Lesson: Make Your Own Flocab Video

Lesson: Make Your Own Flocab Video

Students at PS 57 in NYC created this fantastic video for Flocabulary's "Chinese Knowledge" song from Hip-Hop History of the World: Part I. Acting, costumes, props, choreography--they did it all! We were blown away and think you’ll be, too. A film project is the perfect way to wrap up a year of Flocabulary. This easy-to-follow lesson plan will help you make your own video. When you’re done, send it our way—we’d love to see what your students can do! The Lesson Plan: Part One: Learn the Content 1. Choose the song and unit. 2. Divide the song into sections. Assign…

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This Is Your Brain On Rap

This is Your Brain on Rap

Freestyle rapping can be a lot of fun. We know it’s hard to make up rhyming lines in real time--that’s why we published a guide to it! But a good freestyle session with a few friends is exhilarating and usually hilarious. Turns out, freestyling is also good for your brain. Charles Limb is a doctor, musician and researcher. He wanted to know how freestyle rapping differed from rapping something pre-written. So he had someone rap in an MRI machine, first something pre-written and then a freestyle. The result? Limb found increased activity in the parts of the brain associated with…

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Get Serious About Play

Get Serious About Play

Five ways to get kids playing and learning The national focus on standardized testing has left behind the once-sacred time for kids to race to the top of the jungle gym. Recess is in retreat, and the lack of time for play may actually be hurting students—and their test scores. Simply put, play is good for you. Here are five ways you can give your kids a brain break: 1. Give your students at least 15 minutes a day of recess A study in the journal Pediatrics found that adding just 15 minutes a day of recess improves student behavior…

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“Shakespeare Was The First MC”

“Shakespeare was the first MC”

Five Things to know about Devon Glover When Devon Glover isn't working as an emcee on Flocabulary projects, he works at an after-school program in a tough Brooklyn neighborhood. In addition, he recently collaborated with a Broadway producer to create The Sonnet Man, a collection of Shakespearean sonnets in hip-hop form. Devon was a math major in college but had to leave a semester before graduation to help his mother and brother with some personal issues. His inspiring story was featured this January on The Today Show. Devon sat down with Flocabulary this week to tell us Five Things about…

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Interview With Alex Rappaport, Flocabulary Co-Founder

Interview with Alex Rappaport, Flocabulary Co-Founder

Alex Rappaport, co-founder and CEO of Flocabulary, has spent the last few years transforming an idea into a business and a business into a movement. It's been an eventful year for Flocabulary: From producing new programs to fending off attacks from Tucker Carlson and Glenn Beck. We sat down with Alex (he doesn't sit far away) and asked him to reflect on education, entrepreneurship, and life. 1. What do you find most rewarding about your job? Are there particular moments that stand out? I feel very lucky to have the opportunity to work on something that helps people. Running a business can…

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