You Too Can Speak Zulu

Name

Hi Kids...  Dr. W. here.   I bet you didn't know I could speak Zulu! Well, I really can't speak it, but I do know a Zulu folk song that's really cool and I can teach it to you.  We can have some fun and develop listening and writing skills at the same time..

If you want to listen to it (and I know you do), you can click on the link below and listen to me singing it. But first you might want to cover the mirrors in the room and make sure you're not near any windows.  My voice has been known to sour milk and shatter glass.

Click to hear me sing Guabi Guabi

How many verses do you hear and how many times do you hear them?  If you listened carefully, you heard two verses.  Each verse was sung two times. 

I won't tell you what the song means but it's about a man named Guabi. Are there any other words that you might understand in the song?  I bet you know what the last word in the song is.  That's right.  It's banana.

Now use your imagination.  In the box below.  Write a paragraph that tells what YOU think the song is about.  I'll let you know after I get your responses.

Well, now that you have given me your idea of what Guabi Guabi is about, I think it's time for a reward.  You can click on the link below to listen to about 30 seconds of the song as sung by Arlo Guthrie, my favorite folk singer. (We can only use 30 seconds, because copyright law says that's all we can publish without getting Arlo's permission.)

Listen to Arlo Guthrie sing Guabi Guabi

Now that was a lot better than my scratchy voice, wasn't it? 

In order to learn the song, it's a good idea if you write it out.  Of course you can't write Zulu, but you can write how the words sound to you.  To help you, I have broken each verse into four parts.  You can click to listen to each part and write what you hear in the box below it.  When you are finished with all eight parts (or whenever time runs out), you can click the Submit button at the bottom of the page and it will come to me as an e-mail.  You'll know how well you did, when I come in a work with the class to teach you the song!

Listen to and write the words to Verse 1 - Part 1

Listen to and write the words to Verse 1 - Part 2

Listen to and write the words to Verse 1 - Part 3

Listen to and write the words to Verse 1 - Part 4

You can also listen to the full verse

Listen to and write the words to Verse 2- Part 1

Listen to and write the words to Verse 2- Part 2

Listen to and write the words to Verse 2- Part 3

Listen to and write the words to Verse 2- Part 4

You can also listen to the full verse

If you have ANYTHING you would like to tell me about this lesson,
put it in the box below and then click on Submit.