USING BIO-RHYTHMS SONGS EFFECTIVELY
TEACHERS
Bio-Rhythms songs can be used almost any time in a unit--for preview, reinforcement or review. I usually use a given song on at least two different days. The most important thing to do when using the songs is to have the students read the lyrics during the song. In my classes, students have the choice of two places to see the lyrics--on their handout and on the overhead projector. The lyrics included in the Bio-Rhythms package are printed on 8 ½" X 11" paper so that simply removing a staple allows the teacher to duplicate the lyrics for handouts or transparencies. The lyrics are in boldface type for easier reading on transparencies and better duplication on marginal photocopiers.
When you play the song on a given topic, you may want to have the students just listen the first time (especially with raps). Once they know how it goes, it is most effective if you set the example by singing along, and try to get the kids to actively sing with you (see review in American Biology Teacher, September, 2001). Some students will never sing no matter what you do, but most will sing with you, with one or two singing deliberately too loudly, acting as class clowns, which is fine up to a point.
Some classes just love to sing, and protest when there is no song on a unit. There is a huge range of enthusiasm among classes, but even classes that don't particularly like to sing appreciate that you're going the extra mile for them and are willing to take a bit of a risk and reveal another side of yourself - which is exactly what you want them to do!
Another tactic that I use, especially with reluctant singers, is to play the song on the boom box, repeatedly pausing for students to explain critical concepts in the lyrics.
Just as with other aspects of a teacher's reputation, students know what to expect before they even start the course, so they will know you sing biology songs and will often demand to hear one (usually a rap) in the first few days of class. It's a great ice breaker. I don't bother with projecting words with these beginning-of-course samples; I just shake to the beat and tease them with mock surveys on the amazing quality of biology music and previewing some familiar words, e.g., chromosomes, sex cells, etc.
In terms of studying, I emphasize the concepts in the songs, explicitly telling students to use a given song as one of their sources in an essay assignment. For example, for their essay, "Discuss how the parts of the cell work together in protein secretion," I tell them that I've already written most of what they need to include in their essay in the song, "Every Body's Made From Cells," but their essay has to be in their own words, and that they will be marked down for just memorizing.
STUDENTS
The key idea for students is that the Bio-Rhythms songs are summaries of the most important concepts that they really need to know on a topic. This is particularly useful for AP and college biology students who typically have at least one, and often several, biology books and resources with a seemingly impossible amount of information to master. Of course it is impossible to master it all, so I encourage my students to at least know the songs and the key figures and figure legends (I give them a list). I also encourage them to focus on chapter summaries and material in review books (with review books being useful only after students are familiar with the material).
Many students find that singing the songs in class, using the lyrics for essay assignments and reviewing the lyrics for quizzes and tests is sufficient. On the other hand, about half of my students purchase a Bio-Rhythms CD for home use, so that they can listen or sing along whenever they choose (see student comments). A bulk discount of 25% is available for the Bio-Rhythms CD so that groups of students or teachers can more easily afford to have their own copy. In addition to giving my students a discount on my CD, I offer interested students a Barron's or Princeton Review AP biology review book at a 20%, tax-free, teacher discount.
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