Songs and Chants and Teaching Math

by Erin Klug

We’ve all had moments when we can’t get a tune or jingle out of our mind. I have young children, and this happens frequently with songs from their CDs. I may cringe when I find myself quietly singing the theme song from Arthur, but this phenomenon is good news for teachers.

Educators have long used songs and rhymes to help students learn and remember content. In my coaching experience, I’ve seen this teaching strategy used less with older students—but it’s too good to lose!

I was intrigued by a recent article in the Middle School Journal about the use of chants and cadences to promote literacy at the middle level. The authors cite brain research that supports using patterns and rhythms to promote retention and understanding. They make the case for using music to make the curriculum more attractive to students, and they include examples of songs created to help with order of operations and the Constitution.

Using Chants and Cadences
to Promote Literacy Across the Curriculum
Lisa Ciecierski & William P. Bintz
Middle School Journal November 2012
Volume 44 • Number 2 • Pages 22-29

Teachers can make up chants and cadences to inspire and embed learning, and students can create lyrics to help process content and show what they know about a topic. This is harder to do than it may seem—it requires both understanding of the content and nimble language so it fits into a rhythm.

When I taught eighth grade math, I offered students the option of creating a song for a math vocabulary project. Two students chose the option, but they had trouble getting started. I brought in They Might Be Giants’ Here Come the 123s to inspire them (fortunately, many music groups have realized how lucrative children’s music can be!). It was a leap of faith to offer a recording intended for younger children, but they thought adults rocking out about numbers was interesting. I heard several of them singing about infinity at their lockers!

Two weeks later, I got to hear an original song about rational and irrational numbers, accompanied by one of them on guitar!

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Check out the They Might Be Giants song that inspired my student mathematicians. 

 

 

About Erin Klug 

I taught intermediate and middle grades in Minneapolis for more than a decade before taking a position as Professional Development Specialist and Consultant for The Origins Program. I currently develop workshop programming, contribute to Origins publications, and provide direct service to area schools through consulting. I hold a Bachelor of Arts from the University of Michigan and a Master of Education from the University of Minnesota. Contact me at Origins@OriginsOnline.org.

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Comments

[Julie Fulton]

Erin, that's why Schoolhouse Rock was so popular for the kids of the 1970s. Three is still the magic number to me.