Teacher: Miss.

Hoisington
Class: 6F, 6L, 6H
Time: 40-minute blocks

Robert Frost and “The Outsiders”

Description:
Student Information:
Previous Knowledge:
 Students have read The Outsiders and have also come across the Robert Frost
poem within the text. They are familiar with themes of the novel and have had
brief discussion about how the poem fits into the text.
 Students have also briefly looked at the literary devices in earlier poetry lessons
with Ms. Forster; they have a basic understanding of these and will need a review
before they use them.
Summary Overview:
 This is a multi-part lesson, where students will have the opportunity to closely
analyze the Robert Frost poem, “Nothing Gold Can Stay,” as well as write about
the connections between the poem and the novel. Students will also be given the
opportunity to show what they know about literary devices and write their own
poem that fits with the theme of the Frost poem using ONE chosen device.
 Students will work through this in 3 parts, to ensure that they have a solid
understanding before moving onto the next. The lessons are designed to
encourage higher order thinking as we progress through them.

Objectives:
Curriculum Objectives:
General Outcomes:
 GLO 2: Students will listen, speak, read, write, view and represent to
comprehend and respond personally and critically to oral, print and other media
texts.
 GLO 4: Students will listen, speak, read, write, view and represent to enhance
the clarity and artistry of communication.
Specific Outcomes:
 2.2- Respond to Texts: discuss common topics or themes in a variety of oral,
print and other media texts.
 2.4- Create Original Text: use literary devices, such as imagery and figurative
language, to create particular effects.
 4.1- Enhance and Improve: choose words that capture a particular aspect of
meaning and that are appropriate for context, audience and purpose.
 4.2- Attend to Conventions: explain the importance of correct spellings for
effective communication.
 Lesson Objectives: At the end of the lesson, students will be able to…
1) Analyze and answer questions about the meaning of Robert Frost’s poem,
“Nothing Gold Can Stay” by participating in class discussion and filling out a
question sheet. (Analyze)
2) Connect the Robert Frost poem with their novel study book, The Outsiders, by
composing a well written paragraph outlining how the poem can be applied to
the book’s theme and characters. (Analyze and Create)
3) Identify various literary terms (personification, metaphor, imagery, etc.)
within the Robert Frost poem, and then write their own 10-line poem using at
least one literary device. (Knowledge and Create)

Inclusion:
Whole Class LEARNING STYLES
Groups Visual
Pairs Auditory
Individuals Kinesthetic

Adaptations:
 There are 2 students in each class who will need some degree of adaptation:
 Students will still be required to fill in the worksheet and answer the
questions, but I will spend more time with them during individual work
time.
 I will also ensure students have filled in the answers from class discussion;
students will also be required to write slightly less for all parts of the
lesson.
 These students will be assessed at a slightly different level than the rest of
the class based on their personal grade level.
 For the poetry writing, I will make sure to help students come up with
their themes and allow students to verbalize their ideas with me.

Materials/Resources:

 Lesson 1:
 Robert Frost PowerPoint
 Nothing Gold Can Stay Poetry handout (1 per student)
 Handout answers (1 copy)
 ELA duotangs, pencils, colouring materials, and erasers (for students)
 Lesson 2:
 Paragraph writing PowerPoint
 Copy of The Outsiders
 Writing sheet and rubric (1 per student)
 Pencils, erasers, lined paper
 Lesson 3:
  Literary terms PowerPoint
 Question sheet with literary terms (attached to the first worksheet- in
duotangs)
 Paper for poem writing
 Literary devices (to put on board with magnets)

Instructions/Procedures:

Introduction- Part 1 Analysis Time

 Welcome students to the class- begin when everyone is settled.
 Let students know what we will be doing today and why:
o We will be taking a deeper look at Robert Frost’s poem, “Nothing
Gold Can Stay”- we will be analyzing the poem line-by-line, as a 3 min
class and answering some questions about it.
o This will help us to better understand why the poem is in The
Outsiders (chapter 5 and when Johnny dies)
Body Time
Who is Robert  Begin going through the PowerPoint slides.
Frost?  Stop at the first slide (with the Robert Frost
photo), ask students: Does anyone know who this
is? Can anyone tell me about him?
 Wait for response- if no one answers, then begin
5 min
going through information.
 Transition: Let students know that they should get
out their pencils and get ready to start filling in the
questions as we discuss them for the analysis part.

“Nothing Gold  Tell students that they should be following along on

Can Stay” their sheet- let them know we will be discussing the
Analysis answers to write!
 Begin going through the PowerPoint slides- you
should read the poem out loud to students before
analyzing each line
 Go through each slide: read the line, then give
students the literal meaning of each line
15 min
o Ask the questions, and have brief discussion
about each (limit to 1-2 hands up for each-
keep time tight)
o Allow students a moment on each slide to
record their answer before moving on
 Ask students: Does anyone have any questions
about the poem before we move on?
Work Time  Transition: Let students know that we are now
going to work on answering the rest of the
questions in our booklet. Tell students to try their
best and work through everything.
o Tell them how much time they will have
 Students should be working quietly on this- a bit of
discussion at the tables is fine, but volume should 15 min
not be elevated.
 Make sure to move around the room and observe
as they are working.
 At 2 minutes left- tell students they will put their
papers into their duotangs.

Conclusion Time
 Thank students for all their hard work.
 Let students know that next class we will be using our knowledge of
the poem to connect it with The Outsiders. Tell students they will be
doing a writing activity that connects the characters and theme of the
novel, with the theme of the poem!
 Students should assign one student from their table groups to put their 2 min
duotangs away.

**Make sure to look at the student’s answers and progress after they have
been handed in**

Introduction- Part 2 Connection Time

 Welcome students into the class. Begin once everyone is settled.
 Remind students what we did last class:
o We analyzed the poem, “Nothing Gold Can Stay,” and talked about
who Robert Frost is.
o Ask students: can anyone remind me what the theme of this poem
3 min
was?
 Let students know what they will be doing today:
o We are going to look back to The Outsiders and discuss why we
think the poem fits into the book!
o We will be writing a paragraph connecting the poem to the novel
Body Time
The Outsiders  Begin discussing where the poem shows up in the
novel.
 Chapter 5 (pg 77): Johnny and Ponyboy are in the
church in Windrixville, after Bob’s murder. 10 min
o Ask students: Why do we think this is here?
o The poem highlights the innocence of
Johnny and Ponyboy- not all of the greasers
 have this same type of innocence
o Some say that the poem also foreshadows
the eventual end of their friendship- the
innocence and “gold” can’t stay around
forever. All good things must come to an
end.
 The poem also shows up again in Chapter 9 (pg
148): Johnny tells Pony boy “Stay gold, Ponyboy.
stay gold…”
o Ask students: What do we think this means?
o The boys know they cannot remain
innocent forever, but Johnny urges Ponyboy
to remain gold or innocent- protect the
qualities that set him apart from the other
Greasers.
o Johnny sees that there is no sense in
fighting- this is filled with sadness to an
extent- but the boys must face the
consequences.
 Ask students: Does anyone have any other ideas
about why this poem is in “The Outsiders”?

Paragraph  Flip to the PowerPoint slide with the outline and

Writing requirements of the paragraph.
 Let students know that they will now begin writing
about the connections between the novel and the
poem. Handout the sheet they can use to write on,
and the rubric- let students know they can use a
piece of lined paper if they want to brainstorm.
 Make it clear to students that this will be marked!
 Students should describe, in 6-8 sentences what
the poem means, how it can be applied to the novel 20 min
as a whole, the characters and the obstacles that
they all face.
o Students will use Ponyboy as their
character- this is the easiest choice, but if
they want to do a different character they
can!
 Allow students time to work- wander around the
room while students are working.

Conclusion Time
 Thank students for their hard work- let them know what we will be
doing next class. 2 min
o We are going to look at various literary devices that Robert
 Frost uses in his poem, and write our own poem using these
devices to enhance our writing!
 Have students choose one student from each table group to hand in
their sheets to me. Make sure you look through these after they are
handed in- if they need more time, work it into the next class block.

Introduction- Part 3 Literary Terms Time

 Welcome students into the classroom- begin once everyone is settled.
 Review what we have done in the last 2 classes:
o We analyzed Robert Frost’s poem and talked about the themes, and
we have also made connections to the novel.
o Ask students: Who can remind me what the theme of the poem is?
Why does the poem belong in the novel?
 Let students know what we will be doing today: 3 min
o We are going to analyze the poem again, but this time we are going
to focus on the use of literary devices within the poem- like
personification, metaphor, imagery, alliteration etc.
o We are then going to be able to practice using these devices and
write our own poem.

Body Time
Literary Terms  Transition: Instruct students to take out their
and Analysis duotangs- flip to the poetry handout they used the
other day. The questions we will be looking at are
at the very back!
 Go through the PowerPoint and explain the various
literary devices to the students- remind them that
they have seen these before!
 Students will “search and find” examples of
personification and alliteration (these will likely be 15 min
the literary devices they choose to use)
 Give students a few moments to fill out the
answers on their sheet.
 Make sure to ask if students have any questions
before moving on.
 Multiple choice questions will be done on their
own after they write their poem.

Poetry writing  Flip to the next section of the PowerPoint- poetry

writing
 Tell students they will be writing their own poem
20 min
in a similar style to “Nothing Gold Can Stay”
 Students will write an 6 to 10-line poem, with a
similar theme; they will be asked to choose at least
 ONE literary device to use within their poem.
 Allow students time to work
o They can use lined paper to do a draft, and
jot notes/ideas
o They will write a good copy onto the blank
paper
 Make sure to move around the room and help
students where necessary.

Conclusion Time
 Transition: Tell students to place their finished poems on Ms. Forster’s
desk.
 Thank students for all their hard work throughout the last couple
classes!
 Concluding thought: These past few lessons, we have been looking at a
2 min
specific poem and connecting it back to the novel we are reading- this
helps to deepen our understanding of the theme throughout both
pieces of literature and also helps us to develop our own
communication skills by writing a poem with literary devices!

Assessment:

 Students will be assessed formatively throughout these 3 lessons:

o The first lesson will rely on mostly observation and discussion, although I will be
looking at their worksheets to see how they answered the questions they did on
their own
o The second lesson will be marked; students will be given a rubric and be marked
based on how well they do with their connection paragraph.
o The third lesson will be based around their worksheet answers and the poem that
they will be writing. As long as they meet the requirements of the poem it will be
considered a success.
 Throughout all three parts of this lesson, students will need to be actively engaged and
participating in class discussion.
Teacher Notes:
 Lesson 1: Analysis
o Place duotangs on desk at beginning of lesson
o Have the handout answers beside you while going through PowerPoint- guide
student answers so they stay along the right track
 Lesson 2:
o Have the pages in the novel flagged, with notes for yourself to give context for
students
o Attach rubric to writing sheet
 Lesson 3:
o Place duotangs on desk at beginning of lesson
 o Place poetry writing paper on the back desk
o The literary terms questions will be attached to the other handout already
o Have posters on board

Reflection: : How did the lesson go? Is there anything you would do differently next time? What
worked well/ not so well?