Meet the Eastern Rosella

Overview

In this first lesson of the four-part unit Eastern Rosellas Sing, students are introduced to the bird through selected sections of the song. They listen for repeated words and sounds, connect colour vocabulary with visual ideas, move like rosellas, and share one observation using a sentence stem.

Learning intentions

Students will:

• listen carefully to a song and notice repeated words or sounds
• recognise, name or point to the colours red, yellow, green and blue
• connect words, colours, actions and images with the Eastern rosella
• share an observation using spoken, signed, pointed or symbol-supported communication

Success criteria

• I can listen carefully.
• I can name or point to a colour.
• I can move like a rosella.
• I can share an idea about the rosella: “I heard/saw a ___.”

Curriculum links

• English Language — recognising vocabulary used in familiar contexts and topics taught at school.
• English Language — recognising vocabulary for learning area topics and using topic-specific words when discussing a topic.
• English Literature — noticing and reproducing rhythmic sound and word patterns in songs, chants and rhymes.

Lesson structure (30 minutes)

1. 0–4 min · Hook and prediction. Teacher opens the Eastern rosella hook slide with a striking image of an Eastern rosella and asks, “What colours and sounds might we notice?” Students look, turn and talk, then point to or name a colour they can see.

2. 4–9 min · First listening. Teacher briefly explains that students will listen for words, sounds and ideas about rosellas, then plays the first selected section of Eastern Rosellas Sing using the listening slide. Students listen without handling materials and show a quiet listening gesture, such as a hand to the ear.

3. 9–14 min · Listen and notice. Teacher replays a short section, pausing where appropriate to model repeated words, sounds or actions and asking, “What did you hear?” Students echo a repeated word or sound, copy a simple rhythm with taps, and point to a matching picture or colour on the rosella listening and colour observation sheet.

4. 14–21 min · Colour matching groups. Teacher places students in five groups of four and gives each group red, yellow, green and blue colour cards, explaining the matching task with the colour matching instructions. Students handle the cards, listen to another selected song section, and hold up or place the colour they think matches an idea, image or word in the song; the teacher accepts more than one thoughtful connection and models language such as, “I heard yellow.”

5. 21–25 min · Rosella movement. Teacher models safe movements—arms wide like wings, gentle flapping, stepping and turning—and displays the flying-through-trees movement slide. Students move in their group spaces like rosellas flying through trees, then freeze when the music stops and show one colour card.

6. 25–30 min · Share and close. Teacher revisits the share-and-review slide, models the sentence stem “I heard/saw a ___,” and invites each student to contribute in an accessible way. Students share one observation about the song or rosella by speaking, signing, pointing to a symbol or showing a colour card; the class repeats the key words and celebrates careful listening.

Resources

• Audio or video recording of selected sections of Eastern Rosellas Sing
• Device and speakers
• Eastern rosella listening and movement deck
• rosella listening and colour observation sheet
• Red, yellow, green and blue colour cards for five groups
• Eastern rosella photograph or image
• Picture symbols for heard, saw, colour, bird, wing and tree
• Open floor space for movement

Assessment

• During listening, note which students attend, respond to repeated words or sounds, and echo a rhythm or word.
• During matching, check whether students can name, point to, select or hold up a colour and connect it with a song idea.
• During the final share, record whether each student communicates one observation using the sentence stem, a gesture, sign, symbol or pointing response.

Differentiation

• Provide picture symbols, real colour cards, gestures and repeated modelling. Keep the four colour cards visible and name each colour clearly.
• Offer multiple response modes: verbal answer, home-language discussion followed by an English word, signed response, pointing, eye gaze or selecting a card. Accept approximations and recast gently.
• Seat students who need support close to the speaker and teacher; preview the movement expectations, provide a defined space, and allow watching or smaller movements instead of joining immediately.
• Pair students with a supportive peer or adult and use the sentence frame “I heard/saw a ___.” Adults can model the response without requiring every student to repeat it independently.
• For extension, invite students to describe two colours or actions and explain which part of the song helped them decide, for example, “I saw red and blue when the rosella flew.”