Richmond City Public Schools
What is Flocabulary?
The Concept
Wouldn’t it be great if academic content was
as easy to memorize as the lyrics to your
favorite song?
What is Flocabulary?
The Program
• Original, professionally produced,
authentic hip-hop music
• Research-based and standardsaligned academic topics
• Flexible and easy implementation
What is Flocabulary?
Our Core Idea
A motivated student is a
more successful student.
So…
Do rhymes really work?
In what year did Columbus
sail?
The Boston Tea Party
When did it happen?
1773
Why did it happen?
Taxation created a British
monopoly on tea sales.
How we do it…
In what year did
the Mayflower
sail?
It was the year sixteen hundred and twenty…
Music and Learning
Songs and rhymes are extremely powerful learning aids!
•Music facilitates the encoding and retrieval of
sequential verbal information (Wolfe and
Horn, 1993; Shehan, 1981; Wallace, 1994).
• Music forms long-lasting relationships to
academic content (Wallace and Rubin, 1998).
• A song is the best all-around mnemonic
device for facilitating a student’s recall of
facts, definitions and concepts (Kimmel,
1994).
Multisensory Instruction
Songs and rhymes are extremely powerful learning aids!
Two simultaneous exposures are better than
one. Auditory and visual exposures to the
content aid in acquisition and retention.
What do students enjoy?
• Lecture
• Debate and discussion
• Individual Reading
• Writing Projects
• Research Projects
• Group Projects
• Presentations
• Role Plays
• Art and Drama Activities
What do students enjoy?
• Debate and Discussion (30%)
• Art and Drama Activities (28%)
• Group Projects (25%)
• Role Plays (20%)
• Presentations (12%)
• Individual Reading (10%)
• Writing Projects (8%)
• Research Projects (8%)
• Lecture (4%)
Cultural Relevancy
Students identify
positively when relevant
content is introduced.
This will encourage
students to contribute
academically (Berry
1994, Sullivan 2003).
So what is relevant content?
What are your students into?
What are ways to integrate this into your curriculum?
Support Instruction
Across the Curriculum
Math
•Introduce, reinforce and review key
concepts
Social Studies
• Engage students with the curriculum
• Leverage the power of song to aid
memorization
Science
Language Arts
Okay…
Let’s go check it out.
In Review…
You and your students get access to everything.
All the time.
• Hundreds of songs, videos and
activities for all subjects, K-12
• 24/7 web-based access from any
computer or internet device
• Standards-aligned, researchbased and proven to increase
achievement
ELA Overview
A multi-pronged approach to ELA
Reading and Writing Skills
Grammar
Literature
Research and Study Skills
Vocabulary
In Review…
You can find relevant content in a variety of ways.
• Browse by subjects
• Standards navigation tool
• Search
• Save your favorites for easy access
• “Flocab, Month by Month” for
calendar-relevant content
In Review…
And many ways to extend your lessons!
Writing Academic Rhymes
• Complete lesson plans
• Instrumental beats
• Recording resources and tips
Classroom Mini-Games
• Competitive games for vocabulary, math and more
• Easy-to-follow lesson plans for teachers
Weekly Contest, and more
• New contest every week for Week in Rap
• Reproducible activities, “Flocab, Month by Month”
Please read the following:
Yet it takes little perspicacity to show that the text does not
practice what it preaches. A rhetorical reading of the passage
reveals that the figural praxis and the metafigural theory do not
converge and that the assertion of the mastery of metaphor over
metonymy owes its persuasive power to the use of metonymic
structures.
- From Allegories of Reading by Paul De Man
Reading Comprehension
• Vocabulary instruction is one of
the three key elements in teaching
reading comprehension (NRP, 2000).
• Children’s vocabulary as measured
in Pre-K is directly correlated with
reading comprehension in upper
elementary grades (Dickinson and Tabois, 2001).
The Vocabulary Gap
Reading comprehension is 63%
vocabulary.
There is no better predictor of
achievement on state reading tests than
the size of a student’s vocabulary.
-Dr. Roger Farr
Former President, IRA
The Vocabulary Gap
Hart & Risley (1995)
The Vocabulary Gap
Grade
Average
Student
Bottom 25%
End of PreK
3,440
2,440
End of
Kindergarten
4,300
3,016
End of Grade
1
5,160
3,592
End of Grade
2
6,020
4,168
Beginning in the intermediate grades, the
“achievement gap” between socioeconomic groups
is a language gap (Hirsh, 2002).
Vocabulary knowledge
is key to academic success.
Comprehensive Vocabulary Program
• Research-based
instructional
sequence
• Multiple exposures to critical
Tier 2 (cross-curricular) words
• Engaging, multisensory
approach to word ownership
Breaking Down Vocabulary
Tier 1: Basic “scaffolding” words
run, tooth, find, answer
Tier 2: Grade-Level, interdisciplinary “utility”
words
vital, refuge, barren
Tier 3: Content-Area words
amoeba, hypotenuse, federalism
Sources: (Beck, McKeown, Kucan, 2002); (Calderon et al, 2005)
Flexible Weekly Schedule
• Grades 2-8
• 14 Units per grade level (not sequential)
• Flexible schedule options
flocabulary.com/vocabulary-lessons
Research & Results
Proven to Increase Achievement
Proven to Increase State Test Scores
Results of “The World Up Project Efficacy Study” by the Educational Research Institute of America (2009)
Login Information
Teacher Activation:
http://bit.ly/1pPnHHY
Student Username/password:
richmondcps
Q&A
Now I have a question for you
How do you get students who couldn’t care less
about Shakespeare (or participating in class) to
know the play “Julius Caesar” inside and out?
ANSWER:
Lend me your ear for a quick minute
I come to bury J. Caesar, no praise given
Brutus said he was filled with much ambition
Therefore he deserved such a brutal killing
People always staying focused on the bad things
Like forget the good, and that's a real shame
They trying to play Caesar but it really ain't a game
They just decided that he was the perfect one to blame
Brutus really went and lied on his best friend
As a result, Caesar's life hit a dead end
So tell me how in the world can we respect them
If they expect to save Rome with a death wish
Don't get me wrong, they are allowing me to speak now
And so I speak out for the deceased now
I mean, since he's gone, who's gonna lead now
I guess Brutus 'cause he happy as can be now
Psych --he know the truth about J.C.
When people cried and struggled he felt the same thing
You all loved him once, and Brutus mainly
That's why to me it just seems so crazy
Writing Academic Rhymes!
• Mastery
of Content
• Skill Integration
• Higher Order Thinking Skills
Writing Academic Rhymes!
Basic Vocabulary Lesson
Three Steps for Mastery
Word of the day is
Pioneer
Pioneer (noun.) – a
person who is among the
first to settle or explore a
new country or area
Say the word aloud
Act it out
Write a rhyme with it
Writing Academic Rhymes!
Basic Vocabulary Lesson
• Step 1: Write a first line.
“Lewis and Clark set out, yea they were pioneers”
• Step 2: Make a rhyming word bank
Writing Academic Rhymes!
Rhyming Word Bank – “pioneers”
Perfect Rhymes
Slant Rhymes
.
“Lewis and Clark set out, yea they were pioneers”
Writing Academic Rhymes!
Spice Up Rhymes with Figurative Language
“I’m cooler than a
I’m sharp as a ___________.
polar bear’s
toenails”
I keep it fresh like (a) __________
- Big Boi on "Atliens,"
Life is a ___________.
Atliens
Writing Academic Rhymes!
Rhymes that Tell a Story
1. Pre-teach: choose a subject, teach key facts
- Can be fictional or non-fiction
2. Write: can be done individually or in groups
(1st person, 3rd person, opinions, content recap,
P.O.V. “battles, etc. – its all valuable!)
3. Perform for the class
4. Analyze student work
Writing Academic Rhymes!
An Inspiring Example
More resources – stay in touch!
Find us on
facebook.com/flocabulary
Visit www.flocabulary.com
Questions? Email me:
aliza@flocabulary.com
Follow us on Twitter:
@flocabulary