8th grade
Write a Rap Song
Date: January 26, 2009, February 2, February 9, 2009
Grade Level: 8
Duration: 2-3 class sessions
Description: In this activity, students compose lyrics for a rap song.
Goals: National Standards of Music Education published by the Music Educators
National Conference (MENC) :
* (3) Improvising melodies, variations, and accompaniments.
* (4) Composing and arranging music within specified guidelines.
* (7) Evaluating music and music performances.
* (8) Understanding relationships between music, the other arts, and
disciplines outside the arts.
* (9) Understanding music in relation to history and culture.
Objectives:
1. Students will be able to write a rap song that contains rhyming words.
2. Students will be able to associate rhythms and counting with words that
are used in their song.
Materials:
* paper
* pencils/pens
* The Drug Free Rap
The Drug Free Rap in .pdf format; requires free Adobe Acrobat Reader.
Click the icon to obtain the free Reader.
Procedure:
"Raps are talk songs. They are not sung; they are spoken. They have a very
heavy beat and a lot of rhyme. Behind the speaker of a rap there might be
original music, "scratching" sounds, or even parts of other people's songs. To
write your own rap, begin with your topic. You have to know enough about your
topc to rap about it."
For this activity, students may work alone or with a partner. "You will select
one of the following topics to rap about: Our School, Our Team, The Field
Trip, 8th Grade (or other grade as applicable), or Your Family. In your rap,
you cannot say anything negative about the people or topic! Tell the story of
your topic in a rhyme. Most raps rhyme in couplets, which means lines rhyme
two at a time. Lines one and two rhyme with each other; but not with the other
lines. Lines three and four rhyme with each other but not with other lines,
and so on. The two lines that rhyme together are a couplet."
Students should begin their lyrics with a line that has a strong beat or
rhythm. "Rhyme the next line with the first. Try to repeat the same rhythm in
the second line, too. Then begin a new rhyme with the third line. The fourth
line should rhyme with the third line. Keep repeating this rhyming pattern.
The beat can be different in different lines. Some lines can be short, and
some can be long. You may want to have a refrain in your lyrics. A refrain is
a group of lines that remains the same and is repeated throughout the song."
(Pass out a copy of "The Drug Free Rap" for students to look at as an example.)
"There can be NO double meaning words or grossness in the rap. There also
cannot be anything that makes fun of a group of people or a person. Hint; if
you would not stand in front of them and perform your song then you shouldn't
do it. You must say it to a beat with your partner. You can also put dance
moves with it while you are saying it. You can use background music or Mr.
Gaudreau will provide the tempo and beat that you want.. Your homework is to
have finished writing the rap t Next week on February 9th, you will perform
it and turn in your lyrics."
A Rhyming Alphabet (list of sounds/blends to help students with rhyming):
BL, BR, CH, DR, FL, FR, GL, GR, KL, KR, PR, SH, SHR, SL, ST, STR, TH, THR, TR
Music Rubric :
* Level 4 - The student exceeds assignment requirements. The assignment is
done exceptionally neatly; there is evidence of originality and/or extra
effort in the completion.
* Level 3 - The assignment is completed, the work is done neatly, and the
student followed all directions correctly.
* Level 2 - Either the assignment is only partially completed, the work is
not very neat, the student followed some but not all of the directions, or
there is some combination of these factors.
* Level 1 - The assignment is less than 50% complete, and/or the student
did not follow the directions.
Useful Internet Resource:
* National Standards for Music Education - MENC
http://www.menc.org/publication/books/standards.htm
