PAIDEIA SEMINAR LESSON PLAN:
Text: The Road Not Taken, Robert Frost
Grade / Subject: 5th Grade, Literacy
Ideas, Values: Difficult Choices, Life Decisions, Risk, Responsibility, Reflection
Standards:
National CCSS
RL 5.1 - Quote accurately from a text when explaining what the text says explicitly and when drawing inferences from the text.
RL 5.2 - Determine a theme of a story, drama, or poem from details in the text, including how characters in a story or drama
respond to challenges or how the speaker in a poem reflects upon a topic; summarize the text.
RL 5.4 - Determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in a text, including figurative language such as
metaphors and similes.
RL 5.10 - By the end of the year, read and comprehend literature, including stories, dramas, and poetry, at the high end of the
grades 4-5 text complexity band independently and proficiently.
Writing 5.4 - Produce clear and coherent writing in which the development and organization are appropriate to task, purpose,
and audience. (Grade-specific expectations for writing types are defined in standards 1-3 above.)
Pennsylvania PACS
Reading:
CC.1.2.5.A Determine a theme of a text from details in the text, including how characters in a story or drama respond to
challenges or how the speaker in a poem reflects upon a topic; summarize the text.
CC.1.2.5.B Cite textual evidence by quoting accurately from the text to explain what the text says explicitly and make
inferences.
CC.1.3.5.F Determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in grade-level text, including interpretation of
figurative language.
CC.1.3.5.I Determine or clarify the meaning of unknown and multiple-meaning words and phrases based on grade-level reading
and content, choosing flexibly from a range of strategies and tools.
CC.1.3.5.K Read and comprehend literary fiction on grade level, reading independently and proficiently.
Writing:
CC.1.4.5.S Draw evidence from literary or informational texts to support analysis, reflection, and research, applying grade-level
reading standards for literature and informational texts.
Pre-Seminar Content
 Launch Activity:
Pose a metaphor for students. Use the 4 corners activity for students to respond.
School is…
 A library
 A prison
 A home
 A zoo
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Anger is…




A burden
Fire
A captive animal
Insanity
 Inspectional read:
o Distribute the text and students to anticipate what they expect the poem to be about.
o Students should number the lines of the poem (1-20).
o Read the poem aloud to the students. Ask students to follow along and underline, as you read,
words that they don’t understand.
 Background:
Robert Lee Frost was one of America's best-known and best-loved poets. He was born on March 26, 1874, in San
Francisco, California. His father was a journalist. His mother, who was Scottish, was a schoolteacher. She loved poetry
and sometimes recited it to Robert and his sister. When Robert's father died in 1885, the family went to live with
Frost relatives in Lawrence, Massachusetts. They moved to Salem, New Hampshire, when Robert's mother began
teaching school there. Robert went to his mother's school and then to Lawrence High School. His first poetry was
published in the Lawrence High School Bulletin. Robert and his high-school sweetheart, Elinor Miriam White, were at
the head of their class when they graduated in 1892.
His first poem published professionally was "My Butterfly," printed in the weekly newspaper The Independent in
1894. A Boy's Will was published in London in 1913. North of Boston followed a year later. Both books were given very
good reviews. He received honorary degrees in 1924 from Yale University and Middlebury College. Many more
followed. That same year he received the first of his four Pulitzer prizes for poetry.
When the United States Senate passed resolutions honoring Frost's 75th and 85th birthdays, it was clear that Frost
belonged to the whole nation. In 1960 President Kennedy asked Frost to read a poem at his inauguration ceremony. It
was a high honor for the poet. He had chosen the freer life in order to write his poetry, and his choice had been
proven right. As his poem "The Road Not Taken" says, he had taken the road less traveled by, and that had made all
the difference. Robert Frost died on January 29, 1963. At the time of his death he had 11 grandchildren and 13 greatgrandchildren. His farm home at Ripton, Vermont, was bought in 1966 by Middlebury College to be kept as a
memorial to the great poet.
 Vocabulary Development:
Give students a sentence strip with two both vocabulary words correctly used in the sentences. Ask
students to make predictions about the meanings of the words. Students should look up the definitions of
the words in the dictionary. Complete a vocabulary circle with the students for both words (word,
definition, sentence, synonyms, and illustration).
o diverged
o trodden
 Analytical read:
The students should read the text a second time, independently. State that the purpose of this read is to
use the strategy of visualizing in order to better understand the text. As the students read, they should
mark the text by:
1) Underline words in the poem that help create a visual of what the poem is about
2) Sketch a visual of the poem
3) Put a question mark next to words or phrases that you don’t understand
4) Circle the line that you feel leads to the meaning of the poem
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Pre-Seminar Process
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Define and state purpose for Paideia Seminar.
Describe the responsibilities of facilitator and participants.
Have participants set a Personal Goal.
Agree on a Group Goal.
Seminar Questions
Opening (Identify main ideas from the text.): 1
1) What line from this text do you feel leads to the meaning of the poem? (Elicit responses from students in a
Round Robin format.)
2) Why did you select that line? (Encourage students to restate their line while sharing. Students should
share reasons as they are connected in discussion.)
Core (Analyze textual details.): 3-5
1) Turn and talk with a partner. Identify one similarity and one difference between your sketches. How do
your visuals represent the key ideas of the poem?
2) Who is the traveler in the poem? How did you visualize the traveler? Does it matter who the traveler is?
Why or why not?
3) Frost uses a metaphor to convey the theme of this poem. Remember that a metaphor is the comparison
between two unlike things for the purpose of provoking thought or teaching us a lesson. What thought or
lesson is Frost trying to make us think about?
4) The paths in the poem are a choice for this traveler. What is Frost’s point of view on making choices or
decisions?
5) Frost writes, “I took the road less traveled by, and that has made all the difference.” How does the
traveler feel about his decision?
Closing (Personalize and apply the textual ideas.):
1) How does Frost’s point of view on decision making affect your role as a 4th/5th grade student?
Post-Seminar Process
 Have participants do a written self-assessment of their personal participation goal.
 Do a group assessment of the social and intellectual goals of seminar.
 Note reminders for next seminar.
Post-Seminar Content
 Transition to Writing:
Show a picture of a half-open door. What would Frost say about entering the door? Students should ThinkPair-Share and discuss their thoughts on the question. Give students 2 minutes to discuss their responses.
Then, ask that pair of students to find another pair of students to make a group of four. Give 3 minutes for the
group of four to share their thinking.
 Writing Task:
What is the theme of the poem "The Road Not Taken"? After reading "The Road Not Taken" (and an
informational text on metaphors), write an essay in which you analyze how Robert Frost’s use of
metaphors contributes to an understanding of the theme of this poem. Give several example/s
from the poem to support your discussion.
(LDC Task #: TIE:4)
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 Brainstorm:
Set the timer for 3-4 minutes. Allow students to jot down any last minute thoughts from the discussion
onto their poems for use in their writing. Ask students to review the writer’s checklist and begin thinking
about how they plan to structure their essay.
 Structuring the Writing:
Student should use the ANSWER Key strategy to create an outline for their essays. Provide students with a
paper that has the task at the top and space for planning their reasons/evidence.
 First Draft:
Allow students time to write their essay. Since the purpose of this seminar is to expose students to ondemand writing tasks, we will not be taking them through the entire writing process. Students should
read their essays to themselves to make sure it makes sense.
 Collaborative Revision:
When students have completed their draft, allow them to partner up with a peer. The partners should
switch essays and read each other’s writing for revision or editing purposes. *If time, the partner should
read to the author’s paper to the author, while they look at it together. Partners should use the bottom
part of the writing checklist to make sure the essay is complete.
 Edit:
Allow students a few minutes to make any changes that their partner suggested. They should read over
their essay one more time before turning it in.
 Publish:
Prior to submitting their essay, students should score themselves in the PSSA Text-Dependent Analysis
rubric.
This Paideia Lesson Plan was created by:
Name: Amanda Blasz and Amanda Schlee
Organization: Fulton Elementary School, Lancaster, PA
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