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Meet Our MCE of the Month: Jaclyn Woerner

Jaclyn Woerner
5th Grade Teacher
Woodbridge Township District, New Jersey

What grade(s) do you teach? Subject area?

5th grade Language Arts.

What inspired you to go into education?

My father taught for 34 years. I grew up watching him care so much about his students that my original (ridiculous) dream of becoming a Marine Biologist fizzled and my dream of becoming a teacher grew and grew and grew.

How do you typically integrate Flocabulary into your curriculum?

My students love the way I assess them in Lyric Lab. I use it to show true understanding and as a way for them to apply their new Vocabulary words from “Word Up!” Since they are free to use the words in any way, they have creative freedom and I get the best work out of the quietest kids. We also watch the Week In Rap on Friday mornings and discuss worldly issues that they miss by not watching the news at home. We talk about how it connects to our own lives.

Follow Jaclyn on Twitter

What is one of the most memorable experiences you’ve had in the classroom while using Flocabulary?

My most memorable Flocab experience is the 2 times we won the WIR Shout Out contest! We hope to do it again.

For teachers who are new to Flocab, what's one tip you have?

Start off right away. Show your comfort in the material so they will allow it into their student life. Incorporate it early on with a new skill, then bring it up again. Assess them using the assignment tools.

Students love having their own accounts. I like that I can assign the students Flocabulary lessons and they can both work on it at their own pace and use the technology at home. They watch Flocabulary videos that I didn’t assign but they’re still interested in. I feel like it opens up another door for them to investigate and learn even though I’m not setting that specific assignment.

How has Flocabulary impacted your classroom?

My students have really felt comfortable having an outlet to show their creativity, like in Lyric Lab. They get excited to learn new skills, because it almost always comes with a Flocabulary video that they will musically embrace. They retain key information that helps them to do better on their assignments from the curriculum.

I think they’re culturally connected to Flocabulary. We are very diverse at Woodbridge and I think they can connect to the way new ideas are presented. They love music, and love a new way to learn something and remember something.

You’re presenting at ISTE! That’s exciting — what inspired your session topic? What are you going to be focusing on?

Woot Woot! If you couldn’t tell, I believe in Lyric Lab whole-heartedly. Last year I had a lot of struggling students who’ll were afraid to share ideas and afraid to tell when they needed help. I felt disconnected to them. In Lyric Lab I was so surprised to see who was writing such powerful words with such a strong voice. It was these students. They just needed an outlet to show how creative they were. Culturally, they connect to hip-hop music and Lyric Lab is just the thing for some of the students that I had last year to succeed in Reading and Writing.

How has becoming an MCE impacted you?

Professionally, I couldn’t be more proud to work with such a company that believes in student success, still driven by standards, but also by what drives human character. My students think I am a Rock Star and it makes me feel so special. My colleagues come to me for advice and I see more of them trying to incorporate Flocabulary into their daily lessons.

Alright, time to rhyme — let’s write a rap (using Lyric Lab, of course). We’ll start... "MCE of the Month, and this month, it’s me. So let me tell you something about Flocabulary..." - your turn -

MCE of the Month, and this month it’s me,

So let me tell you something about Flo-Cab-U-Lary:

Week In Rap Junior, Lyric Lab and more,

Room 25’s kids are rapping for sure.

Applying and assessing,

With rhymes and beats we are messing,

Trying to flow our creativity

And spread the Flocab positivity.

Flocab vocab reppin’ “The Golden Dragon,”

So glad Woodbridge jumped on the Flocabulary bandwagon.

Mic drop.

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