Hip-Hop In The Classroom With Flocabulary...And So Much More For Everyone!

One of my favorite places to go each week is the Flocabulary website!  It is always filled with such fun and exciting resources to use with our young people.  

From the moment you go to the website and read....

 you are hooked!

And just wait to see what you will find on Flocabulary!

A talented and cool team of artists and educators have created an online library of educational hip-hop songs and videos that can be used "to engage and inspire students" in grades K-12.  

The very first feature that hooked me and my students were the "The Week In Rap" videos.  

Each week they create a rap which highlights the current events and happenings over the last week. 

As if the raps for each week aren't awesome enough, Flocabulary creates several activities that accompany each as well.

 There are challenge questions, interactive lyrics, fill in the blanks, and

a printable activity, which are different each week.  

I really love how they have the "Topic Information" and "Tour" buttons throughout the website.  When you click on "Tour" it takes the teacher through a short tutorial on how to use the resources and site. 

This makes it so easy to really jump right into using Flocabulary each and every week for so many different subjects and topics.  

Check out "The Week In Rap Shout-Out Contest" where students respond to a weekly challenge for the chance to get their school mentioned in an upcoming song.

My students loved the weekly raps and we have created our very own about digital citizenship and being safe online.  

And speaking about digital citizenship, you just have to check out the new video they created with Common Sense Media called Oversharing...Think Twice Before You Post.  This is perfect for our kids as we all go back-to-school and talk to them about being safe and respectful online.  

The "Writing Academic Rhymes" guide is another wonderful resource for guiding students in developing higher-order thinking skills through high-interest writing after listening to the raps on Flocabulary. 

As you can see there is something for everyone on Flocabulary.

There are songs and videos for whatever subject you teach.

Along with each these in-depth planning tips and supplementary lesson plans which will guide you in implementing Flocabulary resources.

 Each month there are "Flocabulary activities for all the big and small events each month".

 When you are signed into your Flocabulary account, one is allowed to mark videos and songs as "Favorites".

They have also taken each video and alligned it with all of the Common Core State Standards for each grade level.  

Flocabulary is one website you don't want to miss using this year!  

By clicking on this link, you can sign up for a FREE 30-day school trial and try it out with your students too.  

Anytime rap, music, and fun are involved students are engaged and excited about learning.  With Flocabulary, I have seen this over and over again.  I just know you will too! 

Calling All Kid Authors!

Last week, In This Together Media, School Library Journal, and Edmodo announced an exciting new writing contest for kids.....

Kids Create Kat McGee!

And this week we started sharing a little more information through the hashtag #KidsCreateKatMcGee and this video.  Throughout the contest, we will be sharing more writing tips and author fun.

Get ready for September 15th when we share the details of the contest and show you how to enter your story too.

For now....get reading Kat's adventures, share this video message, and think about where the next one to take you!
                   

Exciting New Writing Contest Asking Kids To Write The Next Kat McGee Adventure!

I have an exciting new writing contest to announce!  

In This Together Media, Edmodo, and School Library Journal have teamed up and are asking kids to write the next Kat McGee adventure.  

                                               

The first thing they need to do is check out the Kat McGee series by the wonderful author Kristin Riddick.    

Published by In This Together Media, the Kat McGee series takes her on adventures through history and special holidays. These include Kat McGee Saves America, Kat McGee and the Halloween Costume Caper, Kat McGee and the Thanksgiving Turkey Train, all by Kristin. 

I love what others have shared about the Kat series...

"Kat McGee is a bold, strong heroine and an inspiration to girls and boys everywhere. In this latest adventure, kids not only learn about the history of what America has been but what the future can be with more Kat McGees in our midst." 
-- Sally Kohn, political columnist and television personality 

"Kat (and author, Kristin Riddick) definitely know their way around a kid's imagination. It was love at first page between Kat and my 9-year-old son, which proved that Ms. McGee can not only hang with the boys but also with any great children's literary character on the market today." 
-- Nate Torrence, TV and Cartoon Personality 

As you can see, kids are going to LOVE reading the Kat McGee books and will be even more excited to be included in writing the next one with Kristin. 

To learn more about the contest, please read our post on the Edmodo blog, Calling All Students:  Create the Next Kat McGee Adventure!  

You can go to the page we have set up for the contest on the In This Together Media website too. 

This will give you and your students a little taste of what the contest is going to include....and will encourage all kinds of dreaming to what Kat's next holiday adventure has in store for her!  

You can find the Kat series available on Amazon and Barnes & Noble.  

When 10 or more books are purchased, In This Together Media will give you a wholesale discount and a free Skype with the author.  Please contact Saira Rao at saira@inthistogethermedia.com with inquires. 

Also, follow our hashtag #kidscreatekatmcgee for news and tips throughout the contest.   

So start reading and stay tuned for more information in the next two weeks on how your students can help write Kat's next adventure!  

And have so much fun reading and writing too!