Teach Robert Frost's Poetry With Multimedia
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Robert Frost's Poetry Has Timeless Appeal
I was seven when I memorized my first poem. It was a school assignment, but also a source of pride. I recited the piece for my family, not once but over and over until Robert Frost's words lodged somewhere in my mind, remembered to this day: "...The woods are lovely, dark, and deep, but I have promises to keep, and miles to go before I sleep, and miles to go before I sleep."
Several years after learning "Stopping By Woods on a Snowy Evening", I found myself drawn to another Robert Frost poem: "The Road Not Taken". I had a sense that that poem was about something more than just a road in a wood, even if I was too young yet to express what that something was.
Ah, metaphor! I believe that poetry has timeless appeal -- but there are so many latest and greatest things out there to catch kids' eye and ears. How does the timeless compete with the latest? And how do we introduce students to classic pieces -- like those of Robert Frost -- that might speak to them yet?
Every teacher has a different method for speaking to the new generation. One of mine is... to speak to them -- to speak the classic words myself. I still love the taste of the words, I still love embuing them with meaning, and I want that enthusiasm to find its way to my students. I wish for my students to embue the classics with their own timbre. I wish to hear their voices, too.
Several years after learning "Stopping By Woods on a Snowy Evening", I found myself drawn to another Robert Frost poem: "The Road Not Taken". I had a sense that that poem was about something more than just a road in a wood, even if I was too young yet to express what that something was.
Ah, metaphor! I believe that poetry has timeless appeal -- but there are so many latest and greatest things out there to catch kids' eye and ears. How does the timeless compete with the latest? And how do we introduce students to classic pieces -- like those of Robert Frost -- that might speak to them yet?
Every teacher has a different method for speaking to the new generation. One of mine is... to speak to them -- to speak the classic words myself. I still love the taste of the words, I still love embuing them with meaning, and I want that enthusiasm to find its way to my students. I wish for my students to embue the classics with their own timbre. I wish to hear their voices, too.
Video: Stopping By Woods On a Snowy Evening
My take on Robert Frost's classic poem, with photos taken in Ravenna Woods, Seattle.
curated content from YouTube
More "Stopping By Woods..." Videos
Here are several more takes on "Stopping By Woods on a Snowy Evening". You'll see some creative twists (including one set to music). Compare and contrast! Which are your favorite versions -- and why?
curated content from YouTube
Winner of Shmoop Contest: Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening
Over 500 students entered by submitting an essay on Frost's classic poem. It was no easy feat to win -- but you can read the selected essay right here.
- Shmoop
- Winner and runners up of 2010 essay contest.
Seasonal Poetry By Robert Frost
Poetry for Young People: Robert Frost
Amazon Price: $4.93 (as of 02/17/2012)
This beautifully illustrated hardcover book captures the essence of Frost's poetry for young people: twenty-nine poems arranged by season. Each poem is accompanied by a few notes from the editor -- these give the reader/listener context as well as occasional thoughts to ponder. (A paperback version is also available.)
Video: Now Close the Windows
"Now Close the Windows" is about hunkering down for the winter. This is my read of Frost's poem, again set against chilly Seattle photographs: Lake Washington, Ravenna, and the U-District. (Students can also make poetry more relevant by setting it against a backdrop of their own pictures. -- Animoto, Stupeflix, and Fotobabble are all excellent choices.)
curated content from YouTube
Frost Poetry to Listen to or Download
Hosted on Drop.io
- The Road Not Taken
- Audio Version: The Road Not Taken
- Stopping By Woods On a Snowy Evening
- Audio version of the classic poem, "Whose woods these are I think I know..."
- Going For Water
- A trip for to fetch water from a not-quite-frozen lake: audio versio.
More Multimedia Poetry
I have a new site, and am currently putting up one audio piece a day.
- Audio Reflections Audio Poetry
- Audio poems and resources: Robert Frost, Carl Sandburg, more.
Discussion Questions For "Going For Water"
A classic Robert Frost autumn poem
Vocabulary: Some of the language in this poem is archaic, but you can use context to figure out what it means. What do you think "not loth to have excuse to go" means? (Hint: Think about the last two lines in that stanza. What is the mood?)Figurative Language: Look for an example of personification. (Hint: Robert Frost describes something that is not human as if it were human. What is that something?)
Viewpoint: What is the speaker's attitude toward the woods? Which particular words or phrases let you know?
Another Digital Teaching Idea
For Robert Frost's Poetry
Your student can search for photos that represent images or themes from the poem, then assemble them in their own creative work. This picture reminded me of "The Road Not Taken"
Robert Frost Poetry... and Science Teaching
- Robert Frost in the Petri Dish
- Notes on using Frost's poetry in the science curriculum.
- Teaching Habitats With Frost's "In Hardwood Groves"
- "Hardwood Groves" describes the cycle of life, common to ecosystems the world over.
More Audio Poetry
From my blog, Audio Reflections
Fetching RSS feed... please stand byMore Multimedia Robert Frost Lesson Plans
If Your Child Would Like to Record Her Own Poetry...
You can find some information on this page.
The Road Not Taken: An Alternative Interpretation
Does "The Road Not Taken" celebrate individual difference? Is it ironic? There are multiple interpretations for this poem. Here's a less common interpretation.
curated content from YouTube
Additional Lesson Plan's For Frost's Poetry
- EDSITEment
- A collection of Frost lesson plans that explore persona and voice. From the National Endowment For the Humanities.
- Power to Learn Sight Words Activity for "Stopping By Woods on a Snowy Evening"
- This activity uses oral poetry to increase student's reading fluency and sight word vocabulary.
- Web English Teacher
- Resources for teaching Robert Frost's poetry to high school students.
- Suite 101: The Road Not Taken
- Lesson plans to help high schoolers analyze and extend Frost's "The Road Not Taken".
- Robert Frost Prompts the Poet in You
- Middle school poetry lesson plan from Read, Write, Think.
- English Teachers Network
- Writing assignment/ extension for "The Road Not Taken"
- Robert Frost Tutorial
- From Frost Friends: resources to help students with assignments.
- Going for Water Study Guide
- Printable study guide for Frost's "Going for Water".
- Literary Criticism: Stopping By Woods on a Snowy Evening
- Themes, plot, characters -- from enotes.
Need More Robert Frost Poetry?
The Poetry of Robert Frost: The Collected Poems
Amazon Price: $11.36 (as of 02/17/2012)
This is the book for people who really treasure Frost's poetry. Poems are arranged by epochs of Frost's life, beginning with his boyhood. 640 pages -- now that's a lot of literature to read on snowy evenings.
More About Robert Frost
- Robert Frost Database (From Ketzle)
- Links to biographical information and online versions of many of the poems.
- Robert Frost Quotations
- A variety of quotations from the Quotations Page.
- Robert Frost -- Wikipedia
- Highlights of Frost's life and career.
Robert Frost Statue -- Amherst
Contact Me
- Online Classes and Tutoring
- Test prep. prose interpretation, writing.
More About Multimedia Teaching: Tote Bag Teaching Blog
Fetching RSS feed... please stand byAnd See More of Ravenna Woods
The photos for my Frost videos were, by and large, taken in Ravenna Park, Seattle. (Exceptions: Several of the pictures in "Now Close the Windows" were taken in the University District.)
More Literature and Writing Lessons
Write Your Own Poetry
With a Quote From Robert Frost
This journal features a Frost quote: "No tears in the writer, no tears in the reader".
Robert Frost Quote Journal
Price:
Sound Off On Audio Poetry
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naheedahsan
Feb 13, 2012 @ 5:09 am | delete
- Thank you for sharing!
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kimmanleyort
Sep 16, 2011 @ 3:14 pm | delete
- Another wonderful lens. I love listening to poetry and reading it out loud myself. Great list of resources, too. Blessed.
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MaxReily
May 30, 2011 @ 12:22 am | delete
- Beautiful. I'm a Frost lover, his poems are so beautiful. Like you, I love words, and the way some people put them together is almost magical. Wonderful lens!
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kare2share
Nov 3, 2010 @ 1:18 pm | delete
- Lovely and inspiring lens! I especially enjoyed the many different interpretations of Robert Frost’s work. Thank you for sharing!
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KimGiancaterino Oct 22, 2010 @ 11:59 pm | delete
- It's been awhile since I've read Robert Frost's poems, but I do enjoy his work. Thank goodness I had grade school teachers who valued poetry. Excellent ideas ... thanks for sharing the different interpretations.
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Credits
- Amherst
- The Frost statue pictures was shared by a fellow writer at Squidoo.
- The Road Not Taken
- The picture of the road in the woods is by Dan at Free Digital Photos.
by KarenTBTEN
KarenTBTEN
Hi. I'm a teacher and a writer with a love for multimedia poetry. I enjoy recording audio (my own pieces as well as those of poet Robert Frost).
I t...
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Robert Frost: Shmoop Biography
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