Hip-Hop Geography Game

Hip-Hop Geography Game

Hip-Hop related trivia as a tool for teaching geography? Absolutely. Daniel D. Zarazua - a teacher at Oakland Unity High School - created this incredible excercise, which quizzes students on their geography skills by connecting Hip-Hop artists, groups, and history to places and cultures from around the globe. With 31 questions, an answer key, and suggested lesson plan, this is the best Hip-Hop Geography exercise I've seen yet. Mr. Zarazua's site has a wealth of advanced ideas for integrating Hip-Hop into your classroom and more. Hip-Hop Geography Exercise

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Hip Hop Across The Curriculum

Hip Hop Across the Curriculum

Hip-Hop is not just a genre of music, nor is it simply a pop fad. It is a three decade-old and growing, holistic cultural movement. What began as the popular culmination of the African-American musico-social experience quickly spread to every corner and demographic of the United States and beyond. Today, Hip-Hop exists as a dominant expression of the modern American youth experience. Accordingly, Hip-Hop can be used in a powerful and relevant way in classrooms across the academic curriculum. Not only does Hip-Hop engage students because of its inherent resonance with their lives, it can also serve as a case…

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The Poetics Of Hip-Hop Lesson Plan

The Poetics of Hip-Hop Lesson Plan

This comprehensive high school lesson plan, from the Kennedy Center's ArtsEdge program, helps student make connections between poetry (Giovanni, Saul Williams) Rap lyrics (Blackalicious) and Shakespeare. The parallels are excellent and this is a great example of how teachers can use rap as a mirror for poetry. For more lesson plans, check out Flocabulary's Teacher Resources. You can also hear this idea in action with Flocabulary's literature raps.

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Jay Smooth – A Unique Voice In Hip-Hop

Jay Smooth – A Unique Voice in Hip-Hop

We're always lucky when, in the midst of a confusing and paradoxical cultural movement, a voice emerges to calm our anxieties and educate us. No cultural movement is as complicated (possibly self destructive, at times extraordinarily uplifting) as hip-hop. And one voice that has emerged to guide us through the ridiculousness is Jay Smooth. Jay Smooth is a part-time radio host in NYC, and also the founder of the smartest video blog on hip-hop out there: Illdoctrine.com. Jay doesn't compete with most hip-hop sites. He isn't delivering news, album reviews or gossip. He's delivering commentary: The Thomas Friedman of rap.…

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Presidential Candidates Weigh In On Hip-Hop Education?

Presidential Candidates Weigh in on Hip-Hop Education?

For anybody who missed it, early this year presidential candidate Barack Obama weighed in on the educational power and potential of hip-hop music in an interview with Jeff Johnson on BET's "What's In It For Us?" Here is an excerpt: Jeff Johnson: "The reality is that hip-hop can engage the very young people that you have to deal with about education and incarceration. Would there be a place [in your White House] to explore how hip-hop can be effectively used?" Barack Obama: "Absolutely, I don't think there is any doubt that it can be. I've talked to artists about how,…

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