In fulfilling its mission to foster understanding and appreciation of Frost's life and work, the museum offers a special interactive tour designed for students in grades 4 and above. Through the use of photographs, visualization and word games, students will learn about basic elements of poetry and the process of creating it. They will engage in interpretative readings of Frost's poem, "Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening," in the very room where he wrote it. Students will become aware of Frost's unique use of poetic form, style and subject matter to express feelings we all share. Student tours are 1 hour in length and can accommodate up to 40 students. One chaperone per five students is requested.

Reservations and Fees ......... Schools in Bennington County Vermont, grades 4 - 12, are offered free admission and free bus transportation through generous funding by the Turrell Foundation, Wal*mart, Bank of Bennington and the American Legion. Reservations are taken on a first come first served basis. Make your reservation to secure free services while 2008 funds last.

Schools outside Bennington county are welcome at the following discounted rates: The teacher will be admitted free of charge. Additional adults pay $4.50 admission. Student admission is $2.

The museum is open for student tours in May, June and November, from 10 am to 5 pm, Tuesdays through Sunday. No student tours are given during the month of October. The museum is handicapped-accessible and has a rest room available. To schedule a tour, e-mail us at frostnow@sover.net. Please use "Frost School Tour" as your subject line. See the Tour Schedule below for availability.

We are located in Shaftsbury, on Route 7A, 10 minutes from most of the Bennington schools,

15 minutes from Arlington, and 30 minutes from Manchester.

Lesson Plan

OBJECTIVES

• To introduce the work of Robert Frost and give an overview of his life
• To explain three basic elements of poetry: rhyme, meter and imagery
• To instill an understanding of the unique characteristics of Frost's poetry: his form, style and subject matter
• To teach an appreciation of the process of creating poetry through visualization and rhythmic pattern exercises and with word games
• To help the student understand poetry as a literary art form

MATERIALS

• Photographs of Frost and his family and the places where he lived and wrote
• Audiotape of Frost reading his poems

PROCEDURE

• The tour begins in the main gallery where the children will review the main events of Frost's life with the help of photographs. The class will divide into three groups, each examining a poem. Responding to a few lines, students will talk about the feelings evoked in the poem.
• The group moves to the "Stopping by Woods Room," where the poem was written. The museum teacher will relate the story of how the poem was written on a hot summer morning after Frost was awake all night working on another long poem. The students will visualize the imagery in the poem . Students will read the poem aloud and lastly listen to a tape of Frost reading the poem
• Present flash cards with the poem's rhyme words and look for those in the exhibit panel. Show the ingenious interlocking rhyme scheme in Frost's poem.
• Examine the meter of the poem and the stanza form. Ask the children to say a familiar nursery rhyme. Demonstrate how some of the words are spoken differently from the others through emphasis. Show the exhibit panel for "Stopping by Woods," and explain the meter.

CONCLUSION

• Questions for a follow-up discussion (Choose one or more, time permitting)

1) How is poetry different from other kinds of writing?

2) What is this poem about? Who is talking? Where is the person? Why do you think Frost repeats the last line of his poem?

3) What does "imagination" mean? Is it important in writing poetry? How did Frost use his imagination when he wrote this poem.

 

 

 

Robert Frost Stone House Museum - Tour Schedule 2008

date/time	Group	comments
May 21 at 9:00 am	Empire State College - adult group	40 adults - tour guide Carole Thompson

Return to Stone House page for more info on the Museum.