Traveling the Road Not Taken with Robert Frost

In this WebQuest you will become a tourist traveling in the world of Robert Frost. As you walk down the road not taken, you will discover the man behind the poetry.

The Tasks:

This WebQuest is designed for 9-12. You will discover on your trip:

the many poems written by Robert Frost,
the life of Robert Frost,
the family of Robert Frost,
Robert Frost poems that have been put to music,
the theme behind Robert Frost's most famous work, and
Robert Frost's reciting his poetry.

The Resources:

Below are five roads you can take when traveling with Robert Frost in cyberspace.

1. At the Robert Frost Web Pages you will find a short biography on the poet, a relatively large compilation of some of his poems, and Robert Frost himself reciting one of his most famous poems, "The Road Not Taken".

2. At this site there are questions for reading and discussion of Robert Frost's poems.

3. Robert Frost lead a unique life outside of poetry. A Frost Bouquet explores areas of Robert Frost's personal life. This site contains photographs of music compositions written for Frost's poetry, as well as photographs of Frost and his family

4. Robert Frost is considered to be one of the greatest poets of the twentieth century. On this web site, Frost recites his poems, "Stopping by the Woods on a Snowy Evening", "After Apple Picking", "Acquainted with the Night", and "West-Running Brook".

5. Going down "A Road Not Taken" can be a learning experience. This site talks about what this poem means and the history behind it.

The Process:

1. At the Robert Frost Web Pages you will find a short biography on the poet. Go to this web site, click on Biography, and develop a time-line of the most significant events mentioned. Next find the site's compilation of poems by Frost. Read five poems you have never read before. Make a copy of each poem and put it in a Robert Frost Notebook Last, listen to Robert Frost recite one of his most famous poems, "The Road Not Taken".

2. At this site there are questions for reading and discussion of Robert Frost's poems. Choose two poems written by Frost. Go to this site and answer the questions under Questions for Reading and Discussion/Approaches to writing. Put your answers in your Robert Frost notebook.

3. Robert Frost lead a unique life outside of poetry. A Frost Bouquet explores areas of Robert Frost's personal life. At this site you can find photographs of music compositions written for Frost's poetry and pictures of Frost and his family. Go to this site and read an issue of "The Bouquet". Make a copy of your favorite page from the magazine. Put the copy in your notebook. Find the photographs of music scores, Christmas cards, and of Frost and his family. Make a copy showing an example of each and add them to your notebook.

4. Robert Frost is considered to be one of the greatest poets of the twentieth century. On this web site you will be able to hear the poet read his own poems, "Stopping by the Woods on a Snowy Evening", "After Apple Picking", "Acquainted with the Night", and "West-Running Brook" Go to this site and listen to Frost read these poems. Write a short essay about how hearing Frost read his poems helped you to understand the poem's meaning.

5. Going down "A Road Not Taken" can be a learning experience. What does this famous poem mean? What is the history behind it? Go to this site and click references. Read the information on the poem "A Road Not Taken". Print out the material to put in your Frost Notebook. Then write an essay discussing what you learned about the poem and what the poem means to you.

6. Take a short quiz to review what you have learned as you have traveled down "The Road Not Taken".

Learning Advice:

Throughout your travels you should be building a scrapbook of the different sites you have seen. Your scrapbook should contain the following:

5 Robert Frost poems you have never read,
The time-line on Frost's life,
The answers to the "Questions for Reading and Discussion",
A copy of your favorite pages from The Bouquet,
A copy of the music written for Robert Frost's poems,
A copy of a Christmas card designed by Robert Frost,
A photo of Frost and his family,
Your essay on your reaction to listening to Frost read his own poetry,
Printed out information on the poem "A Road Not Taken",
An essay on what the poem "A Road Not Taken" means to you, and
A print out of your Quia quiz.

Once you have all of the information, be sure to compile it in the most creative way possible.

Conclusion:

You have successfully completed your travels down the road not taken. By completing this WebQuest you have learned about the life of one of America's most famous poets. Hopefully you have developed an appreciation for his work and will continue to read more of his works in the future. And remember, when two roads diverge in a wood, think about taking the one less traveled, because that can make all the difference.

Modified for EDU 506 @ FHU School of Education
by Dr. Bruce Lewis on February 1, 2001.
This page was written by Beth Anne Hepler.