THE ROAD NOT TAKEN

The Road Not Taken/ Robert Frost

TEXT

Background

VOCABULARY

READ THE POEM

About the poem

HOTS AND EXTENDED HOTS

Bridging

LOTS

Q&A

BRIDGING Q&A

MORE QUESTIONS

HOTS Q&A

A BIT OF EVERYTHING

The Road Not Taken BY ROBERT FROST

And both that morning equally lay In leaves no step had trodden black. Oh, I kept the first for another day! Yet knowing how way leads on to way, I doubted if I should ever come back.

Two roads diverged in a yellow wood, And sorry I could not travel both And be one traveler, long I stood And looked down one as far as I could To where it bent in the undergrowth;

I shall be telling this with a sigh Somewhere ages and ages hence: Two roads diverged in a wood, and I— I took the one less traveled by, And that has made all the difference.

Then took the other, as just as fair, And having perhaps the better claim, Because it was grassy and wanted wear; Though as for that the passing there Had worn them really about the same,

About the poem

Most people have been faced with a fork in an actual road or path, and not been sure which path to go down. We might pick the road that gets us where we want to go, or one that takes us somewhere new, but either way, the road we choose takes us to where we are. Just like trying to pick a path when we're driving or walking, we've all had to choose from different paths in life: which job to take, which college to go to, which girl or boy to ask out – the list of life's choices is endless. And for every metaphorical road we take in life, there is a road not taken – the club we didn't join, the class we didn't take, the words we didn't say.

One of the big questions we face is whether or not to take the well-beaten, typical path. Is that the best choice, or should we be non-conformists and take the less-traveled route? Years into the future, after making our decision, how will we feel about the path we've chosen? Robert Frost's "The Road Not Taken" is about these quandaries, present in every person's life. So make sure that when you read this poem, you take your own road, whether it's the road less traveled or not.

VOCABULARY

• yellow wood- in cooler climates the leaves turn brown in the autumn.
• fair- beautiful
• claim- arguement
• grassy and wanted wear- overgrown and unused
• the passing there- the number of people who had taken that road
• no step had troden black- when people step on fallen leaves they turn black
• ages and ages- a very long time

• diverged- מתפצל
• doubted- מטיל ספק
• hence- הרחק מכאן
• sigh- אנחה
• undergrowth- סבך שיחים

HOTS ANDEXTENDED HOTS

• Extended HOTS = Extended Higher Order Thinking Skills

Questions that require analysis and interpretation of the literary piece. In these questions, the students have to read the question carefully and decide which HOTS they will use to answer the question. Then, the students have to answer the question showing that they have indeed used the HOTS they have chosen. They can do it, for example, by integrating words that show appropriate use of the HOTS they have chosen. Each Extended HOTS question is worth 15 points. 10 points for acceptable content and language 5 points for correct integration of the chosen HOTS

• HOTS = Higher Order Thinking Skills

Questions that require analysis and interpretation of the literary piece. If a quote or a literary term is given -relate to it. Support your answers by providing examples or evidence from the text. Each HOTS question is worth 10 points.

LOTS Q&A

What does "because it was grassy and wanted wear" mean?

Describe the road the traveler chooses

What is the setting of the poem?

Where does the other road lead to?

Why did the speaker choose the road he did?

Was it an easy decision to choose which road to take?

Bridging

These questions require the student to connect new information or a quote to the literary piece.1) The answer must relate only to the parts of the literary piece that are relevant to the new information.2) Suggested length 80-100 words.The question is worth 20 points.Important Tips:

• Make sure that your answer shows a clear connection between the new information and the text. You MUST relate both to the new information and to the literary piece. If you don't, you will lose most points.

• You must provide supporting evidence or examples from the literary piece.
• Don't summarize the text. Relate only to the information that is relevant to the quote or description.

HOTS Q&A

Why do you think the writer chose autumn as the time of the year in which the poem takes place?

"Yet knowing how way leads on to way, I doubted if I should ever come back." Explain this quote in your own words. Do you agree with the speaker? Explain why or why not

Why did Frost call this poem "The Road Not Taken"?

Some people say the poem is about regret. Why do you think they say that? Support your answer with information from the poem.

MORE QUESTIONS

BRIDGING Q&A

Make a connection between the above quote and the poem. Give information from the poem to support your answer.

"Take a chance! All life is a chance. The man who goes the furthest is generally the one who is willing to do and dare. The 'sure thing' boat never gets far from shore." - Dale Carnegie, American writer

Robert Frost said that "The Road Not Taken" was written about a friend of his who, whatever road he went on, was sorry that he hadn't chosen another.