Flocabulary: The Hip-Hop Approach to SAT-Level Vocabulary Building (Flocabulary Study Guides)

Great SAT prep!! What a unique, original concept for vocabulary-building skills! It's not only fun, it's remarkably effective! I definitely recommend it to anyone looking for a FUN way to prep for the SATs... or for anyone who wants to build her vocabulary!

I'm a student that has always had trouble memorizing vocabulary words... I got the equivalent of a 710 Critical Reading on the PSAT, and one of my weaknesses is vocabulary, which makes me lose around 20-40 points. It's just ridiculously boring and I forget the words a week later anyways, but I was introduced to new methods of memorization with Rock the SAT, the first book I bought. But Rock the SAT presented 2 problems: the vocabulary was fairly basic, and the singer's voice was extremely annoying.

Having memorized all the words in Rock the SAT, I went to my local store to find Vocab Rock, the only other book like Rock the SAT that I knew about. But when I flipped through it, I saw that the vocabulary was extremely easy and few in number. Fortunately, I noticed Flocabulary and looked through it. There was an incredible amount of vocabulary crammed into each song, and the lyrics looked provocative and interesting, and most importantly, i didn't know about 1/2 of the words. Amazed, I purchased it.

When I put the CD into the CD player in my car on the way home, I thought the radio was accidentally on, since the music was so well-produced, the lyrics were intelligent, and the rappers actually had an extremely well developed sense of musicality. I could barely believe my ears when the song began to recite vocabulary flawlessly.

If you are looking for a music vocabulary CD, this one definitely is the best, unless you hate rap with a passion. The only problem I found with rap was that as a rock listener, it was more difficult to memorize the lyrics, because there was so much packed in. I wouldn't have it any other way though, it's better than feeling like you are wasting your time while a song rambled on about the definitions of "parallel" and "mosaic" for 3 minutes. And with all music vocabulary CD's, it is important to look at the book's lyrics while listening, since the mind tends to gloss over words it doesn't understand/hasn't heard before as random syllables.

I teach a college skills class. Obviously, vocabulary development is an important part of the course. I have tried several methods to introduce vocabulary for student mastery. All before Flocabulary were "tired." My classes have embraced this method and appear to have actually incorporated words into their speaking, reading and writing word banks. The only downside -- you can't get some of the rhymes/rhythms out of your head!

The concept is interesting: make vocabulary-building as simple a task as listening to a popular hip-hop song. In reality, it doesn't work and this product underscores the reasons why hip-hop typically uses grade-school level vocabulary. In an attempt to imitate popular hip-hop guidelines - fun rhymes, a flowing song, good beats - this product throws words out at a million miles per hour. However, these aren't common words, they are SAT vocab words. After listening to a song you realize that lots of words were presented to you, but that you didn't actually learn the definitions. At that point, you realize that you actually have to pay attention to the song. It can't just play passively in the background like when you are listening to the radio in the car. When you try to listen in an active way, you realize that the product moves too fast and doesn't give you enough time to absorb each vocab word. You will find yourself stopping, starting, and rewinding the song many times. At that point, the whole purpose of just listening to the song is defeated.

Good concept - bad in practice.

I purchased this book and CD for my son because he enjoys music. It has been a tremendous help to him and after listening to the CD a few times, he has memorized the songs. I highly recommend this product to anyone who enjoys music and needs to boost their vocabulary.