Photo courtesy of lyrehcsong/flickr
How did you learn your ABCs? Even if you’re a Baby Boomer with a PhD, I bet you still can’t sort your way through the alphabet without singing part of it.
Plus, I also bet that you remember the words — or, at least, some of them — to your favorite songs. And not just holiday songs that you sing or listen to every year. Novelty and TV theme songs seem to stick well, too. 
Flocabulary has built its business on that concept. And that’s straight from the horse’s mouth.
Flocabulary uses rap to teach and motivate students in grades 3 through 12. A hip-hop synopsis of Macbeth has been making the rounds at StumbleUpon, in which members share links to favorite websites.
Flocabulary is the brainchild of a teacher and a music industry producer. Check out their concepts in action, as well as other teaching techniques inspired by the students’ interest in rap at their blog, The Hip-Hop Classroom.
You’re probably thinking, wow – that’s all very needed and creative, but what does that have to do with horses?
Well, check this one out. It’s called “The Mouth of the Horse,” and it’s about American idioms. a stumbling block for anyone slogging around trying to learn the English language, especially American English.
The three-minute song packs in 25 idioms. Flocab offers it up for grades 4-7 and for ESL/EFL classes, too.
According to their website, the team from Flocab considers it “one of the strangest songs we’ve ever produced.”
And you heard it here first. The horse hath spoken.
Tags: Flocabulary, horse, StumbleUpon, teaching tools, The Hip-Hop Classroom
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