“The Road Not Taken” vs. “The Utterly Perfect Murder”

1. “The Road Not Taken” vs. “The Utterly Perfect Murder” September 17, 2013

2. Warm-up • Write about a time when you had to make a tough decision. Why was it so hard? Did you have any regrets? What was the outcome? (5-9 sentences)

3. Learning Target • Students will be able to compare two different pieces of literature (poetry and a short story) Learning Criteria • I can participate in a class discussion using my Cornell notes. • I can take down and understand the notes on comparing a short story and the poem. • I will apply my knowledge and find two lines in each text that compare to one another and fill out my chart explaining how.

4. The Road Not Taken

5. Cornell Notes/DiscussionL.C.- I can participate in a class discussion using my Cornell notes • What did you find? • Who is the speaker? How do you know? • What is the setting? • Did you find any metaphors? • What do you think the theme of this poem is? • What images does the author create?

6. Poem Vs. Story • Now that we have discussed the poem go back through and find lines that remind you of lines in “the Utterly Perfect Murder” and explain HOW. • You are going to have to go back to the story “The Utterly Perfect Murder” so that you can write down those lines as well.

7. Example – Put in NotesLC- I can copy down and understand the notes on comparing a short story and a poem How they Relate In both texts the narrator/speaker chooses a clear path. Choosing that path made a big difference to both speakers. In “The Utterly Perfect Murder” the speaker gets to go home and live out the rest of his years and in the poem the speaker feels relief at finally choosing a direction to go in life. “The Utterly Perfect Murder” “Then swiftly, fleeing ahead of the dawn…back toward Now and Today for the rest of my life” “The Road Not Taken” “I took the one less traveled by, and that has made all the difference.”

8. Your turn! • Split a piece of paper in to 3 sections • Title them • 1. “The Utterly Perfect Murder” • 2. “The Road Not Taken” • 3. How they relate

9. LC -I will apply my knowledge and find two lines in each text that compare to one another and fill out my chart explaining how. Assignment • You need to find two lines in each story that relate and explain in the third column HOW they relate. • Turn in at the end of class!

10. Homework • Vocabulary Quiz on Friday – ACT Vocabulary • Remember – if you are on the list in the back you are required to be here in zero hour tomorrow. Bring work!

11. September 18th, 2013 Comparing two pieces of literature

12. Learning Target • Students will be able to compare two different pieces of literature (poetry and a short story) Learning Criteria • I can use my background knowledge to make significant comparisons • I can take down and understand notes on comparisons • I can analyze student samples of comparisons to better my own understanding of a significant comparison

13. Comparison - Notes • A comparison presents two or more objects and describes and analyzes their similarities and differences.

14. Venn Diagrams are a great way to Compare/Contrast things First Item Second Item Similarities between the two items

15. Comparing two things. • When you write a comparison you are trying to point out similarities and differences between two pieces that someone may have never thought of before. • When you compare two pieces of literature you want the comparisons to be significant. You want to compare things like: • Plot • Character backgrounds • Character actions/thoughts • Character qualities • Theme • Etc.

17. Hunger games: Plot Theme Character Actions Character Qualities Character Backgrounds Harry Potter Plot Theme Character Actions Character Qualities Character Backgrounds

18. Hunger Games Harry Potter

19. Student Example How they Relate In both texts the narrator and speaker are thinking that they will never return to the place they were. In “The Utterly Perfect Murder” the narrator leaves Ralph Underhill’s house and is going to live his years happy and not return to his past. In the poem the speaker has to take one of the two roads and whichever he takes he will never return to the diverging road (other choice) again “The Utterly Perfect Murder” “I got my suitcase and walked down into the cricket night and darkness of the ravine and across the bridge and up the stairs, going away.” “The Road Not Taken” “I doubted if I should ever come back.”

20. Student Example How they Relate In both texts the speakers look for outcomes or reasoning of a choice they are making. In “The Utterly Perfect Murder,” the speaker was trying to find reasoning for his desire to kill ralph. In the pome the speaker was looking for good reasoning or what the outcome would be for the path he was looking down.” “The Utterly Perfect Murder” “What else makes you want to murder ralph so late in life?” “The Road Not Taken” “Long I stood and looked sown one as far as I could.”

21. Student Example How they Relate In both of the texts the narrators are on their own traveling through life to make a big decision. In “The Road Not Taken,” the speaker has to choose between two roads (choices) and he chooses the right path (one less traveled.” In “the Utterly Perfect Murder,” The narrator has to choose between killing a man or not and he chooses not to kill him “The Utterly Perfect Murder” “The train moved, my wife was gone. I rode off into the past.” “The Road Not Taken “And sorry I could not travel both and be one traveler long as I stood”

22. Student Example How they Relate In both stories the speaker and narrator know that once a person makes a decision there are no redoes, no going back. “The Utterly Perfect Murder” “They Say you can’t go home again” “The Road Not Taken” I doubted if I should ever come back”

23. Example How they Relate In both texts the narrator/speaker chooses a clear path. Choosing that path made a big difference to both speakers. In “The Utterly Perfect Murder” the speaker gets to go home and live out the rest of his years and in the poem the speaker feels relief at finally choosing a direction to go in life. “The Utterly Perfect Murder” “Then swiftly, fleeing ahead of the dawn…back toward Now and Today for the rest of my life” “The Road Not Taken” “I took the one less traveled by, and that has made all the difference.”

24. Student Example How they Relate Both stories are set around the fall time “The Utterly Perfect Murder” “Every tree was hung with gold doubloons” “The Road Not Taken” “Two Roads diverged in a yellow wood.”