Table of content
🎯 Pedagogical Intention
Objective : Lead students to explore the concepts of curiosity, freedom, and discovery through the analysis and interpretation of the song Upside Down by Jack Johnson, using an interdisciplinary approach that combines oral expression, creativity, and personal reflection. The goal is to help students develop an open-minded attitude toward the unknown, encourage their imagination and their ability to see the world from different perspectives, while strengthening their understanding of the messages conveyed through music and lyrics .
👀 The Context
The song Upside Down by Jack Johnson, released in 2006, is a true ode to curiosity, discovery, and exploring the world from a new perspective. Originally composed for the film Curious George, it captures the spirit of adventure and the ability to see beyond limits imposed by society or fear of the unknown.
Through light-hearted and inspiring lyrics, Upside Down invites listeners on a journey where obstacles become opportunities and where wonder is cultivated in the everyday world around us. It highlights the importance of creativity and the joy of discovery—essential values in student learning.
This activity guide proposes using the song as a springboard for engaging reflections and learning experiences. Whether in music education, personal development, or from an interdisciplinary perspective, Upside Down offers a valuable opportunity to explore rich themes such as freedom, curiosity, and resilience.
Through the various activities included, students will be encouraged to analyze the lyrics, express their own aspirations, and explore creative ways to give meaning to the song’s message. This guide provides concrete ideas for integrating Upside Down into your teaching, encouraging students to see the world differently… maybe even upside down!
💡 Activity Suggestions
☝️ Activity 1: My Perceptions of This Music
Activity Description : Students will participate in a Wooclap survey to share their impressions and emotions after listening to the song Upside Down.
1) Introduction
Begin by presenting the song to your students and encouraging them to dance along. Feel free to invite them to stand up, clap their hands, or move around to get them energized for this first activity.
🔄 Alternative Version of the Activity:
If your students are not yet familiar with the music video for Upside Down, it may be interesting to show it to them without sound.
Objective: Ask them to write a short, song-like text based only on what they saw in the video. This will encourage them to interpret visuals creatively and imagine what message or mood the song might convey.
Next Step:
Ask students to compare their written text with the original lyrics of the song.
👉 Instructions:
- Hand out or project the official lyrics of Upside Down by Jack Johnson.
- In pairs or small groups, students will identify similarities and differences between their version and the original one.
- Encourage them to reflect on:
- The themes they captured (or missed)
- The tone and mood of the lyrics
- The style of writing (use of repetition, questions, rhythm, etc.)
🎤 Follow-up discussion:
- What surprised them in the real lyrics?
- Did the video help them imagine the right message?
- How would they rewrite the lyrics to make the message even more personal or powerful?
2) Conducting the Wooclap Survey
After listening to the song—and possibly getting into the rhythm with a few dance moves—invite your students to share their impressions.
Using a mobile device or a computer, students will be able to submit their responses in the format you choose (multiple choice, word cloud, open answers, etc.). The results can be displayed live on the screen for immediate discussion and analysis.
🧠 Methodological Considerations:
If you don’t have access to the necessary digital devices, the activity can be done entirely on paper.
For example, use post-it notes, or have students write keywords on the board, either themselves or with your help.
🗨️ To spark student engagement and help gather their thoughts, you can ask the following questions (or display them in Wooclap):
QUESTION 1:
What is your opinion about the song you just listened to?
QUESTION 2:
What word comes to your mind when listening to this song?
Import this activity into your Wooclap account:
Here is the code that will allow you to quickly import the Wooclap exercise described above into your own account: UPSIDEDOWNEN.
To use it, go to the homepage once you are logged in and click on the “Import an event” tab.
In parallel with the responses shared in Wooclap, take time to engage your students in a class discussion to deepen their reflection. Ask them to explore the reasons behind their answers collectively.
Here are some guiding questions to prompt their thinking and enrich the conversation:
🔍 Reflection Questions:
- Why did you (or didn’t you) enjoy this song?
→ Encourage students to express their tastes and justify their opinions (melody, lyrics, rhythm, emotions evoked, etc.). - Why do the words you shared represent what this song means to you?
→ Help them make connections between their word cloud responses and the lyrics or tone of the song. - What is your favourite part of the song, and why?
→ Focus on lyrics or musical moments that stood out to them personally. - How does this song connect with your own life or experiences?
→ Invite personal stories, reflections on curiosity, discovery, or facing the unknown.
☝️ Activity 2: My Artistic Interpretation of Upside Down
Avtivity Description : Students will write a description of their personal interpretation of the song (in English or French), which will then be translated into a visual drawing. This artwork will be enhanced with a musical touch to combine creative expression with auditory inspiration.
🎨 a) Using the Word Cloud in a Creative Exercise
To build on the vocabulary and ideas previously shared (especially through the Wooclap word cloud), invite your students to take part in a creative musical drawing activity.
🧠 Prompt:
If you had to continue your visual interpretation of this song, what would it look like in the form of a digital drawing with sound?
🎵 Suggested Tool:
Use the Google Arts & Culture platform, and more specifically the interactive tool “Create a Melody with Musical Canvas”.
🔗 Google Arts & Culture – Musical Canvas
📱 Access to the Application:
This tool is available directly from the website, or through the mobile app that you can install on a smartphone or tablet.
🔗 Musical Canvas can be accessed via:
- Google Arts & Culture website: https://artsandculture.google.com
- Google Arts & Culture mobile app: available on the App Store and Google Play
💡 Tip: Make sure your devices are updated and that students have headphones, if possible, to fully enjoy the musical aspect of the activity without distraction.
🎨 Creative Drawing & Music Interpretation – Step-by-Step Guide
Step 1: Revisit the Word Cloud
Begin by inviting students to review the key terms previously shared, using the word cloud from the Wooclap activity as a springboard for inspiration.
If you completed this activity without digital tools (e.g., through group discussion or board keywords), take a moment to revisit those ideas together.
Step 2: Describe a Simple Drawing
Ask students to imagine and describe a simple drawing they would create based on those words.
✏️ This short description can be written in English to practice vocabulary related to emotions, nature, discovery, or creativity.
👉 Encourage them to think of:
- Shapes (spirals, waves, paths, stars…)
- Characters or symbols (a child, a door, a tree upside down…)
- Colours that reflect the mood of the song
- Movement or stillness in the image
Step 3: Sketch in the App
Using the Musical Canvas tool in the Google Arts & Culture app or website:
- Students create a quick sketch of their idea directly in the app.
- As they draw, the tool will automatically generate music based on the forms and colours they use.
🎶 This transforms their visual interpretation into a musical experience!
Step 4: Compare and Reflect
Once the musical drawing is complete:
- Students listen to the melody created by their drawing.
- Then, they compare the English text generated by the tool (or its mood/message) with the description they wrote earlier.
🗣️ Encourage reflection with these questions:
- Is the generated music close to what you imagined?
- Does the drawing still match your description?
- How does sound enhance your original interpretation?
Students begin using the application from the following link:
https://g.co/arts/ADFvkjYHxUAntge9A
They use the written description of their drawing as a basis to bring it to life in the application.
The students then listen to the musical result linked to their drawing, which is itself based on a description inspired by the song Upside Down. They compare the description generated by the game (in English) with their original text.
The link to their creation can then be shared, allowing the teacher or other students to listen to the student’s work. Here is an example: https://g.co/arts/K7RYDQNnQq4skGX6A.
☝️ Activity 3: My Personal Aspirations – Nothing Is Impossible!
Activity Description : Students will create a personal presentation—with or without the use of video—in which they explain what they would like to achieve in life, something that currently feels impossible to them.
In keeping with the spirit and philosophy of the song Upside Down, students will be invited to share their “impossible dreams” — the things they would love to accomplish.
To gather and share these aspirations, using a collaborative wall (such as Padlet or Digipad) is a great way to start the activity.
a) Collecting Personal Dreams
The first step of this activity is to provide students with an anonymous space to express their personal aspirations—dreams that may seem impossible to achieve. This confidentiality encourages hesitant students to participate in this sharing exercise and to compare their dreams with those of their classmates.
To begin, create a collaborative wall. You’ll find tutorials at the end of this guide to help you set it up.
Here is an example of a completed wall following this exercise:
https://digipad.app/p/1173984/a316412d262fc
b) Creating a Video Clip to Present Their Aspiration
The second step of this activity involves designing and filming a short video based on the students’ personal aspirations. This video will be created from a written text, developed from the post previously shared on the collaborative wall.
🎥 Several options are available depending on the device used:
- 📱 Apple mobile device: Use Clips
- 🤖 Android mobile device: Use Kinemaster
- 💻 Computer: Canva is a great option for video editing
🛠️ Summary of the video production steps:
1. Sharing their aspiration on the collaborative wall
Students share their aspiration (in the target language), anonymously, to create a collective overview of the dreams present in the class.
2. Writing the script
Students write a simple script based on the previously posted message.
They develop their initial idea by adding details, explanations, and context.
3. Planning the production (storyboard)
Students draw a storyboard to plan the scenes of their video.
If needed, here is an example of a blank storyboard template to use:
(Let me know if you’d like me to generate one or provide a downloadable version!)
4. Recording the Video
Students film their video based on the script and storyboard they created.
✔️ Emphasize clear oral and body expression during filming to convey their message effectively.
5. Sharing the Video
- Watch the video and make adjustments if needed.
- Present the video in class.
- Discuss what was learned and gather feedback from peers.
c) Identifying Students’ Aspirations (for those who wish to share)
Once all videos have been created, ask students to send you their clips. Upload them to a secure space (such as a shared drive or learning platform).
🎯 Then, organize a fun guessing game session:
Students who are comfortable can have their videos shared anonymously. The rest of the class will try to guess who the video belongs to.
💡 This game can be played through the collaborative wall:
Students post the name of the classmate they think matches each aspiration, based on the video and the style of expression.
🚀 Other Ideas to Explore
a) Audio Recording Only?
You don’t want to create videos with your students, but you’d still like to use a digital tool to encourage oral expression in the target language?
We recommend using the Digirecord application, available on the La Digitale website.Once on the page, simply click “Record” to start recording your audio.
Your audio file will start recording directly from the browser.
You can then save it directly to your device or share it using a link.
Finally, be aware that this feature is also available directly from a Digipad collaborative wall you’ve created.
Students will then have the possibility to add their audio file directly into the post they write as part of the previous activity!
🔎 To Learn More
Wikipedia
Upside Down (Jack Johnson song)
The Santa Barbara Independent
In Conversation with Jack Johnson: True Love, Films, Songwriting, and ‘The White Lotus’
Surfer
Occy Interviews Jack Johnson on the Latest Occ-Cast
🔎 Useful Tutorials
Utiliser Wooclap
Tutoriel branché 1 : Utiliser Wooclap
Utiliser Wooclap (chaîne tutoriels)
https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLwsiSyjg8LpRfDGJ1OiKlc-9iSaXXmuYb&feature=shared
Chaîne YouTube de Google Arts et culture (Anglais)
Google Arts & Culture – YouTube
Créer un mur collaboratif avec Digipad (épisode 1)
La Digitale : Créer des murs collaboratifs avec Digipad
Créer un mur collaboratif avec Digipad (épisode 2)
La Digitale : Créer des murs collaboratifs avec Digipad (épisode 2)
Enregistrer une vidéo à l’aide de l’application Clips
https://youtu.be/qNDmkG_wOeA?feature=shared
Réaliser un montage vidéo avec Kinemaster
Comment faire un montage sur Kinemaster (Android et iPhone)
La création d’un enregistrement audio en ligne avec Digirecord
Truc arTIC : Digirecord
