Flocabulary uses Hip Hop to help kids learn science and more - The new School House Rock?

July 3, 10:58 AMScience ExaminerTrina Hoaks

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A new program to help children learn science and math, as well as language arts and social studies is gaining popularity. In a sense, it is reminiscent of what School House Rock did for learning beginning back in the 1970s.

This program, called "Flocabulary," is different though. Along with text books and other materials, teachers use Hip Hop CDs to help teach the subjects.

Founder Blake Harrison explained in an interview on Nightly News that he struggled as a child with remembering facts for school. However, he recognized that he could always easily remember song lyrics. He wondered why someone couldn't put those fact into Hip Hop songs. (See video of the interview below.) Well, now someone has.

In conjunction with Alex Rappaport, Blake has taken his idea and created an innovative way of helping teachers to get through to their students. They have truly taken a step toward making learning fun.

According to the duo, the science curriculum, "Beats, Rhymes & Science, is a middle school science review that uses high-interest hip-hop songs and related curricular materials to teach standards from the middle school curriculum. Topics covered include earth science, life science, physics and basic chemistry. By bringing the content to life through catchy, culturally relevant music and rhymes, Flocabulary encourages students to connect to science in a more meaningful way."

Although it is geared toward middle school, they have found that it has been an effective tool in helping high school students "to review what they may have missed."

Each song on the CD coincides with the material covered in a chapter of the text book. The relevant song focuses on key terms from the corresponding chapter to reinforce those concepts.

The program can be purchased individually or for an entire class. You can listen to sample songs and read the lyrics on their Web site.