10 Fun Music Videos to Explain Tricky Topics to Students

In every syllabus or curriculum there are a handful of difficult concepts, dry topics or complex processes that can be difficult for students to grasp, and even trickier for them to remember. Whether it’s a particularly complicated mathematical equation, a wordy poem or a tough scientific process, teachers have been coming up with clever methods and workarounds to help them stick in students’ brains for centuries. But now, thanks to the power of the internet, some of the very best of those tips and tricks can be shared with your class at the touch of a button! Here are ten brilliant online music videos to help explain tricky topics to your students…

 

1. Macbeth Rap

This awesome rap certainly refutes the suggestion that Shakespeare is old fashioned and stuffy! It goes into remarkable detail, covering almost all the major plot points of the play in funny, easily-understandable lyrics, which flash up on stage to help them sink in.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IyytzE13iV4

 

2. The Presidential Election Process

Another rap covering the entire process of the US presidential election, from primaries to inauguration day, including the importance of media coverage and fundraising!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c6avsQKngNk

 

3. Learn the Continents

Ideal for younger students just starting world geography, this catchy song helps with the tricky process of learning about the different continents, understanding the basic geography behind them and recognising them on the map.

 

4. Teach Me How to Factor

A brilliant rap parody video to teach students how to find the roots of quadratic equations.

 

5. Graph!

This song is a parody of popular Usher hit Yeah! so students will immediately recognise the beat and tune, but it has been transformed by the staff and students of Westerville South High School, Ohio, to explain  the intricate mathematical process of creating a graph from an equation.

 

6. Figurative Language

A rap to explain the use of clever wordplay, using funny popular culture references to provide examples of linguistic techniques such as similes, metaphors and personification. The video also includes a link to a full lesson plan on the subject by makers Flocabulary.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OPjAiUbdl14

 

7. States and Capitals Hip Hop

Unlike many ’50 states’ offerings online, which simply list the names and capitals of the states to music, this hilarious hip hop song guides students through the pairs using brilliant rhyming lyrics which will help them to use word association to remember the links later on.

 

8. Parts of the Cell Rap

This brilliant biology rap uses animated cartoons so that the relevant part of the cell lights up and moves to illustrate the song as it goes along.

 

9. The Element Song

This now famous song is still the best way to introduce students to the complex names of the elements of the periodic table – it may not enable them to remember them straight off but it will certainly familiarise them with the different elements and how to pronounce them!

 

10. Horrible Histories William Shakespeare Song

This great song from the CBBC Horrible Histories series introduces students to the life and works of William Shakespeare including some of the now famous quotes he penned, from “Seen better days” to “Gotta be cruel to be kind” – a great way of opening kids’ eyes to how pervasive and influential the bard was.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=65Cy4-rfd24

 

Have you found any brilliant online videos? Or even created your own! Share your vids in the comments below!