Poetry of Fables, Fairies, and Fauna Fables, Fairies, and Fauna    

Lesson 19: The Fairies

by William Allingham

Performer: Librivox - Rosslyn Carlyle

Directions

Study the poem for one week.

Over the week:

• Read or listen to the poem.
• Review the synopsis.
• Complete the enrichment activities.
• Study the review questions.

Synopsis

The poem describes the lives and hijinks of a group of fairies, including their king and queen. They scare hunters, plant trees, steal children, and get revenge.

Vocabulary

Glen: A narrow valley.
Tide: The alternate rising and falling of the sea, usually twice in each lunar day at a particular place, due to the attraction of the moon and sun.
Columbkill: A former civil parish (small territorial area) in Ireland.
Slieveleague: A mountain in Ireland on the Atlantic coast.
Rosses: A region in Ireland.
Northern Lights: A natural electrical phenomenon characterized by the appearance of streamers of reddish or greenish light in the sky, usually near the northern or southern magnetic pole.
Craggy: Rough and uneven (cliff or rock face).
Thorn-trees: A tree with thorny leaves.

Enrichment

Activity 1: Recite the Title, the Poet's Name, and the Poem

• Each day this week, recite aloud the title of the poem, the name of the poet, and the poem. Instructors may need to prompt children line-by-line.

Activity 2: Study the Poem's Companion Painting

Study the painting below, and describe it in your own words.

Find the following in the companion painting:

• Moon
• Bat
• Fairies
• Nest
• Egg
• Berries
• Flowers

Activity 3: Narrate the Poem

• After reading or listening to each verse of the poem, narrate the verse events aloud using your own words.

Activity 4: Color the Poem   

• Click the crayon above, and complete page 22 of 'Poetry Coloring Pages for First Grade.'

Activity 5: Map the Poem

• Study the map of Europe below.
• Find Ireland, the setting of the poem.

Review

Question 1

What is the title of the poem?

1 / 5

Answer 1

The title of the poem is 'The Fairies.'

1 / 5

Question 2

What happens in the poem?

2 / 5

Answer 2

A group of fairies and their king and queen scare hunters, plant trees, steal children, and get revenge.

2 / 5

Question 3

Where does the poem take place?

3 / 5

Answer 3

The poem takes place on a mountain and in a glen in Ireland.

3 / 5

Question 4

Who are the characters in the poem?

4 / 5

Answer 4

The fairies, the narrator, little Bridget, and hunters.

4 / 5

Question 5

Does the poem teach us anything?

5 / 5

Answer 5

It sparks our imaginations to ponder how the wee folk might live.

5 / 5

❮ ❯

1. What is the title of the poem? The title of the poem is 'The Fairies.'
2. What happens in the poem? A group of fairies and their king and queen scare hunters, plant trees, steal children, and get revenge.
3. Where does the poem take place? The poem takes place on a mountain and in a glen in Ireland.
4. Who are the characters in the poem? The fairies, the narrator, little Bridget, and hunters.
5. Does the poem teach us anything? It sparks our imaginations to ponder how the wee folk might live.