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Feathers, Fur and Fins: A song about koalas

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A koala in a tree
Feathers, Fur and Fins: A song about koalas

SUBJECTS:  English

YEARS:  F–2


Some people mistakenly call a koala a bear, but it's not.

Listen to this fun song by Don Spencer to find out how a koala might feel about being called a bear.


Things to think about

  1. 1.Koalas are marsupials; they carry their babies in a pouch. Some people think that they look like bears, so sometimes call them 'koala bears' by mistake. What kind of animal is a koala more like?
  2. 2.Listen to the way the words of the song make it sound like the koala is singing. Why are 'I' and 'me' used? How does the koala feel about being called a bear? How does the koala describe itself and where it lives? What animal does it say it is closer to? What do we see the koalas eating?
  3. 3.Write words and phrases (groups of words) from the song that tell you about the koala. Draw a picture of a koala and add speech bubbles. Write the phrases in the speech bubbles.
  4. 4.Create a poster to let others know that a koala is not a bear. First find out more about koalas. On the poster include features that make a koala different from a bear. What is the chorus of this song? Create your own song about the differences between koalas and bears. Pretend the koala is singing it. Don't forget to put in a chorus!



Date of broadcast: 8 Sep 1986


Copyright

Metadata © Australian Broadcasting Corporation and Education Services Australia Ltd 2012 (except where otherwise indicated). Digital content © Australian Broadcasting Corporation (except where otherwise indicated). Video © Australian Broadcasting Corporation (except where otherwise indicated). All images copyright their respective owners. Text © Australian Broadcasting Corporation and Education Services Australia is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License (CC BY-SA 4.0).

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