How much time do you give your students to answer questions you pose in class? Most teachers give students a second or less to respond, but a large body of research shows that this is far too little. Studies have found that teachers achieve the best results when they pause for three to seven seconds after asking a higher-level question. When given this time, students respond more thoughtfully and are able to make more meaningful connections to the content.

But more time isn’t always better. Studies also show that waiting too long creates apathy and boredom in the classroom. Giving students seven seconds to answer a straight-forward question is probably far too much. What’s the optimal amount of time for students to respond? The best solution is to vary the response time according to the difficulty of the question while closely monitor your students’ level of engagement. When engagement decreases, you may need to move more quickly or ask questions that are more or less challenging.

“Specifically, when students are given 3 or more seconds of undisturbed “wait-time,” there are certain positive outcomes:

* The length and correctness of their responses increase.

* The number of their “I don’t know” and no answer responses decreases.

* The number of volunteered, appropriate answers by larger numbers of students greatly increases.

* The scores of students on academic achievement tests tend to increase.

When teachers wait patiently in silence for 3 or more seconds at appropriate places, positive changes in their own teacher behaviors also occur:

* Their questioning strategies tend to be more varied and flexible.

* They decrease the quantity and increase the quality and variety of their questions.

* They ask additional questions that require more complex information processing and higher-level thinking on the part of students.”

Read more about response time in an article by Robert Stahl.

Welcome to November, Hip-Hop Classroom. We had to post these raps - fresh in from Loudon, VA and Cheshire, CT.

First, we have a truly top-notch rap about the Vietnam War from Ms. Zecher in Sterlin, VA. The key content/vocabulary is even in bold, just like Flocabulary. Fantastic work Jen Zecher - let’s get this on wax!

Up next, 5th graders from Doolittle School in Cheshire, CT created a rap about science of sound concepts. We love it! Here’s what teacher Tracy Ajello wrote when she submitted the rhymes: “Hi, my fifth graders wrote this rap to teach about grade 5 science of sound concepts. We LOVE your raps, so we wrote our own.”

Big Up all you educational hip-hoppers: the movement grows each day…

Vietnam War Hip-Hop U.S. History: Oh Domino,

by Ms. Zecher, Park View High School

At  the Gulf of Tonkin, two U.S. ships went under
And LB Johnson instituted his plan of Operation Rolling Thunder

Men as young as 18
Were drafted and fightin’ in the Army, Navy, Air
Force and Marines
Back then you could be 18 to fight and have a beer
But had to be 21 to vote for the President who sent you here
Glad things are different today
Thanks to the 26th Amendment you can have it your way

Oh Domino….If one falls to communism the rest will go
Oh Domino…If one falls to communism the rest will go

The Viet Cong used guerilla warfare
U.S. soldiers were surrounded and unprepared
For the ambushes and  the elephant grass
“Where is Charlie?”  Screamed a grunt
These enemies are sure difficult to hunt

Oh Domino….If one falls to communism the rest will go
Oh Domino…If one falls to communism the rest will go

Lyndon B. Johnson could not understand
How could the U.S. fail at this plan?
Bombing all day and all night
How could the Vietnamese win this fight?
Stuck in the theories of containment and the ColdWar
In 1968, LBJ said “no more”
He did not accept the Presidential nomination
Leavin’ U.S. soldiers in frustration

Oh Domino…If one falls to communism the rest will go
Oh Domino…If one falls to communism the rest will go

1968…the most important of years
Khe Sanh and the Tet Offensive raised Americanfears
Anti-war protesters wanted to give peace a chance
As well as hang out in Haight-Ashbury and dance
Martin Luther King and Robert F. Kennedy
represented the hopes of a nation
But we lost both to assassination

Oh Domino…If one falls to communism the rest will go
Oh Domino…If one falls to communism the rest will go

Then came the presidency of Richard Nixon
Who realized the nation needed fixin’
He planned to train the South Vietnamese to fight
So American soldiers would get home alright
This policy known as Vietnamization
Tried to keep South Vietnam its own separate nation
In 1973, Nixon gave us peace with honor
But in 1974 he resigned and was a goner

Oh Domino…If one falls to communism the rest will go
Oh Domino…If one falls to communism the rest will go

Soldiers return to no fancy parades
Some wonder if this war was just a charade

In D.C., the Wall is filled with memories of those lost
58,156 deaths for freedom that is quite a cost

Oh Domino…If one falls to communism the rest will go
Oh Domino…If one falls to communism the rest will go
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School Day, Sound Day

by Doolittle School 5th Grade Class and Ms. Ajello

I was walking down the hall, listening to vibrations,
Y’know the sound waves that give ya hearing sensations.
When I reached my class, it was so loud,
I realized it shouldn’t be allowed.
There was no resting point,
Where sound could take a break
It was just nonstop sound all around.
The waves per second, y’know the frequency,
It was through the roof and no one was listening to me.
I’d have rather been in a vacuum, a space devoid of matter,
Then in here with all this crazy chatter.
There were so many different timbres
The difference in voices between madams and sirs.
Some people’s voices were high, some people’s voices were low,
The pitch was so different, y’know
The teacher walked in, all angry,
And said, Class, you’re gonna be spending recess with me!

Check out this video of 8th grade math teacher Lamar Queen rapping about slope intercept.  Tell us what you think!

Whoa - we just got word of a school putting out one extraordinary academics-based rap music video after another! The 6th graders at Lew Wallace Elementary in Indianapolis, IN, have been busy this past year, creating songs and videos that cover everything from atomic structure to the dangers of drug use.

Check out the “Bacteria Rap” or a great track about “Animal Relationships“

Flocabulary commends these students and their teacher, Damon E. Jennings, for their work. All of the videos (available on Mr. Jennings’ YouTube channel) are great, and serve as examples of the possibilities for using Hip-Hop as a part of the learning process. If done right, Hip-Hop in the classroom can help students master content, become more motivated to achieve, and have a memorable, fun experience in the process!

Bacteria Rap Music Video:

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How To Write Vocabulary Rhymes

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Many students say that memorizing vocabulary words is a struggle, so we designed a simple lesson plan to help students learn, master and retain difficult vocabulary by writing a rhyme. This exercise can be done while a beat is playing (free beats are available here) or without music.

Step 1. Choose Your Vocab Word and Pre-teach

In this case, let’s use the word vain – an SAT-level vocabulary word that students might have to grapple with as early as middle school.

A.    Teach the word and the definition: Vain (adj.) too proud, into oneself

B.    Use the word in a sentence: (e.g.) “Vain people always carry a mirror in their pocket so they can check themselves out.”

Step 2. The First Line

The formula:

_____________(Definition)___________ (Vocabulary Word),

_____________(Context)__________ (Rhyme).

We know that our first line will end with vain. To be an effective learning tool, the first line also needs to contain the word’s definition.

Here’s a sample first line:

“Lisa was so into herself, you know, she was so vain,”

If you’re working with a group of students who have never done this before, it may be a good idea to provide the first line. Once students get used to the exercise, they’ll be able to write it on their own.

Step 3: The Rhyming Word Bank

We know that our first line ends with vain, so our next step will be to create a list of words that rhyme with that sound: luckily, many English words do. For this exercise, have students raise their hands and call out words that rhyme. Make a list on the board like this:

Vain – perfect rhymes

Pain
Gain
Brain
Plane
Vein (homonym!)
Insane
Disdain
Entertain

Vain – slant rhymes

Day
Play
Wage
Take
Sale
Sayin’
Money

As you can see, the slant rhymes get further and further away from the root word, but they’re all close enough (pronounced with a little poetic license) to rhyme with vain.

Step 4: Complete the Rhyme

Now that you have a rhyming word bank, your students will have to choose one of the rhyming words and use it to complete the rhyme.

You’ll notice in the formula that we ask students to think about context in their second line. This is a key point and can really separate great writers from writers who simply complete the assignment. In this case, writing with good context means that the second line supports the meaning of the vocabulary word you are defining, through action or theme.

For example, here is a second line that doesn’t use context:

“Lisa was so into herself, you know, she was so vain,
She likes rain.”

While this is a perfectly fine rhyme, we are relying on the first line’s definition as a context clue but not really getting another exposure to the word’s meaning.

Here’s a better example that uses context.

“Lisa was so into herself, you know, she was so vain,
She looks in the mirror so much it drives me insane.”

Step 5: Perform

Each student should now have at least two lines written. At this point, you can offer students that chance to perform their rhymes for the class (over a beat or a cappella). This is always a fun way to end the lesson and it’s always great when you (the teacher) share as well.

Step 6: Repeat

Now that students get the idea, they shouldn’t have a problem repeating this process with other vocabulary words that you chose. Provide students with a list of 8 words and have them write an entire verse on a specific topic!

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New this summer! Find more writing lessons in the Writing Academic Raps Teacher Resource Book, Flocabulary’s brand new program debuting on August 15th.

To honor Edgar Allan Poe’s 200th birthday, Flocabulary produced two music videos. A perfect supplement when covering the great poet and author, these videos underscore the parallels that exist throughout centuries of American art. Poe is Hip-Hop. Enjoy!

First, in “The Pit and the Pendulum,” an isolated prisoner recounts his horrific tale of captivity and torture:

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Meanwhile, in “The Cask of Amontillado,” a deranged man decides to lure an acquaintance to his cellar and bury him alive:

View high-def versions and find more educational hip-hop songs at http://www.flocabulary.com.

Another great, complete lesson plan from Daniel D. Zarazua, this one uses the complexities of the “rich rapper” myth to address various topics related to microeconomics. It also gets students thinking critically about portrayals of wealth in the media, and about how economic principals can affect their lives in unexpected ways.

Mr. Zarazua writes, “I’ve use it in different contexts, but students analyze constructions of ‘wealth’ as presented in music videos, concepts such as supply and demand, monopolies, distribution, and costs of living.”

This lesson plan is a great way to connect with students’ “out-of-school” interests and expertise to teach important academic and social principles.

Check it out here: Rappers Are Millionaires Excercise

Earlier this week, a blogger in Virginia named Gloria Brogdon sent us a lesson plan that helps students think critically about the history of hip-hop and make their arguments in a video project. The best part of this lesson is the video students are asked to watch - BET’s comprehensive documentary on the history, the culture and the issues.

Below, you can check out Part 1 of the four-part series. On Gloria’s blog - Conversations on Hip-Hop - you can view the other videos and read the complete lesson.

Remember, you can send us your lesson plans by click the submit button to the left.

Art Sanctuary, a non-profit organization out of North Philadelphia, has compiled an excellent Hip-Hop Curriculum Guide to teach students about writing, reading and critical thinking through an analysis on hip-hop culture. With units on language in context, genre, identity and media literacy, this is one of the most thorough and unique academic approaches to studying hip-hop. Best of all, it’s aligned to standards for language arts and social studies. Read through it and give it a try with your students. Kudos to the folks at Arts Sanctuary for developing this insightful program.

Click here to download the PDF.

Arts Sanctuary’s Mission

Art Sanctuary, located in North Philadelphia, uses the power of black art to transform individuals, unite groups of people, and enrich, and draw inspiration from the inner city. We invite established and aspiring artists to help create excellent lectures, performances, and educational programs.

Another great addition from Daniel D. Zarazua,  this engaging lesson plan uses Tupac Shakur’s song and music video “Brenda’s Got a Baby” to examine the beliefs, causes and solutions connected with female exploitation.

All you need to have a memorable, important discussion with your students can be found on Mr. Zarazua’s site. The lesson plan contains links to lyrics and pertinent articles, as well as rich academic content including discussion questions, vocabulary, and extension activities.

Lesson Plan: Examining Teenage Prostitution

A student’s response to this lesson plan: