I tried to rhyme.:) As you can see, rapping is definitely not my thing, but it is something my students enjoy! And no, I don’t mean Eminem, JZ , and the like, I teach in an elementary school. I use the videos that are available on Youtube, Teachertube, etc… It’s a fun, interactive way to learn, it engages and gets them moving!
Last year, I was teaching Polygons, and I decided to use a rap called Polygon Rap with my students. Not only did we learn the rap, we created props, made a video of them performing the rap, and uploaded the Polygon Rap video to TeacherTube. Every single one of my students knew the different polygons. Educational and fun!
Recently, I discovered a site called WatchKnow, which allows me to watch educational videos at school. The great part is that we can watch videos from sites that are usually blocked. Therefore, I can get YouTube, Teachertube, Schooltube, all in one place, secure, and most of all, unblocked. This discovery has led me to look for raps that deal with whatever subject I am teaching, because the students enjoy it so much. For example, I was teaching the Bill of Rights, and we sang the Bill of Rights rap every day. I posted it on Edmodo, and my students shared it with their parents at home. Guess whose students know the Bill of Rights?
When I was teaching area and perimeter, Mrs.Burk, my all time favorite on Teachertube, helped my students grasp the skill. I would begin the lesson rapping along with Mrs.Burk’s Perimeter Rap. We would rap loudly, mimicking her moves, no matter how corny we looked! It makes me laugh just to think about it! But as much fun as we had, my students internalized area and perimeter because they knew the rap.
Today, I was reading posts in the Language Arts Edmodo community, when I came across this link in a teacher’s reply. This Week in Rap, current events in rap form. Amazing! I let my 17-year-old watch it. He watched the entire video. He liked it, I could tell, although his only comment was, “He can’t rap better than me.” I’m debating whether to show my 5th graders, I guess I will determine that by its content, but if I were in middle or high school, I wouldn’t hesitate. I would even let them create their own version of ” rap current events.”
Anyway, to “wrap” this all up, (pun intended) , “I believe rap in the classroom is a great asset! Let’s give those boring textbooks a rest! These videos are a help when it comes to takin’ tests! Word!” 🙂
DIARY OF A PUBLIC SCHOOL TEACHER 