Feathers, Fur and Fins: A song about wombats

SUBJECTS:  English

YEARS:  F–2, 3–4

Do you know any songs about Australian animals?

Listen to this song about wombats performed by Don Spencer.

Watch some wombats doing what they do best — dig!

Things to think about

1. 1.What do you know about wombats? Do you know any wombat characters in stories and picture books? What words do you think you'll hear in a song about wombats? Write them down then listen to find out how many you have guessed correctly.
2. 2.What word is repeated most often in this song? Listen for any pairs of words in the song that have the same sound at the end. 'Me', 'tree' and 'be' are words like this. They rhyme. Sing along with the chorus by the end of the song.
3. 3.Why do you think songs usually have a chorus? How might the words be different if this song was written as a poem instead? Write down as many of the rhyming groups used in the song as you can. Find their correct spellings. What do you notice about the spelling of the words in each group? Which 'rhyming' sounds don't quite match?
4. 4.Write a new three-lined verse for this song about a different animal that likes to dig, such as a dog or rabbit. Listen to the beat and rhythm of the song. Try to keep the same beat. Be sure to rhyme the last word of each line.

Date of broadcast: 11 Sep 1986

Copyright

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