HOUSTON — There is power in knowledge. There is power in music.
Fleming Middle School students in Houston ISD will experience the power of both through a new lab that uses hip-hop music to teach students reading and writing skills.
Reading with a Rapper, the organization that created the program, and HISD administrators opened the lab Monday during a ribbon-cutting ceremony.
The interactive classroom uses music videos, noise-canceling headphones and Microsoft Surface tablets to teach. The space was created with support from Reading with a Rapper partners BET, Legends Do Live and Footlocker.
“Students will be able to see that they can be the next notable songwriter or entrepreneur by applying the complex English Language Arts they are learning right here in our school," HISD Chief of Staff Silvia Trinh said.
According to the district, students will watch videos that break down the hip-hop lyrics, language structure, and grammar. There will also be videos featuring a rapper talking about why it is essential to read.
Reading with a Rapper founder Jarren Small, a Fort Bend ISD graduate, and his partners are working to bring RWAR labs to classrooms across the nation.