Check the Rhyme y’all; Life as a Shorty Shouldn’t be so Rough: How hip-hop songs can be used as pedagogical tools to teach grammar/culture and ease comprehension in a French as a Second Language Classroom

Authors

Scooter Pégram, Indiana UniversityFollow

Abstract

Language learning can be stressful endeavour for students. To address this, educators of foreign languages often search for new and exciting pedagogical tools that will enable them to reach their learners in meaningful ways. Since both hip-hop music and culture are omnipresent throughout contemporary society in many facets, some teachers are incorporating elements of this ever-expanding and integral part of global pop culture into their lesson plans. This study explores the unique educational approach that is known as a Hip-Hop Based Education (HHBE); one where rap music and lyrics can be integrated into classroom instruction and learning. After first introducing and exploring how hip-hop is put to use in classes across several subject disciplines, this paper discusses and analyses several examples where lyrics from rap songs were included as a teaching method into introductory to advanced-level courses where French is the target language. The findings of this research aim to demonstrate the pedagogical effectiveness of incorporating a little bit of hip-hop into second-language curricula as a means in which to teach students and aid comprehension in grammar and culture en français.

Author's Biographies

SCOOTER PÉGRAM is an Associate Professor of French and Minority Studies at Indiana University (Northwest campus). Scooter Pégram has published extensively on topics relating to youths from immigrant and cultural communities, particularly those from Francophone countries. His past academic research covered subjects concerning identity, racism, gender, integration, and language. Scooter Pégram’s current scholarly work focuses on a wide variety of topics in Francophone and Black Studies such as hip-hop, film, and sociolinguistics, with a particular emphasis on both Francophone and Lusophone Africa, Afro-Brazilian culture, and the Southeast Asian country of Laos.

This is an original work

1

This work has not been previously published

1

IRB approval verification

N/A

Recommended Citation

Pégram, S. (2024). Check the Rhyme y’all; Life as a Shorty Shouldn’t be so Rough: How hip-hop songs can be used as pedagogical tools to teach grammar/culture and ease comprehension in a French as a Second Language Classroom. Perspectives In Learning, 21 (1). Retrieved from https://csuepress.columbusstate.edu/pil/vol21/iss1/1