Parodying An Existing Song
Rapping Up The School Year
Flash forward to this past March, and the beginning of what would ultimately be the end of my 11th year teaching middle school. All at once, the in-person schooling was paused and we were forced into an all-remote world that I dont think anyone was prepared for. I knew how to create entertaining and dynamic lessons for in-person instruction, and I had dabbled with educational technology but was by no means a master. I used all of the resources I had and put in countless hours creating video lessons and activities that I was certain would keep students engaged and learning. Spoiler alert: it didnt. The more I checked in with students the more it became clear: what they were missing was not the content, it was the connection to their goofy and entertaining teacher.
The goal for each video was simple: connect to students in a meaningful and personal way that not only included topics from math class but reinforced messages that I had sought to instill in them throughout the year: they are brilliant and capable mathematicians and that I believe in and care about every one of them. I would be lying if I said that every video was great, which is to be expected from someone who is certainly not a professional entertainer. In some videos, I would try to sing more, in some I would try to rap more, and, in one of the best-received videos, I even tried speaking a little Spanish.
Socially Distant Social Networking
Even though they were created with the students in mind, when I showed a friend the first video, I was urged to share it on social media. Now, Im not one for sharing personal things online, but I figured it was one video so it couldnt destroy my image that badly, so I Tweeted it out and posted it on Facebook. The results were, well, unexpectedly positive. There was certainly some laughter, but the feedback was overwhelmingly supportive, especially from the students parents that followed me on Twitter. Everyone seemed to have the same message: keep making the videos for the remainder of the school year, stick to rap over singing, and include my son as much as possible. The result was a video called Teacher, a parody of Savage by Meghan Thee Stallion, which ended up being the favorite of students and parents alike!
Also Check: What Do Double Brackets Mean In Math
How To Write A Song Parody
This article was co-authored by wikiHow Staff. Our trained team of editors and researchers validate articles for accuracy and comprehensiveness. wikiHow’s Content Management Team carefully monitors the work from our editorial staff to ensure that each article is backed by trusted research and meets our high quality standards.There are 16 references cited in this article, which can be found at the bottom of the page. This article has been viewed 385,856 times.Learn more…
Song parodies are great projects to show off your creativity and lyrical skills. Parodies can be humorous, educational or just plain weird: its up to you. Select a good song to parody, write new lyrics, record your parody and show it off to friends.
Making A Genre Parody
Don’t Miss: What Does Traction Mean In Geography
One Directions Maths Song Its Good
One Direction were in the news yesterday for postponing a concert, but the Mathemateer is more interested in the groups Maths song. Yes there is one, and its good !As described below can you do the mental Maths? ! Hear it here.
One Direction were in the news earlier as they are rumoured to be taking a break in 2016. Recalling the excellent parody of their own song What Makes You Beautiful on Radio 1, the band wrote and recorded Maths Song whose main chorus is Your Maths Skills = Terrible
It features a series of quick, simple, mental maths tasks whose eventual answer is 130. At GCSE level this would not constitute a genuine question but on the other hand the lost art of mental maths should not be underestimated. As a warm up exercise before a test you could do worse than follow this through. Well done 1D as I think I should call them!
Selecting A Type Of Parody
Also Check: How Did Geography Influence Byzantine Trade
How Parody Songs Helped Teach Math During A Pandemic
Nate Melbourne graduated from BUs Wheelock College of Education & Human Development with a BS in Math Education in 2008 and with a Masters of Education in Math Education in 2009. He has taught math at the middle school level for the past 11 years, while also working in math content and assessment development. In the wake of the pandemic, Nate began to record math-themed parody songs. View a playlist of his top ten videos here or follow him on for updates and new video recordings.
I was out of ideas. As someone who prided himself on teaching through building great relationships with students and injecting excitement into typically dry topics like fractions, I felt defeated. Staring blankly at the computer screen, I realized that it was time to throw caution to the wind, and risk making an absolute fool out of myself if it meant reaching the students.
Your Math Skills Are Terrible
Your old brains are not what they were beforeAdd two threes. It’s fun for usCause we’re young and we can still remember stuffEveryone else can multiply by sixtyEveryone else can add twoNow take off one hundred, and add on 24Then divide by two and add on seven moreAnd if you’re struggling now it’s not hard to tellYou don’t know, oh, oh, your math skills are terribleIf only you had a mind like meYou’d understand how to divide the sum by threeAnd then just add on the age of this OAPYou don’t know, oh, oh, your math skills are terrible, oh, ohIt’s really kind of pitiful
You May Like: What Does Coordinate Mean In Math
Find Out What’s Happening In Crystal Lake
Then at the end of the first quarter, the entire staff participated in the second lip-dub production, “Home” by Phillip Phillips, a much more mellow, sincere video telling students the school at 2109 Crystal Lake Rd. in Cary is their home, too.
Continuing with the lip-synching theme, five Cary Jr. High teachers – all men – just released the third “Dragon Film Production” : “What Makes You Beautiful.”