Literacy Scavenger Hunt

Literacy Scavenger Hunt

Practice literacy skills all over town!

At the end of the school year, it can sometimes be tough to keep your students in their seats. They gaze out the window, as if the mere act of looking hard enough will make summer materialize faster. So why fight the call of the outdoors? Send your students on a scavenger hunt around your town or city! They’ll practice their language arts skills all over town, and see for themselves that you really can “use this in real life.”

With younger students, the whole class can walk around and do a few activities together. For older kids, the scavenger hunt makes a great homework assignment–ask students to pick 1 or 2 activities! School already out? Save it for September–this is a great way to start off the year.

The Scavenger Hunt!

1. Grammar Challenge: Find three signs with incorrect spelling or grammar. Photograph yourself with them. Explain how you would correct those signs. Also explain the impacts and confusions that this incorrect signage could cause in the world.

2. Analyze Advertisement: Find three interesting advertisements on a billboard or bus. Photograph yourself with them. Analyze all of the ways in which it is trying to convince you to do/buy what it is advertising. After you do that, explain whether or not you are convinced.

3. Educational Eavesdropping: Listen to at least 3 conversations on the bus. Transcribe (copy down) the conversations to the best of your ability. Describe what you learned about the people and their personalities/lives, and how you learned it. Do you think you know a lot about them?

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Lesson Plan: Teach Rhyme Scheme With Historical Rap Battles

Lesson Plan: Teach Rhyme Scheme with Historical Rap Battles

What is Crambo? Flocab has prattled on how to rap battle. But let’s take it back a few hundred years, and kick it very old school. In the scheme of world history, rap battles may be relatively new. But people have been trying to outwit each other through rhyme for ages. Over 600 years before the beginning of hip-hop, they called it Crambo. Called rap's "distant cousin," and coming from a phrase meaning "re-stewed cabbage," Crambo was a rhyming game played possibly as early as the 1300s. It became popular in England in the 1700s. The goal of the game…

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Meet The Animator Of Our Much Ado About Nothing Video

Meet the Animator of our Much Ado About Nothing Video

Before watching our Much Ado About Nothing video, you may have never been able to imagine Shakespeare as a rapper. But thanks to animator Nate Schoman, you’ll never see Shakespeare the same way again. Nate has animated Flocab fan favorites like Huck Finn, Five Things, and The Odyssey. Now, we bring you an exclusive peek behind the scenes. Read on to learn about his animation process, his favorite Flocab video, and why playing Led Zeppelin drum parts are all part of a days work. * Can you tell us about your process for animating the Much Ado video? There's a…

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Shakespeare For Elementary School

Shakespeare for Elementary School

Shakespeare didn’t write his plays for the highly educated. Actors performed his plays at the Globe Theater for people from all walks of life—and all ages! Keep the tradition alive at your elementary school. When presented in the right way, the stories in Shakespeare’s plays are perfect for even the youngest students. We rounded up resources that will help you get your students started on a lifelong love for Shakespeare. Shakespeare's Words -Use Green Eggs and Ham to introduce the idea of iambic pentameter! Full lesson plan here. -Act out the Three Witches scene from Macbeth. Full lesson plan here.…

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Students Animate "Would You Drop It?" Song

Students Animate "Would You Drop It?" Song

In the World War II chapter of Hip-Hop U.S. History, Flocabulary raises the moral dilemma: "Would You Drop the Bomb?" But why just pontificate when you can animate? In Mr. Pitner's U.S. History class in Arizona, students enhanced their understanding of historical issues by creating awesome animations for the song. You can view all the videos here. Thanks for sharing the videos on Twitter! Here are some ill illustrations from 3rd period: ...and this video by 4th period has a humorous mix of animation and live action. The dance moves during the hook are key! Wondering why the students are…

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