Level: Intermediate (grades 3-6)

Background for teacher Rap is generally written by the younger generation for the younger generation, providing a universal voice for the young. As such, it often addresses socially-charged issues. Samples of rap previewed in class should be prescreened to determine whether or not they are appropriate for your class or group. That being said, rap's youth-oriented nature makes it an engaging platform from which to generate interest in self-expression, words, and poetry.

Objectives

• Write a rap
• Understand point of view
• Understand and apply figurative language, such as metaphor, simile, and symbolism

Introduce the Poetry
Rap is a musical art form written to be spoken in a rhythmic manner; usually with the accompaniment of percussion sounds and/or music called Hip Hop. Rap may rhyme consistently or on occasion. Rap is generally informal and written to express an opinion or point of view. Raps can be lively, sad, simple, or mad. Raps often address socially-charged issues.

Teach the Poetry

• Write poetry and rap at the head of a two-column flow chart on the board or overhead projector. Ask students to brainstorm words and phrases that describe poetry. Write the words on the board under poetry. Then ask students to brainstorm words and phrases to describe rap. Write the words on the board under rap. Engage students in a discussion about how rap is the same and different from traditional poetry.
• Hand out the Seven Traits Plus Rap sample.

Seven Traits Plus Rap

Juicy details, a pointed purpose,
One main topic or theme is the intent.
Show it's important, your connections,
A portrait with Ideas and Content.

Our writing must show Organization;
The beginning surely must set the hook.
A chronological trail, a common thread--
Like recipes in a writer's cookbook.

Through your writing and your performance
Others hear, view, and sense all you feel.
The heartfelt Voice of your reflecting
Is no doubt important to reveal.

Precise, colorful, concise, most unique,
Portray a picture in the reader's mind.
Powerhouse verbs laden with energy,
Strong Word Choice most craftily intertwined.

Writing renders an exciting ride with
Well-built, strong, varied Sentence Fluency--
Variations flow like an ebbing tide,
Pleasing to hear, a sense of congruency.

To rules of grammar, punctuation,
And spelling for sure we must adhere.
We must use reflection more than approximation;
It doesn't suffice to just be near.

These challenging rules we call Conventions
With Presentation, add many dimensions:
Pleasing to the eye, your message will appeal,
Pleasing to the ear, your message will reveal.

• Read Seven Traits Plus Rap together as a class and then have students break into smaller groups to work with a select stanza or group of stanzas. Allow students time to practice how they would best like to present their stanza(s), using creative movements, sounds (claps, stomps, and snaps), and simple percussion instruments (rice or gravel in containers, pencils, and so on). Allow students to be creative in producing sounds. When students have had time to practice, allow them to perform their stanza(s) for the class.
• Pre-select and listen to additional age-appropriate raps. Allow students to hear the samples more than once. Then ask them to try and identify the poet's point of view in each example. Discuss how the words and music work together to express the poet's point of view.
• Facilitate a discussion about point of view. Explain that point of view refers to a way of thinking about or approaching a subject and is shaped by a person's character, experience, and mindset.
• Point out that in rap the poet uses words to help the reader see things from his or her point of view. Sometimes the meaning is obvious, while other times the meaning is hidden in figurative language.
• If appropriate, after listening to several raps, have students identify any similar themes they noticed, such as loneliness, injustice, and survival.

Model Writing a Rap

• Explain that raps are generally written to express a strong feeling or emotion about a topic. Have students brainstorm ideas or topics that they feel strongly about. Write their ideas on the board. Subjects might include war, peace, poverty, divorce, hunger, justice, and so on.
• Choose a topic from the generated list that will promote constructive discussions and emotions.
• Create a topic web. Write the topic in the center of the web and have students generate words, thoughts, and feelings that the topic evokes in the outer circles of the web.
• Use the web as an outline to write a short four- or five-line rap. Start with a sentence that clearly defines the class topic and point of view. Proceed using rhythmic words and phrases that further express the authors' point of view. Model using rhyme as a way to create rhythm in writing. For example, point out how the author chose to rhyme the ending word in the second and fourth lines in many of the stanzas in Seven Traits Plus Rap.
• If the chosen topic is two-sided (has two clear opposing views), it may be helpful to write two short raps. For example, one on war and one on peace.

Word Work: Metaphor, simile, and symbolism

• Review the meaning and function of the following forms of figurative language.

metaphor: compares two unlike things without using like or as
[He's a wolf in sheep's clothing. (Compares a wolf to a sheep.)]
simile: compares two unlike things using like or as
[The confetti fell like rain. (Compares confetti to rain.)]
symbolism: uses an object, person, situation, or action to stand for another more abstract idea
[She was standing at a fork in the road. (The fork in the road symbolizes indecision.)]

• Discuss how a poet might use metaphor, simile, and symbolism to express an idea or an opinion in writing. For example, in Seven Traits Plus Rap the poet compares organization in writing to the order of recipes in a cookbook and reading fluency to an ebbing tide. Point out that the comparisons help the reader understand and visualize the poet's point of view.

Poetry Practice

• Have students work individually or in pairs to create a topic web using a topic from the list on the board or one they come up with on their own. Remind students that raps are generally written to express a strong feeling or emotion. Have students write their topic in the center of a web and then generate words, thoughts, and feelings that the topic evokes in the outer circles of the web.
• Encourage students to use their web as an outline to write a short four- or five-line rap. Have them start with a sentence that clearly defines their topic and point of view. Have them proceed by using rhyme to create a rhythm in their rap and figurative language to express feeling.
• Allow students to use additional resources, such as a dictionary, thesaurus, or the Internet, to help them develop rhyming words or phrases.
• Explain that punctuation should follow the rules of conventional sentence writing. Sentences and proper nouns should begin with a capital letter. Each line should begin with a capital letter unless the poet chooses not to begin the line with a capital because it is part of a longer sentence. Explain that the most important element of style is consistency.
• As students write, encourage them to brainstorm to find words and phrases that communicate and fit the basic pattern of rhythm. Rhyming is optional.
• Have students revise their work in order to improve understanding and flow by adding, deleting, consolidating, and rearranging words as necessary.

Use the Worksheets for Practice

• Have students write a rap using the scaffolded worksheets. There are three choices of worksheets and a samples page:

Worksheet 1 for students who need additional support
Worksheet 2 for students who have a basic understanding of rap
Worksheet 3 for students who have a solid understanding of rap
Sample for an example of rap

Extend the Activity

• Celebrate the writing process by having students read their poetry aloud with fluency, rhythm, and expression.
• Encourage students to write a rap about a favorite character in a book. Have them use their rap to tell the story from their chosen character's point of view.
• Assign a class topic. Create a list of relevant social topics, such as war, peace, hunger, divorce, and/or violence. Allow students to choose a topic from the list to write a rap that expresses their point of view on the topic.
• Allow students the opportunity to perform their raps, either on their own or in small groups, in front of an audience. Encourage the use of body sounds (claps, stomps, and snaps) and simple percussion instruments (rice or gravel in containers, pencils, and so on).