The Road Not Taken by: Robert Frost

# of Days

1 day

Prior Knowledge

Students will need a basic understanding of poems and

some of the devices used in poems to assist in providing a
clear theme.

Lesson
Objective(s)

SWBAT identify the theme, imagery, and setting of the

poem through textual evidence.

Lesson Assessment Students will construct a cover page/magazine

cover/online question forum for the poem using the
themes they have discussed in class and will construct an
argument regarding the theme and citing specific reasons
from the poem.
Standards

R2. Determine a theme or central idea of a text and

analyze its development over the course of the text,
including its relationship to the characters, setting, and
plot; provide an objective summary of the text.

Materials Needed

-Quick Write (projected or written in front of the class)

- Class copies of Robert Frosts The Road Not Taken
- Construction Paper

Methods or Procedures

Students will take out their Quick Write journals and write about the
prompt displayed on the board,
Write about a time when you had to
make a tough decision. Where were
you? What were your thoughts? Why
did you end up making the decision

Learning Task

Time

Quick Write

min 10

?that you did

Reading of the poem

min 7

Analyzing the poem

min 15

Final Reading

min 2

Pass out the copies of the poem, and have a volunteer to read through the
.poem and tell everyone to only listen
After the first read is over, read the poem personally and have the
students circle anything that has to do
.with the theme of the poem

Allow for individual work after the final reading and for partner
discussions on what they believe the
.poem is truly saying
Begin basic construction of an .argument regarding the theme
Make a graphic organizer T-chart -

One side quote from text, other

side how it enforces the theme.

Read the poem one more time through, allow students to finish up
.their thoughts

Students will take out their Quick Write journals and write about how
they notice themes through book
covers. (Place some
uncommon/unknown books in the
front of the room for viewing.) Ask
them to use the cover illustrations to
make claims about what they believe
.the book will be about

Quick Write

Read through the poem and have students look through their notes
from yesterday and make some final
claims or add any more ideas they
.have

Re-reading of the poem

min 2

Group Discussion

min 15

Begin a group discussion using different ideas from the poem to

discuss the true meaning and theme
.displayed
-

How does the imagery help

create a tone/theme?

How does the meaning/theme

shift from beginning to end?

Do the themes in this poem

match what you wrote about in
the quick write yesterday?

What are some

images/ideas/colors/etc that
come to mind when reading the
poem?

What does the setting of this

poem add to or take away from

Day Two
10
minutes

the theme?

Hand out the rubrics for the project of a cover page for the poem. Read
through the rubric and ideas together
.as a class

min 7
Rubric handout

Explain to students that they need to use textual evidence to back up their
.reasonings and beliefs
Ask for questions -

Workshop
Let students begin constructing their project and what they would like to
do. This will turn into a homework
.assignment and then graded

Remainde
r time