Sound Bites

Last Wednesday my students and I were going over our letter writing exam. Some kind of way I stumbled upon two vocabulary strategies. They both rely heavily on rthym. The first one simply involves students spelling the word as they clap to each letter. When we do this strategy, we usually only do 8-10 words. I think it works so well because we don't many words and so it's easier for students to remember, at least an estimate, of how many times they clapped to each word. It's like memorizing anything else. For instance, if you read song lyrics, you are less likely to remember them and than if you hear song lyrics on top of a rythm. We match the rythm and the way the music sounds with the word pattern. Think about it. You hear a song on the radio for the first time and you learn the words. In fact, even if you don't care for the words or the song, the lyrics or at least some parts of them, become a part of your memory because the beat makes it catchy and so memorable. Then the next time you hear the song, you find yourself singing the words you remember without knowing you remembered them, and making up the most appropriate words for the parts you don't remember. This is what happens when we clap to the spelling of words. Students remember how it sounded to clap off the word and approximately how long it took. This helps them remember most words or most parts of the words and it easier to fill in the blanks of the letters you can't remember. Hence, The Alphabet Song.

The second stategy is simply a parody of an old call and response saying most popular in the hip-hop genre. It goes like, "When I say _____, you say _______. " If we're spelling the word signature, I will divide the room into two groups and group 1 will say: "When we say 'S', you say 'I'. Then group 1 says, "S" and group 2 replies "I". Then group 2 says, "When we say 'G', you say 'N'. Group 2 says, "G" and group 1 replies "N" and so on and so forth. This one works extremely well too. I think it has to do with the call and response nature of the activity.

What may be just as important as the fact that my kids are getting vocabulary quicker and easier, is what these two strategies have in common-rthymn based intsruction. As educators we must reflect on what we can take from this? The obvious- rythm impacts memorization and learning. What we really need to figure out is the unobvious? What is it specifally about music and rythmic sounds that causes humans to retain information better when presented in a rythmic form?

Until I figure it out, I will just go with what I know. So don't be surprised if you enter my classroom and we're singing away!

I almost forgot to mention...evidently I'm not the only person who thought it was a good strategy. My principal walked in to observe me and after school asked me if she could send another teacher in my room to observe direct instruction with vocabulary. What else can I say, but :))