Recently I downloaded Autorap and Songify. These free apps are designed to take your words and turn them into songs. The singular purpose of Autorap is to make you sound like you can rap. Any innocuous words that you record will synthesize through the app and be turned into some semblance of a rap song. Songify is similar in purpose, except the product has more of a pop-like sound.
In my testing phase with this app, I decided to record a few basic instructional statements on Autorap to see what would happen. My goal was to have background music that could be played as the students entered the room reminding them to get started with their tasks for the day. The results...super silly, but indeed got my student's attention. Here's my maiden attempt at creating an Autorap.
Giving this process a bit of deeper thought, I decided to consider how the app might be useful as a classroom tool. With a bit of creativity, I came upon a few suggestions/ideas and also noted how Common Core Learning Standards can be met with an app that (at first blush) didn't appear to have merit.
Elementary Grades
- Have students sing a song based on a phonic skill they've learned.
- Have student practice saying (and spelling) spelling words
Middle/Upper Grades
- Summarize and record key ideas from a piece of expository text (6.RIT.1, 6.RIT.10, 6.L.6)
- Watch a key event (like a debate) and record statements that make an impact
- Record character emotions/feelings in response to an event in a narrative text (6.RL.2, 6.RL.5)
- Have students introduce themselves at the beginning of the year (6.SL.6, 6.SL.5)
- Focus on vocabulary. Have students record a vocabulary word, synonyms and/or related words.
- Have students record synonyms/antonyms
Get the Common Core Widget:
