Teach Primary Issue 18.2

thoughts and feelings. Begin by watching the official music video to the song ( tinyurl.com/ TPwonderful ). Its unique, bright animation style is sure to mesmerise pupils, capturing their attention and imaginations immediately. Let them watch and observe during a first showing. Then play the video a second time, encouraging them to watch closely and really notice what they see and hear. Discuss the theme of the song as a group. What did the artist sing about? What did pupils see that contributes to a wonderful world? In pairs, ask the children to try and remember as many of the ‘wonderful’ things they saw as they can. Who can remember the most? I see trees of green, red roses too. I see them bloom, for me and for you.’ What happens when you give children a paintbrush and plenty of paint, and then play Louis Armstrong’s What a Wonderful World to them? Well my class were inspired by the rhythm as well as the words, and loved letting their hands ‘dance’ over manuscript paper with the brushes. Here’s how you can recreate the magical experience we had. Meeting the music In these activities you’ll introduce your class to this poetic jazz classic, and the deep, gravelly voice of Armstrong, while celebrating the beauty of the natural world. Make sure you give pupils time to listen, feel and, ultimately, dance with paint as they respond to music in visual form by decorating their ‘canvases’ with Music and lyrics Following on from the screening of the music video, ask pupils to get comfy, close their eyes and listen closely to the song again, but without any visual stimulation this time. Encourage them to focus on the lyrics. How do the words make them feel? Does the song and its melody evoke a happy or a more solemn feeling within the children? In groups, discuss the emotions felt during this listen and invite pupils to volunteer their individual feelings. Why do they think they felt a certain way? Then, give each group a handout of the lyrics (or display them on a whiteboard) and ask them to consider which is their favourite line. Can they 68 | www.teachwire.net WORLD! What a wonderful Adele Darlington blends the beauty of art with the joy of music in this upbeat activity inspired by Louis Armstrong’s masterpiece explain why? Are they drawn to the blue sky, the white clouds, friends shaking hands or another line entirely? It’s also nice to think about adding new lines to the song here. If pupils could add more natural wonders to Armstrong’s wonderful world, what would they be? Maybe the sound of singing birds, the blue waves of the ocean, snow on a mountain top or the bright, warm sunshine will feature in their conversations. Feel the rhythm It’s now time to get moving to the music. Focus on the rhythm and the beat of the song rather than the lyrics this time. Depending on the age of the children, invite them to sit at tables, on a carpet area or even stand. Sway to the music and tap, clap or click fingers to the beat. Do model this for pupils, as some may find it tricky to recognise the steady pulse “Give pupils time to listen, feel and dance with paint”