Time for exam!

Here, I would like to wish all students 'Good Luck!' for your upcoming exam! Do your best! If you have something to ask me, feel free to ask me here or in the class.

Do you have any question about the River, everyone?

Now, it's time to ask any question that you don't understand about the River, everyone! You can post the question here and I'll reply it as soon as I can. Feel free to ask any question!

Lesson plan and Power Point Slides for the River

I received many requests about lesson plans to teach the River from the teachers. Thus, I decided to put up a lesson plan along with the Power Point slides of the lesson plan to teach the poem. However, it is only to start teaching the poem, specifically to introduce the poem to the students.

LEVEL: Form 1

TIME: 35 minutes

AIMS:

1. To train students to listen and read the poem entitled The River by Valerie Blooms.

2. To enable team works while having fun arranging lines.

TECHNICAL REQUIREMENTS:

One computer per group of 2-3 students with an internet connection and a web browser.

Website:

http: //www.youtube.com/watch?v=MYpngUk85-0&feature=related.

PREPARATIONS:

1. Prepare slides contains a picture of a river and a poem entitled The River by Valerie Blooms.

2. Locate videos dedicated to The River by Valerie Blooms in Youtube.

3. Prepare strips of lines in The River and put them in several envelopes.

PROCEDURES:

1. . Ask students to form into groups consist of 2 or 3 members and give each group A4 paper.
2. Show the students a picture of a river. Ask them what they think about the river and write their opinions in the A4 paper
3. Ask students to browse YouTube and search for poem entitled The River by Valerie Bloom. Instruct them to watch and listen to it carefully.
4. Show them the poem in Power Point and ask them to read it aloud twice.
5. Hand out each group an envelope containing strips of lines in the poem and adhesive. Tell them not to open it until they are told to do so.
6. Start the race! Tell them to rearrange the strips correctly to form the poem. Tell them to secure the strips with the adhesive.
7. Tell students that the fastest group in rearranging the strips in correct arrangement in the shortest time wins.

FOLLOW UP:

1. Ask students to do a task sheet given as a follow-up activity.

H As for the Power Point slides of the lesson plan, you can ask me to e-mail it to you, teachers. Hope this lesson plan can help you to start teaching this poem. Good Luck!

More review exercises for the River

Since the exam is approaching, I decided to add more review exercises for the River. Do not worry! They are easy and simple.

Do you still remember the whole poem, everyone? Let us see whether you remember it all or not. Read the poem below and fill in the blanks with ONE suitable word.

The river’s a __________, a nomad, a tramp.
He doesn't choose any one place to set up his camp.

The river’s a _________, through valley and hill.
He twists and he turns, he just cannot be still.

The river’s a _________ and he buries down deep
Those little treasures that he wants to keep.

The river’s a __________, he gurgles and hums
And sounds like he’s happily sucking his thumbs.

The river’s a _________, as he dances along
The countryside echoes the notes of his song.

The river’s a __________, hungry and vexed
He’s gobbled up trees and he’ll swallow you next.

Read the following passage. Fill in the blanks with ONE suitable word.

The river is given human qualities in the poem. As a wanderer, it ________ (1) from place to place. Sometimes it can be a _________ (2) and has to beg to pay for its expenses. As it does not stay long in the same place, it does not set its __________ (3) anywhere. While flowing, it twists and __________ (4) through hills and valleys. Like any hoarder, it _________ (5) whatever treasures it comes across. It sometimes gurgles like a baby. When it does this, it makes _________ (6) sounds. However, the river can be a _________ (7) too for it _________ (8) people who fall into it.

Another review exercise for the River

Let us do another exercise for the poem, everyone!

Fill in the blanks and you will see how the river has been personified. You can choose the answers below:

hoarder,singer,baby, monster, winder, tramp, wanderer,nomad,

The river’s a …..……, a ……...….., a ………..…..
He doesn't choose any one place to set up his camp.

The river’s a ……….…., through valley and hill.
He twists and he turns, he just cannot be still.

The river’s a ………….… and he buries down deep
Those little treasures that he wants to keep.

The river’s a ……….., he gurgles and hums
And sounds like he’s happily sucking his thumbs.

The river’s a ……….…, as he dances along
The countryside echoes the notes of his song.

The river’s a ……….…., hungry and vexed
He’s gobbled up trees and he’ll swallow you next.

The review exercise for The River

We have learned everything about the River. Let us see how much you understand the poem! Let us have a review exercise on the poem!

Here goes:-

1. How many stanzas are there in ‘The River’?

a) 5

b) 6

c) 7

d) 8

2. Pastoral people who move from place to place in search of food and water are called

a) Campers

b) Nomads

c) Caravan people

d) Vagrants

3. To be ‘vexed’ means to be

a) worried

b) angry

c) irritated

d) haunted

4. What is the most likely reason a river ‘twists and turns’?

a) river waters move in torrents

b) river water moves in currents

c) water moves from left to right

d) it cannot cut through hard rocks

5. To ‘gobbled’ means to

a) eat in slow motion

b) eat noisily and quickly

c) eat slowly in small mouthfuls

d) eat in an easy relaxed manner

6. When water goes down our throats, it may

a) gurgle

b) gargle

c) gobble

d) garble

7. The poet describes ‘The River’ as if it is a

a) monster

b) person

c) baby

d) wanderer

8. An angry river becomes a monster and

a) swallows

b) destroys

c) gobbles

d) crushed

I will see you again for the next exercise!

Elements of the poem

Now, let us find out the elements of the River!

Themes:

1) The river has its moods like a human being.

2) The river represents man and life

• Man can choose to lead a stable life or travel to search for his dreams. During his travels, he collects mementos. Contentment brings happiness and man moves with a light step and heart. However, man may face challenges in life and this can prompt him to be destructive.

Tone and mood:

1) The poem has humorous tone.

2) The poem creates a joyful mood.

Imagery or symbolism:

1) Camp - represents home.

2)Treasures - represents soil, stone and debris floating in the river.

Message or moral values:

1) The river is useful to man.

2) The river can also be dangerous.

Meaning of the River.

Are you wondering why it is the River and what it has to do with a wanderer, a singer, a baby and a monster? Let me explain to you the meaning behind this poem.

Literal meaning

The river is a natural phenomenon on the Earth.It moves from its source to its mouth and journeys non-stop through hills and valleys (wanderer). As it travels, it twists and turns and goes where it likes (traveller). Along the way, the river inadvertently collects things and these stays in the river bed (hoarder). As it moves over lowlands, the water gurgles with a happy sound (baby). At steep drops where there is a waterfall, the water moves or dances swiftly and falls with a loud roar that echoes through the valley (singer). But the river can cause erosion by pulling down trees and creating floods (monster).

Figurative meaning

Man is like the river as he journeys through life. In life, man may become a traveller, a nomad and a wanderer and does not stay in a specific place. A man without a home may be a tramp. With no fixed place in mind, man can turn and take any road he likes. On his travels, man may collect souvenirs as keepsakes. Man can be childlike when he is happy with his station in life. He shows his happiness with joyous acts. People around him can feel or hear his happiness. Man is destroyer when his anger is aroused. He may destroy everything and anything that get in his way.

Wordsworth...

Are you facing problems to understand difficult words in the River?

Don't worry!Let's find out their meaning together!

1) nomad: pastoral people who move from place to place for fresh pasture

2) camp: dwelling or home

3) hoarder: a person who likes to amass things or money

4) treasures: keepsakes or souvenirs

5) gurgles: to make a bubbling sound

6) vexed: irritated

7) gobbled: ate hurriedly and noisily

The stanza...

Let us paraphrase the River stanza by stanza!

Stanza 1

The river’s a wanderer, a nomad, a tramp.
He doesn't choose any one place to set up his camp.

The River is always on the move.Like a wanderer, a nomad and or a tramp, he cannot settle down in one place. He does not have a permanent home.

Stanza 2

The river’s a winder, through valley and hill.
He twists and he turns, he just cannot be still.

The River does not move in a straight line as it moves through valley and hills. He changes his path and winds from left to right as he moves along its course.He just cannot stay still.

Stanza 3

The river’s a hoarder and he buries down deep.
Those little treasures that he wants to keep.

The River likes to keep the things he finds along the way.He hides these things deep down in the river bed. These are the things he values and wants to keep in his treasure trove.

Stanza 4

The river’s a baby, he gurgles and hums.
And sounds like he’s happily sucking his thumbs.

The River is a baby.He makes low laughing sounds and sings softly.Like a baby who makes happy sound when it sucks its thumb, the River gurgles happily.

Stanza 5

The river’s a singer, as he dances along.
The countryside echoes the notes of his song.

The River sings and dances as he flows down through villages.The echoes of his happy songs reverberate through the valley and can be heard by the villagers.

Stanza 6

The river’s a monster, hungry and vexed.
He’s gobbled up trees and he’ll swallow you next.

The River is a wild creature especially when he is hungry and angry.It eats up trees and he might swallow you too if he overflows his banks.

Let us review The River - Valerie Bloom!

The poem personified the river as a living object, which has attitudes and wants. The poem also shows the river as a thing with two nature, good and evil, just like humans. Human can be good and sweet sometimes, but other times, human can be evil and vexed. Thus that is a balance of natural order, as each complete things has both sides, coins have head and tails, life has yin and yang and earth has days and nights. The same with human, if in good nature, can be sweet and polite, but if vexed, can be evil and mean. This understanding is the referred back to the poem, as the river is personified to be as what it choses to be. Human do not have the capacity to control the river. It is up to it whether the river wants to be a baby or be a monster.

Are you curious about the author of The River, Valerie Bloom?

Let us meet her!

• Valerie Bloom was born in Jamaica and came to England in 1979.
• She studied English with African and Caribbean Studies at the University of Kent at Canterbury.
• Her books include the Jamaican poetry collections Touch mi! Tell mi! (1983); and Duppy Jamboree and other Jamaican Poems (1991); Hot Like Fire (2002), a collection of poems in English and Jamaican patois; and more recently, Whoop an'Shout! (2003).
• She has edited several collections of poetry such as On a Camel to the Moon and other poems about journeys (2001) and One River, Many Creeks: poems from all around the world (2003). Her children's novel, Surprising Joy, was published in 2003.

• She has been awarded an Honorary Masters Degree from the University of Kent, and lives in Kent. Her latest books are The Tribe and A Soh Life Goh, both published in 2008.

The River by Valerie Bloom

The river’s a wanderer, a nomad, a tramp.
He doesn't choose any one place to set up his camp.

The river’s a winder, through valley and hill.
He twists and he turns, he just cannot be still.

The river’s a hoarder and he buries down deep
Those little treasures that he wants to keep.

The river’s a baby, he gurgles and hums
And sounds like he’s happily sucking his thumbs.

The river’s a singer, as he dances along
The countryside echoes the notes of his song.

The river’s a monster, hungry and vexed
He’s gobbled up trees and he’ll swallow you next.

Check out a video on The River on your right side and listen to the citation of The River here...