Introductory discussion

• Discuss penguin facts that the students know.
• Research additional information about penguins.

Expressive singing

• Emphasize key words by using clear, crisp consonants.
• For dramatic contrast, speak the line “I’m wearing red tonight.” Choose the       emotion you wish to convey: excitement, rebellion, decisiveness, musing, etc.

 Add actions

• Listen to the performance track and do the following actions for the words listed.
     I wonder    -   index finger to side of head (thinking)
     never         -   shake head or finger side to side, like saying no
     suit coat     -   show where a fancy lapel would be
     eater          -   pretend to eat
     shirtfront    -   put hand flat on chest
     won’t see   -  shake head no and point to eyes
     apron         -   move flat hand down the front of your chest
     chest          -   flat hand on chest
     best            -   thumbs up sign
     tired           -    droop the shoulders and drop the head a bit
     “I’m wearing red tonight”    -   hands on hips and nod head
     choice         -   hands out to the sides, shrug your shoulders
     white and black     -    right hand first, then left hand out to each side
     black and white     -    left hand first, then right hand out to each side
     again                   -     fold arms across chest
• The actions listed above are included in the PDF download.

Vocal exploration

There are many kinds of voices: talking, singing, whispering, shouting, etc.

In I Wonder, the line “I’m wearing red tonight,” may be spoken.     

How well do you know the voices of the people in your class?

Use a recording device.

• Have all the students say their names.
• Record their voices.
• Listen to the recording.

Change the order of the students.

• Have each student say, “Hello, how are you?” and record it.
• Play the recording for the class and see if the speaker can be identified.

Have each child say something with a disguised voice.

• Can the person still be identified?

Have each child sing something (something simple like Rain, rain go away).

• Students should use their best singing voice.
• The voice should not be disguised.
• Can the person be identified from his or her singing voice?

Explore Cross Curricular Activities

A package of 13 cross-curricular activities has been created for use with the song, I Wonder. Additional activities are included with each of Donna’s other penguin songs: Penguin Parade, Pondering Penguins  and The Penguin Ball. 

Share the cross-curricular activities with classroom teachers so they can tie into the music their students have learned in the music room.

Discussion

Use Hanukkah, Hanukkah as a discussion starter.

Read aloud the lyrics and explore the vocabulary:

• Menorah
• Dreidel
• Nun, Gimel, Hei, Shin

For context and to add some fun, bring a dreidel to class and let students try playing this Hanukkah game.

Add instruments

Add unpitched percussion instruments to augment the feel of the strong, percussive accompaniment.

• A sections:  Add a steady stepping/stamping beat on beats 1 and 3 and add a tambourine strike on beats 2 and 4. Players must listen carefully to the accompaniment in the final A section when the accelerando affects the speed of the song.
• B sections:  Create a contrasting percussion addition. Continue using the tambourine, but shake it every time the word “dreidel” is sung. The jingling of the tambourine will be a different and contrasting sound compared to the percussive strike used in the A section.  
• Add a vibraslap every time the word spin or spinning is sung.

Invite students to explore different instruments and combinations to accompany the song. Encourage them to make musical decisions to create their own unique accompaniment.

Add Visual Interest

Add colourful scarves or ribbons to the performance.

Choose two different scarf movements to coordinate with the A and B sections of the song.

When adding instruments or visual elements to a performance, it is a good time to discuss with students how to use sound/no sound and movement/no movement combinations to create a musically interesting performance. Encourage them to include variety when adding rhythmic or visual elements: change the rhythmic pattern or movement for different phrases or sections, add elements to only selected sections, vary the instruments that are used, etc. Think of it like adding spice to a recipe – a little goes a long way!