The Swing — Class 4 English (CBSE)

From the current Class 4 English Santoor textbook, Unit 4: Up High, Chapter 10. A joyful poem by Robert Louis Stevenson about the delight of going up in a swing.

1. Chapter at a glance

• Text type: A rhyming poem (three stanzas) by Robert Louis Stevenson.
• Main theme: The joy and freedom of childhood — the fun of swinging high.
• What to notice while reading: What the child sees while going up and looking down.

2. The Poem

How do you like to go up in a swing,
   Up in the air so blue?
Oh, I do think it the pleasantest thing
   Ever a child can do!

Up in the air and over the wall,
   Till I can see so wide,
Rivers and trees and cattle and all
   Over the countryside—

Till I look down on the garden green,
   Down on the roof so brown—
Up in the air I go flying again,
   Up in the air and down!

3. Summary

In "The Swing," a child describes the happiness of swinging high. Going up in the air, the child can see over the wall — rivers, trees, cattle, and the whole countryside. Looking down, the child sees the green garden and the brown roof. The swing goes up and down, again and again, and the child loves it more than anything. The poem captures the simple joy and freedom of childhood.

4. Theme and values

• Joy of childhood — finding delight in simple play.
• Freedom — the swing feels like flying.
• Wonder for nature — noticing the wide, beautiful world.

5. New words and meanings

6. Let Us Think (comprehension)

1. What does the child think is the pleasantest thing to do? Going up in a swing.

2. What can the child see over the wall? Rivers, trees, cattle, and the whole countryside.

3. What does the child see when looking down? The green garden and the brown roof.

4. How does the swing make the child feel? Happy and free, as if flying up in the air.

5. Why do you think swinging feels like flying? Because the swing lifts you high and lets you see far, like a bird.

7. Language and grammar practice

Prepositions (position words)

The poem is full of them: up in the air, over the wall, down on the garden. Find more: up, over, down, on.

Rhyming words

8. Writing and speaking practice

• Writing: Write 4–5 lines about your favourite ride or game at a park.
• Speaking: Recite the poem, going a little higher in voice on "up" and lower on "down".

9. Common mistakes

• Mistake: Thinking the poem is a story. Fix: It is a poem describing the feeling and view of swinging.
• Mistake: Missing the up–down movement. Fix: Notice how the swing goes up (see far) and down (see the garden).
• Mistake: One-word answers for how/why questions. Fix: Use a full sentence with because.

10. Practice set

1. Who wrote the poem "The Swing"?
2. What is "the pleasantest thing" a child can do, in the poem?
3. What can the child see over the wall?
4. What does the child see when looking down?
5. Write a rhyming word for "swing" and for "brown".

11. Answer key

1. Robert Louis Stevenson.
2. Going up in a swing.
3. Rivers, trees, cattle, and the countryside.
4. The green garden and the brown roof.
5. swing — wing/ring/sing; brown — down/town.

12. Fun activity

Up and Down

Draw two pictures: what you see when the swing is high (far away) and what you see when it is low (close by).

13. Quick revision

• Unit 4: Up High · Chapter 10 · a poem by Robert Louis Stevenson.
• A child enjoys swinging high — the pleasantest thing to do.
• Up: rivers, trees, cattle, countryside; Down: green garden, brown roof.
• Theme: the joy and freedom of childhood.
• Grammar: prepositions (up, over, down) and rhyming words.

Unit 4: Up High

This chapter is part of Unit 4: Up High. The three chapters in this unit are:

• Chapter 10: The Swing — a poem about swinging high
• Chapter 11: A Journey to the Magical Mountains — a story about a mountain adventure
• Chapter 12: Maheshwar — about the Maheshwar Fort and Queen Ahilya Bai