“My sources, I read 'em all through, My sources, I make sure they're true. My sources, I take notes to write, And at the end of the paper, you know I cite.” *

Remember the days of School House Rock? Flocabulary takes education and music to a new level with educational hip-hop videos about math and science concepts, language arts, historical events, and life skills. Catchy songs hook K–12 students in a way that textbooks can’t. Based on the idea that music helps students recall information, Flocabulary seeks to engage students in new and creative ways and encourages them to write and produce their own educational lyrics.

Features

Flocabulary’s website is user-friendly and visually appealing. Choose songs and videos by subject including Language Arts, Math, Science, Social Studies, Life Skills, Vocabulary, and The Week in Rap. Within each subject category, videos are further broken down by topic. Videos, lessons, and activities are aligned to Common Core State Standards, and teachers can browse videos by Common Core alignment. Each video features Flocabulary’s recommended Lesson Sequence: Video, Quick Review, Interactive Lyrics, Fill in the Blanks, and Quiz. In addition, printable activities connect video content to curricular content. For example, the “Call Me Shakespeare” video provides an overview of Much Ado About Nothing. The accompanying activity asks students to connect lyrics about characters to text evidence from the play. Recommended lessons for each category provide strategies for moving beyond the presentation and recall of facts to critical thinking and writing activities. While librarians will be interested in most content from Flocabulary, the Language Arts: Research and Study Skills section includes videos on the research process, source evaluation, and citation. There is even an “Ode to Librarians” video and a remix featuring real librarians and students. For teaching digital citizenship, “Think Before You Post” was created in conjunction with Common Sense Media and presents 10 things to consider before posting to social media. The printable activity for this video lists the 10 considerations and provides discussion questions, something that could be hung in a classroom or library.

Pros

On-screen and printable lyrics provide opportunities for developing listening and reading skills. Built-in quizzes, vocabulary lists, and review questions offer multiple points of assessment. Flocabulary videos can be used to introduce a topic or review material from a unit. The Lesson Resources section on “Write Your Own Rhymes” provides support and materials for encouraging students to create their own hip-hop lyrics and videos based on classroom content.

Cons

Some topics covered, mostly in the social studies category, deal with complicated, sensitive topics such as the atomic bomb and September 11th. Are hip-hop videos an appropriate way to teach about these complex events? For example, archival footage of the atomic bomb accompanied by someone rapping "Would you drop it? would you drop it?" undermines the gravity of this event.

Pricing

Over 35,000 schools use Flocabulary. Subscription plans are available for teachers, schools, districts, parents, and virtual and afterschool programs. An individual teacher can pay $96 per year for unlimited access to videos, lessons, and activities. In order to gain access to reporting tools and assessment features, teachers need access via a school or district subscription. Two-week and 30-day trials are available. In 2015, the Flocabulary Impact Fund launched with the goal of providing free subscriptions to “schools in need.” A helpful web page on their site also provides research, standards alignment, and tips on writing grants and funding a Flocabulary subscription.

Coming features

In August 2015, Flocabulary announced the creation of The Week in Rap Junior, a weekly news video for elementary students. During the 2015–2016 school year, Flocabulary plans to release 100 new videos. Based on requests from users and analytics, these videos will cover technology and engineering, elementary social studies, and middle school math and science. Upcoming videos are listed as “Coming Soon” on each topic page. For example, visit the Social and Emotional Learning page to see titles of new videos coming soon.

Verdict

Flocabulary is a creative way to engage students in all subjects. Use the suggested lessons to engage students in critical thinking and writing activities inspired by these fun hip-hop videos.

“This is the library, come in, have a seat… I'm a librarian, that's my J-O-B.” **

  *Lyrics from Flocabulary’s “My Sources.” **Lyrics from “Ode to Librarians.” 

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Jennifer Hanson is director of library services at Worcester Academy in Massachusetts and an educational consultant for the Library of Congress Teaching with Primary Sources Eastern Region Partner at Waynesburg University.