SUBJECTS: English
YEARS: F–2
The cockatoo is an iconic Australian bird.
Do you know any songs about Australian animals? Listen to this song about a sulphur-crested cockatoo performed by Don Spencer and get a close up look at a sulphur-crested cockatoo the antics (funny actions) it gets up to.
Things to think about
- 1.What do you know about cockatoos? Have you ever heard a cockatoo (a type of parrot) 'talk'? What did it say? Think about any parrots you know from films and books. What sort of characters are they? What words would you expect to hear in a song about cockatoos?
- 2.Listen for the rhyming words like 'gidday' and 'away'. Clap your hands when you hear a rhyme. Where in the song does the rhyming usually happen? Think about how this song makes you feel. What things about the song make you feel this way?
- 3.Make a list of rhyming words from the song. What do you notice about the spelling of matching sounds? Can you find any more ways to spell these sounds? Why do you think this song was written? For whom? If you had to research (find facts about) cockatoos, would this song be very useful? Why do you think this?
- 4.Learn this song, make up some actions and perform it for someone. Use actions that fit the meaning and mood of the song. How do you know which part is the chorus of the song? Why do songs often have a chorus? If this song was written down as a poem, what might it look like?
Date of broadcast: 3 Sep 1986
Copyright
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