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

Lesson 63: The Brook

by Alfred Tennyson

Performer: Librivox - Kara Shallenberg


I chatter, chatter, as I flow

To join the brimming river;

For men may come and men may go,

But I go on forever.



I wind about, and in and out,

With here a blossom sailing,

And here and there a lusty trout,

And here and there a grayling.



I steal by lawns and grassy plots,

I slide by hazel covers;

I move the sweet forget-me-nots

That grow for happy lovers.



I slip, I slide, I gloom, I glance,

Among my skimming swallows;

I make the netted sunbeams dance

Against my sandy shallows.



I murmur under moon and stars

In brambly wildernesses;

I linger by my shingly bars;

I loiter round my cresses.



And out again I curve and flow

To join the brimming river;

For men may come and men may go,

But I go on forever.

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

Lesson 63: The Brook

by Alfred Tennyson

Performer: Librivox - Kara Shallenberg

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

While lifeforms come and go and live and die, a stream continues on.

Vocabulary

Chatter: A series of quick high-pitched sounds.
Brimming: Fill or be full to the point of overflowing.
Lusty: Healthy and strong; full of vigor.
Trout: A freshwater fish of the salmon family, highly valued as food and game.
Grayling: An edible freshwater fish that is silvery-gray with horizontal violet stripes.
Hazel: A shrub or small tree bearing round hard-shelled edible nuts in autumn.
Forget-me-nots: A low-growing plant with blue flowers.
Skimming: Move quickly and lightly over or on a surface or through the air.
Shallows: An area of the sea, a lake, or a river where the water is not very deep.
Linger: Stay in a place longer than necessary.
Shingly: A mass of small rounded pebbles, especially on a seashore.
Loiter: Stand or wait around idly or without apparent purpose.
Cresses: Watercress; Plants that grow in running water and whose pungent leaves are used in salad.

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:

  • Brook
  • Trees
  • Reflection of Trees
  • Woman
  • Little Girl
  • Basket
  • Grass
  • Ripples

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 66 of 'Poetry Coloring Pages for First Grade.'

Review

Question 1

What is the title of the poem?
1 / 4

Answer 1

The title of the poem is 'The Brook.'
1 / 4

Question 2

What happens in the poem?
2 / 4

Answer 2

While lifeforms come and go and live and die, a stream continues on.
2 / 4

Question 3

Where does the poem take place?
3 / 4

Answer 3

The poem takes place outdoors, within and around a brook.
3 / 4

Question 4

Who are the characters in the poem?
4 / 4

Answer 4

The narrator (the brook), flora, fauna, and people.
4 / 4

  1. What is the title of the poem? The title of the poem is 'The Brook.'
  2. What happens in the poem? While lifeforms come and go and live and die, a stream continues on.
  3. Where does the poem take place? The poem takes place outdoors, within and around a brook.
  4. Who are the characters in the poem? The narrator (the brook), flora, fauna, and people.