take turns reciting for the class the favorite lines they chose in the discussion question above. Ask them to think about how they can show the meaning of the lines in their voices and body language. Which words will they emphasize? What might they say louder or softer?