Uptown factors (Factoring song parody of Uptown Funk)

Hello and Happy New Year!  I posted this on YouTube months ago, but in case you missed it here's our factoring based parody of Uptown Funk!   Also, keep an out on my blog. I make no promises, but I may make a few blog posts this year!




Lyrics:
Gon’ factor, gon’ factor, factor
Gon’ factor, gon’ factor, factor
Gon’ factor, gon’ factor

Let’s start this lesson
Learn to factor expressions
This one for those students
The blueprints for mastery
Sittin', Gettin’ a factoring education. 
Take a sum or a difference
and make it a multiplication

When you see (x squared)
Without a number in front of it
plus bx (b x)
Standard form for a quad-rat-ic
then plus c (constant) 
that’s x squared plus b x plus c 
Standard form (aw yeah) 
factor that tri-no-mial 
break it down.

x squared plus bx plus c
x squared plus bx plus c 
x squared plus bx plus c 
Now I’m gon’ factor this expression
Now I’m gon’ factor this expression
Now I’m gon’ factor this expression
Parentheses, x’s and fill in the spots
Multiply and Add up (come on)
Multiply and Add up uh

Multiply and Add up
Multiply and Add up 
Multiply and Add up
Multiply and Add up
Hey, hey, hey, oh

Stop, wait a minute
See those spots? Put those numbers in em
Write the signs, then you check
Ms McCool, Bring it back

Write parentheses, x’s
find the pair of factors
multiply to c, and add to b
That’s a skill that you can all master 

When you see (x squared)
Without a number in front of it
plus bx (b x)
Standard form for a quad-rat-ic
then plus c (constant)
that’s x squared plus b x plus c
Standard form (aw yeah). Other video?
factor that tri-no-mial
break it down

x squared plus bx plus c
x squared plus bx plus c
x squared plus bx plus c 
Now I’m gon’ factor this expression 
Now I’m gon’ factor this expression
Now I’m gon’ factor this expression
Parentheses, x’s and fill in the spots
Multiply and Add up (come on) 
Multiply and Add up uh
Multiply and Add up uh
Multiply and Add up uh
Multiply and Add up
Multiply and Add up
Hey, hey, hey, oh

Before we leave
What if there’s a number with x squared?
Slide, Divide, Bottoms up
Slide, Divide, Bottoms up
Slide, Divide, Bottoms up
Slide, Divide, Bottoms up uh
I said Slide, Divide, Bottoms up
Slide, Divide, Bottoms up
Slide, Divide, Bottoms up
Slide, Divide, Bottoms up

Take ‘a’ then slide it
to 'c’ and then multiply em
Find the factors then divide em
by a, reduce on both sides and
Bring the bottoms up beside x
When you factor let this guide ya:

Parentheses, xs and fill in the spots 
Multiply and Add up come on!
Multiply and Add up uh
Multiply and Add up uh
Multiply and Add up uh
Multiply and Add up
Multiply and Add up
Hey, hey, hey, oh
Slide, Divide, Bottoms up
Slide, Divide, Bottoms up (say what?) 
Slide, Divide, Bottoms up
Slide, Divide, Bottoms up
Slide, Divide, Bottoms up
Slide, Divide, Bottoms up (say what?)
Slide, Divide, Bottoms up
Slide, Divide, Bottoms up
Slide, Divide, Bottoms up
Slide, Divide, Bottoms up (say what?)
Slide, Divide, Bottoms up
Slide, Divide, Bottoms up
Slide, Divide, Bottoms up
Slide, Divide, Bottoms up (say what?)
Slide, Divide, Bottoms up

Graph Shop - A Thrift Shop Parody

Hey everybody!  I made a music video with some of my current and former students about graphing lines using slope and y-intercept.  So here it is!  Lyrics are below.



Schooltube version coming soon.
You can download the audio here.

I'm gonna graph some lines
Gotta get em in slope intercept form
Hit that y axis
Put the intercept on
Then use rise over run

Walk up to the class like, "What up, class is in session" 

I'm so pumped about today's sick math lesson
Graph on the board, skills so absurd
That people like, "Man! That is one dope math nerd."
Rollin' in, hecka deep, in my class you'll never sleep,
Getting that slope and y-intercept on the screen
Draped in my corduroy, students sit in front of me
Probably should get on with this, makin' it rain practice sheets 

Let's make... Graphing lines make sense!
You'll be solvin' it, graphin' it, and now its time to start Mathin it' 
Dashin' up on this problem when you finish you'll be trashin' it
Solve for y where's it hidin'
Add and subtract to both sides and
Multiply and divide
Move things away from the y, kids

I'ma get that y alone, I'ma get that y alone,
No for real - slope intercept - that's 
Y equals m x plus b
Claw it, combine it, get y alone too
Reverse PEMDAS tells you what to move
Now what's that next to X? The slope is next to X! 
And what's that number left? Must be the intercept! 
the b, the b, the y-intercept is b
Start on the y axis, graphs begin with the b
Now go and take the m now, the slope is next you see
Use the rise then run for every point you need

I'm gonna graph some lines
Gotta get em in slope intercept form
Hit that y axis
Put the intercept on
Then use rise over run

Let's get that y alone, 
That's slope intercept form, 
Let's get that y alone 
For that slope intercept form

Let's get that y alone, 
That's slope intercept form, 
Let's get that y alone 
For that slope intercept form

I'm gonna graph some lines

Gotta get em in slope intercept form
Hit that y axis
Put the intercept on
Then use rise over run

f(u) Calculus Song!

In case you haven't seen it, I made a song parody about some of the basic derivatives rules in Calculus to the tune of Ceelo's "Forget you."   Enjoy!



updated with lyrics:

Chorus:
I see you derivin' in class during calc-u-lus
And you've got f(u)
Which you want to find the derivative of,
it's just f '(u) and a du too,
it's just the chain rule,
a great cal-cu-lus tool
and you use it when...(you use it when)
When there's an inside and an outside that you can write as,
f(u)
(ooo ooo ooo)

Another derivative tool,
is the product rule.
And I know you can get it done
The slope of the product
of functions 1 and 2
is 1d2 plus 2d1.
I pity the foo-ooo-oool
who forgets the product rule
(oh, that's how you get it done)
(it's just 1d2 plus 2d1)
OoooOooOoOh
There's just one more rule
Wait... what was the chain rule again?

-Chorus-

For quotient, quotient, quotient you don't have to, have to pull out your hair,
(your hair, your hair, your hair)
Cause it's just low di high minus hi di low all over low squared
(Low squared, low squared, low squared)
To find dy dx dy dx dy dx baaa-aaa-aaaby,
But what about, that dang chain rule?

-Chorus-

Slope, slope, slope, slope, slope, slope, slope, slope

First, I have to say I can't take credit for this myself.  The mysterious "Andrew" left a comment on this post

and it was too awesome to ignore.  It didn't seem like he had a blog, so I figured I'd post this because it worked really well.

Second, I swear that my classes aren't all songs and dances.  I just wanted to post this now because I know teachers will have just done slope or are starting it soon, and it went really well.

Andrew's suggestion was to use the tune to Flo Rida's "Low" but with the following words:

The difference of the y and the difference of the x

Also known as rise over run

Divide the two

And then reduce

Then you got slope, slope, slope, slope

I added the following verse in between chorus' to add a little excitement:

"When I'm sittin' in math and I'm tryin' to find

How to get the the slope, the slope of a line

I think about the rise, and the run all the time

Then I think of this song, and I'm gonna be fine

1/2 slope come on

1 slope come on

2 slope come on

now that's three slopes

You think I'm a dope?

I'd gotta say nope

I am gonna find that slope!"

So, I easily found an instrumental version of the song by searching google and played it in the background.  I had a student from another class help out the first time to introduce it.  This is how it went(the 3rd time through):

Quadratic Formula Rap

If there's one thing my students learn by the end of the year and actually still remember in later years, it's the quadratic formula.  The class where I introduce the formula goes down like this:  First I tell them about the quadratic formula in a traditional way. I explain that now with the QF we can solve any quadratic equation, and do it much easier than we could with completing the square.  I show them how to use it and they solve a couple quadratics themselves.  I then tell them that for homework they have to memorize the quadratic formula overnight and there will be a quiz on it at the beginning of next class.(This is not my usual style)  I always receive a chorus of groans.  "But!" I interject "It will be much easier than you think.  I've gotten someone to come in and help you all with this, let me go get him."  I go into the hallway, put my tie around my head, half untuck my shirt and start a live performance of this. (my rapping name is SweenDawg, of course)

The live performance helps make it really fun for them, and I would highly suggest doing it if you decide to use a rap in your classroom.  Any time I do a song in class (there are others) I typically do one "live" and then have a recording so I can play it for the kids multiple times and in later classes to help it stick in their memories.  Now I realize this is not the most groundbreaking or new idea, but I want to stress its effectiveness and fun.  The kids who have been generally uninterested throughout the year usually love this lesson the most and really get into it.  Not only that, but I work in a small school and when I have students in later years they almost always remember how to solve quadratics without any prompting... or maybe just an "op-op-op" to get them started.

I also tend to plug the idea of making their own strategies when they have to memorize something, and how making a song is just one example of a memorization technique.



Shoutout to Mr. Mellor for helping lay down the track.

Have your own fun song that you like to do with your students?  Tell me about it!