Title: “Two roads diverged in a Scottish wood, and that has made all the

difference”
Type: Metaphorical Expression
Subject: English Honors TAG
Grade Range: 10
Description: Students will study how multiple perspectives can be intercepted through the
same texts. Students will read and analyzed multiple texts but focus most
attention on Robert Frost’s “The Road Not Taken”.
Duration: One 60 minute period + one 30 minute period.

Instructional Unit Content: Macbeth

Standard(s)/Element(s) Content Area Standard

ELA
 ELAGSE9-10RL 1: Cite strong and thorough textual evidence to support analysis of what the text says
explicitly as well as inferences drawn from the text.
 ELACC9-10L5: Analyze how an author’s choice concerning how to structure a text, order events
within it, and manipulate time create such effects as mystery, tension, or surprise.
 ELAGSE9-10RI 1: Cite strong and thorough textual evidence to support analysis of what the text says
explicitly as well as inferences drawn from the text.
 ELAGSE9-10W 4: Produce clear and coherent writing in which the development, organization, and
style are appropriate to ask, purpose, and audience.
 ELACC9-10SL5: Make strategic use of digital media in presentations to enhance understanding of
findings, reasoning, and evidence and to add interest.

TAG Standard
Creative Thinking & Creative Problem Solving Skills
7. The student uses analogies, metaphors, and/or models to explain complex concepts.
Higher Order Critical Thinking Skills
7. The student examines an issue from more than one point of view.
11. The student draws conclusions based upon relevant information while discarding irrelevant
information.
Summary/Overview:

Students will develop a new perspective in understanding how a specific text can contain multiple
interpretations despite seemingly obvious answers. The students will be presented with repeated
opportunities to respond to texts and discuss the lens from which they view their individual answers as
well as understanding how differing interpretations can also be made from the same texts. This lesson is
designed to help students prepare for the complex reading of William Shakespeare’s Macbeth and
ultimately foster more critical readers.

Enduring Understanding(s)

By the end of this lesson, the student will know that one person’s interpretation of a text (written, visual,
oral, etc.) will differ from another individual’s interpretation of the same text.

Essential Question:

Can two people experience the same event and draw opposite conclusions?

Procedure(s)

Rational of metaphorical exploration: The whole of this lesson is designed to introduce students to multiple
interpretations and perspectives of texts which is one of the primary motifs of William Shakespeare’s Macbeth.
Students will first engage in the analysis of images and questions that, on a surface level, appear to have one answer
but after close examination, can be viewed through multiple lenses. These warm-up exercises will prepare the
students for the mental stretching necessary to interpret the similarly deceptively poem, “The Road Not Taken”.
This poem was chosen as the introductory text to Shakespeare for its easily accessible language yet open-ended
interpretation commonly found in Macbeth. Subsequent student questions were selected to activate student
thinking in preparation for the play.

Warm-up:

1. Students will participate in a Think-Pair-Share activity. Students will be given a copy of three images and
questions as well as a student answer sheet. Students will examine the images and respond to the questions
on the student answer sheet. Once they have answered their questions, they will partner with someone
sitting near them and share their responses, paying particular attention to differences in answers.

2. Students will see image on the overhead of “The Dress”. Teacher will ask students to write down which two
colors the dress is on the student answer sheet. Teacher will ask for verbal answers. It is likely that students
will respond with blue and black OR white and gold. Explain to students that this dress became an internet
sensation (they may already remember this) three years ago and garnered more than 10 million tweets
between the two opinions.

Part 1: Hook
On the student answer sheet, students will engage in snap metaphorical thinking with the following question:

“How is falling in love like a pair of shoes that are too small?”

After independent student brainstorming, discuss connections to understand the thinking behind the connections.

Part 2: Examine the Content

Students will receive a copy of “The Road Not Taken” by Robert Frost. Students will annotate the text as much or
little they’d like. After reading and annotating, students will answer questions associated with the poem on the
student answer sheet. These question are particularly important as, upon close examination of the text, the narrator
does not state which of the two roads is taken and which is not nor does the narrator leave the reader with the
assurance of a “happy ending”. Each student perspective will affect all remaining answers.

Part 3: The Analogies

a. Direct Analogy:
After the poem is read and questions answered, students will respond to this direct analogy: How is the poem “The
Road Not Taken” like attending a funeral of a close friend?

Students will write their responses on the student answer sheet and then share their response(s) with those at their
tables.

b. Personal Analogy:
Students will respond to the following questions on their student answer sheet.

Pretend that you are one of the two roads that the narrator contemplates taking. Answer the following questions
as if you were the road.
• Are you the road the narrator choose or are you the road “the road not taken”?
• If you are the chosen road, why where you selected? What information from the text indicates this
selection?
• If you are “the road not taken”, why where you rejected? What information from the next indicates this
selection?
• The narrator states the s/he “took the one less traveled by, / And that has made all the difference.” Where
did you lead the narrator that “has made all the difference”?
• Assume that after the narrator has chosen his path, a group of unassuming sophomores come to the same
fork in the road. Make a case to the group that you are the road they should travel on. In poem form write
your own convincing and logical argument to this group of youngsters. Refer to direct evidence from Frost’s
poem when possible.

c. Compressed Conflict:
Students will complete the following compressed conflict on the student answer sheet.
List 5 words to describe perspective and interpretation.
List 5 words that are antonyms of those words.
Example:
Focused – Divided: My focused attention on the divided roads on the poem resulted in top marks for the class!
Part 4: Synthesis Activity and Exit Ticket

Students will generate another direct analogy by completing the following sentence using one of the emojis on
their phones: The reality of one’s perspective is like ________ emoji.
List as many reasons as possible (minimum of five) why one person’s perspective is like your selected emoji.

Differentiation for Gifted Learners:

Students may research literary criticisms of Robert Frost’s poem “The Road Not Taken” using the library database
system and write a short response to his original intent.

Students may research two differing literary criticisms of Robert Frost’s poem “The Road Not Taken”, highlighting
contrasting views as well as stating which they most agree with.

Students may write two to three additional stanzas to Frost’s “The Road Not Taken” illuminating what the narrator
conceals that “has made all the difference”.

Students may draw, paint, create a 3D model, or other artistic medium depicting Frost’s poem.

Students may create a musical score to accompany Frost’s poem.

 Multiple Perspectives:
Student Answer Sheet

1. Warm-Ups: Study the three provided images and answer the following questions. Make sure you
can justify your answers to others in the class.
Image 1: Elephant – How many legs does this elephant have? ___________________________
Justification ____________________________________________________________________
Image 2: Face – Is this man facing forward or sideways? ___________________________
Justification ____________________________________________________________________
Image 3: Bars – How many bars actually between these two people? ______________________
Justification ____________________________________________________________________
The Dress: What color is this dress?
Justification ____________________________________________________________________

2. Snap Metaphors: How is falling in love like a pair of shoes that are too small? Brainstorm your
response here and develop as many ways as possible.
 3. “The Road Not Taken” by Robert Frost: For all answers, please provide textual evidence.
What possible options does the speaker face?

Two roads diverged in a yellow wood,

And sorry I could not travel both Why is the speaker sorry he couldn’t take both paths?
And be one traveler, long I stood
And looked down one as far as I could
To where it bent in the undergrowth;

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 How are the two roads different and how are the similar?
Had worn them really about the same,

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.

I shall be telling this with a sigh What is the author expressing about his final choice in lines 13-15?
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.

Re-read lines 13-15. What might Frost be referring to when he

declares “Yet knowing how way leads on to way, I doubted if I
should ever come back”?

Which road does the author take? The first or the second? How do
you know?
4. Direct Analogy: How is the poem “The Road Not Taken” like attending a funeral of a close friend?

5. Personal Analogy: Pretend that you are one of the two roads that the narrator contemplates taking.
Answer the following questions as if you were the road.
Are you the road the narrator choose or If you are the chosen road, why If you are “the road not taken”,
are you the road “the road not taken”? where you selected? What why where you rejected? What
information from the text information from the next
indicates this selection? indicates this selection?

The narrator states the s/he “took the Assume that after the narrator has chosen his path, a group of
one less traveled by, / And that has unassuming sophomores come to the same fork in the road. Make
made all the difference.” Where did you a case to the group that you are the road they should travel on. In
lead the narrator that “has made all the poem form write your own convincing and logical argument to this
difference”? group of youngsters. Refer to direct evidence from Frost’s poem
when possible.
 6. Compressed Conflict: Perspective and Interpretation

List 5 important words to describe the one’s List antonym for each word to the left
perspective or interpretation

1. 1.

2. 2.

3. 3.

4. 4.

5. 5.

Review your original list and its antonyms. Do any of the pairs of words seem to fight each other but still
describe perspective or interpretation? Create three Compressed Conflicts.
Example: Focused / Divided: My focused attention on the divided roads on the poem resulted in top marks for
the class!

7. Draw the best answer in the blank: The reality of one’s perspective is like ________ emoji.
List as many reasons as possible (minimum of five) why one person’s perspective is like your
selected emoji.
The following images are used as handouts or overhead projections: