Website review by Marianne Rogowski, Common Sense Education | Updated July 2021
Flocabulary
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Flocabulary

Delightful hip-hop-based site connects literacy to every content area

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Learning rating
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Community rating
Based on 73 reviews
Privacy rating
93%| Pass Expert evaluation by Common Sense
Grades
K–12
Subjects & Skills
English Language Arts, Math, Science, Social Studies
Price:  Free to try
Platforms:  Website
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Take a look inside

1 video | 9 images
Flocabulary in 30 Seconds
Educator Video
0:39
Manage classes, assignments, and grades from the teacher dashboard
Teachers can show or assign videos and activities to students.
Students see their progress as they complete assigned activities.
Short quizzes assess knowledge and comprehension and provide immediate feedback.
Reading passages feature questions similar to state tests.
The Lyric Lab lets kids create their own lyrics along with a beat.
Week in Rap lessons cover relevant current events.
Access to full lessons allows teachers to get a quick start on the platform.
Activities include different interactive games to help students practice what they learned in the video.

Pros: Smart, catchy videos feature diverse representation and a variety of teacher- and student-friendly activities.

Cons: Some videos contain language that some teachers will find inappropriate for younger viewers. The individual teacher version lacks easy differentiation and progress-tracking.

Bottom Line: This site's content is savvy enough to keep students focused, and teachers will love the flexible options for deepening learning.

How Can I Teach with This Tool?

Whether you want to assign students a basic review lesson for homework or plan a fully integrated lesson, the Flocabulary platform is flexible enough to use a little or a lot without feeling routine. The lessons within the videos are relatable and fun enough to get concepts to sink in. Start a unit with a video that introduces the vocabulary students need for a lesson in geometry, simple machines, student loans, or a Shakespearean sonnet. Play a video for the whole class, then have the students group up and replay it in discussion mode, giving them the opportunity to explore ideas in more depth and learn from one another. Videos for older students are more dense, with nearly every rhyme containing some hard facts that they can review afterward through a variety of activities, including writing their own lyrics. 

The Week in Rap videos lessons help build background knowledge through the lens of current events, and their focus on equity and social justice will spark discussions and help students develop empathy. Teachers should put in some extra time to prepare since some of the topics may lead to in-depth conversations. 

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Put this tool into practice:
Standards:

Flocabulary is a website with hundreds of educational hip-hop videos and supplemental activities for students in grades K-12. Flocabulary covers math, vocabulary, language arts, social studies, science, and SEL and offers a weekly news update, The Week in Rap, which is adjusted for age appropriateness. Lessons contain music videos and clickable lyrics that can be played at three different speeds. After viewing these as a class or independently, students can complete the accompanying games, quizzes, reading passages, and more, depending on the plan purchased. 

The individual teacher subscription (which is required after a 30-day free trial) gives access to the videos, lessons, activities, and Common Core State Standards (CCSS) correlations, and the videos present content through a diverse, equitable, and inclusive lens. The full whole-school plan includes quite a bit more, including a teacher dashboard and assignable, automatically scored quizzes. Created by pros committed to education, all Flocabulary content is standards-based and even goes above and beyond traditional standards to incorporate current events and SEL content. There’s also a pretty robust community of users and product ambassadors who share ideas and spark inspiration.

Disclosure: Common Sense Education has partnered with Flocabulary in the past; however, our initial review was completed before this partnership was established.

One of Flocabulary’s best qualities is that the videos feel authentic, not awkward imitations that are obviously for educational purposes. The backing beats and samples are catchy and memorable, and videos contain a fun combo of stock footage, discussion points, original animation, and, for The Week in Rap, current news clips. The lyrics don’t diminish topics; rather; they speak directly to a K-12 audience, providing an accessible and subtle way for students to learn content. Accompanying activities, done independently or as a whole class, help students learn key vocabulary and concepts, increase background knowledge, and review learning with access to quick feedback. Opportunities to create their own hip-hop lyrics empower students to be creative and allow teachers to assess how well their students are grasping larger concepts.

The downsides to Flocabulary are pretty limited. For one, the cost may be an issue. The Teacher Lite plan gives access to all of the lessons and some activities, but for full access, teachers and students will need to be on the school plan, which may be out of their price range. Also, lyrics are occasionally kind-of stilted, but this happens in popular music too. Finally, teachers should know that some videos contain light questionable language. While students probably won’t bat an eye, it’s something teachers should just check on beforehand. Turning on the Elementary Filter might be useful for K-6 teachers to ensure students don’t have access to videos that contain violent or disturbing images.

Overall Rating
Engagement

Often irreverent and funny, these super-entertaining hip-hop videos will keep students’ attention, and they'll have a blast forming and performing their own lyrics.

Pedagogy

Videos are packed with educational info that hits all subject areas, including SEL skills. As students learn to listen for details, they can become more focused.

Support

Flocabulary offers a solid support system. Videos and lyrics can be viewed at three speeds, and there’s a beta immersive reader feature. Objective quizzes, games, and reading and writing activities challenge students at every level.

Common Sense reviewer
Marianne Rogowski Instructional Technology Facilitator
See how we rate and review

Key Standards Supported

Language

  • L.K.2

    Demonstrate command of the conventions of standard English capitalization, punctuation, and spelling when writing.

  • L.K.4

    Determine or clarify the meaning of unknown and multiple-meaning words and phrases based on kindergarten reading and content.

  • L.K.5

    With guidance and support from adults, explore word relationships and nuances in word meanings.

  • L.K.6

    Use words and phrases acquired through conversations, reading and being read to, and responding to texts.

  • L.1.1

    Demonstrate command of the conventions of standard English grammar and usage when writing or speaking.

  • L.2.1

    Demonstrate command of the conventions of standard English grammar and usage when writing or speaking.

  • L.3.1

    Demonstrate command of the conventions of standard English grammar and usage when writing or speaking.

  • L.3.5

    Demonstrate understanding of figurative language, word relationships and nuances in word meanings.

  • L.4.1

    Demonstrate command of the conventions of standard English grammar and usage when writing or speaking.

  • L.4.5

    Demonstrate understanding of figurative language, word relationships, and nuances in word meanings.

  • L.5.1

    Demonstrate command of the conventions of standard English grammar and usage when writing or speaking.

  • L.5.5

    Demonstrate understanding of figurative language, word relationships, and nuances in word meanings.

  • L.6.3

    Use knowledge of language and its conventions when writing, speaking, reading, or listening.

  • L.6.5

    Demonstrate understanding of figurative language, word relationships, and nuances in word meanings.

  • L.7.3

    Use knowledge of language and its conventions when writing, speaking, reading, or listening.

  • L.7.5

    Demonstrate understanding of figurative language, word relationships, and nuances in word meanings.

  • L.8.3

    Use knowledge of language and its conventions when writing, speaking, reading, or listening.

  • L.8.5

    Demonstrate understanding of figurative language, word relationships, and nuances in word meanings.

Reading Literature

  • RL.K.3

    With prompting and support, identify characters, settings, and major events in a story.

  • RL.9-10.10

    By the end of grade 9, read and comprehend literature, including stories, dramas, and poems, in the grades 9–10 text complexity band proficiently, with scaffolding as needed at the high end of the range.

  • RL.11-12.10

    By the end of grade 11, read and comprehend literature, including stories, dramas, and poems, in the grades 11–CCR text complexity band proficiently, with scaffolding as needed at the high end of the range.

Writing

  • W.6.4

    Produce clear and coherent writing in which the development, organization, and style are appropriate to task, purpose, and audience. (Grade-specific expectations for writing types are defined in standards 1–3 above.)

  • W.7.4

    Produce clear and coherent writing in which the development, organization, and style are appropriate to task, purpose, and audience. (Grade-specific expectations for writing types are defined in standards 1–3 above.)

  • W.8.4

    Produce clear and coherent writing in which the development, organization, and style are appropriate to task, purpose, and audience. (Grade-specific expectations for writing types are defined in standards 1–3 above.)

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Community Rating

(See all 73 reviews) (73 reviews) Write a review
Featured review by
Misty S. , Classroom teacher
Classroom teacher
Rocky Plains Elementary School
Covington, United States
Great tunes to get kiddos engaged!
The students really enjoy the songs from Flocabulary. I really like the level of engagement the songs provided and how the content aligned with standards. This also inspired students to think outside of the box and create their own music/rhymes. It would be GREAT if it were still free!
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Data Safety
How safe is this product?
Users can interact with trusted users and/or students.
Users cannot interact with untrusted users, including strangers and/or adults.
Profile information is shared for social interactions.
Data Rights
What rights do I have to the data?
Users can create or upload content.
Users retain ownership of their data.
Processes to access and review user data are available.
Ads & Tracking
Are there advertisements or tracking?
Data are not shared for third-party advertising and/or marketing.
Traditional or contextual advertisements are not displayed.
Behavioral or targeted advertising is not displayed.

Continue reading about this tool's privacy practices, including data collection, sharing, and security.

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