As teachers or future teachers, we strive to reach our students through any medium that they will be interested in. Music is such a predominant part of their lives, that it seems natural to weave it into the classroom lessons. Hip-hop is a popular genre of music for teenagers, and has some value in the classroom, especially concerning literacy. Both the art of making hip-hop music and rap lyrics and the process of looking at the devices used in raps we have already heard hold merit. By making the music they can practice creative writing, expressing themselves, and how to manipulate language rhetorically. When looking at the raps of the past they can see the figurative language and stylistic devices are used not just in ancient poems but in the music they love.
              There are a couple ideas, programs and videos that teachers can use to supplement their class lessons, but we advice that using hip-hop to teach literacy is not for everyone. Remember that hip-hop has a stereotype that follows it. Many teachers assume that in an urban area with predominantly african american students hip hop is the answer to disinterest. Keep in mind that assuming they love hip hop is a judgement that can be taken as judgmental and rude, just like bringing country lyrics into a classroom of middle class caucasian students. We suggest that, in order to avoid this teachers ask students to bring music in and try to work with that rather than making assumptions on their students musical tastes.

                One program for teachers is H.E.L.P. This website allows you to buy workbooks that use hip hop lyrics to relate to almost all school subjects. These range from science to English and everything in between. See http://www.edlyrics.com for more information on how to use H.E.L.P. programs in your classroom, and check out this video for a look at what this program has to offer:









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​                Alternatively there is a hip hop program that creates hip hop songs about school subjects. Many of these are aimed at younger students, and might seem silly to high school students. The program can be purchased or tried for free via their website, http://www.flocabulary.com. Flocabulary attempts to make the topics interesting through song, much like school house rock did for our generation. Watch this video to see one example of what Flocabulary brings to the classroom:


 































                Even Ludacris created a website and program with his daughter that features raps about life lessons and school subjects for 1-6th grade students. The website includes links to lesson plans for teachers and ideas for parents, as well as educational games. Visit http://karmasworld.com  for more information on songs and lessons using hip-hop.

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“I believe that it can help classroom teachers to understand why their own students are or are not responding to the reading and writing they are asked to do in or for school, and to construct an educational environment in which the kind of engagement with learning that one sees among young rappers can develop.” - Weinstein

Hip-Hop in the Classroom