Flocabulary Lyric Contest Invites Students to Rhyme Their Way Through History

In an effort to blend creative expression with academic skill-building, Renaissance, a prominent education technology provider, is once again hosting its Flocabulary Student Voice Lyric Contest. This nationwide competition invites K-12 students to delve into history, select an inspiring historical figure, and then craft original, hip-hop-inspired lyrics about their chosen subject. The initiative aims to foster literacy skills, historical understanding, and creative writing through an engaging, project-based learning approach.

The contest, according to Renaissance, offers a distinctive opportunity for students to not only demonstrate their research and writing abilities but also to potentially see their work transformed into a Flocabulary video and lesson, made available to thousands of schools across the country. This approach highlights how creative mediums can be powerful tools in the learning process, making complex subjects more accessible and memorable for students.

Cultivating Literacy Through Creative Expression

The Flocabulary Student Voice Lyric Contest is designed to engage students in core literacy development in a dynamic way. Students are tasked with researching a historical figure that sparks their interest, then composing at least 16 lines of lyrics that showcase strong vocabulary, rhythm, and flow. This process, as described by Renaissance, encourages deep engagement with historical content while simultaneously honing writing and expressive skills.

Dr. Mervin Jenkins, Director of Partnership Engagement and Thought Leadership at Renaissance, emphasizes the power of lyrics as a tool for connection and storytelling. He notes that the contest helps students become better writers by engaging with culture and history, inspiring emotions, and sharing diverse perspectives. This blend of academic rigor and creative freedom can be particularly effective in motivating students who might find traditional research papers less engaging.

For parents and teachers, this contest offers a tangible way to encourage students to explore historical topics beyond textbooks. It transforms a potentially dry assignment into an exciting creative project, where students can truly own their learning. Such initiatives align with the broader educational goal of making learning relevant and enjoyable, fostering a lifelong love for discovery.

The Flocabulary Platform: Engaging Learning Through Hip-Hop

At the heart of this contest is Flocabulary, a platform within Renaissance's educational ecosystem. Flocabulary is known for its extensive library of over 1,500 standards-aligned, video-based lessons that cover various K-12 subjects. These lessons leverage the power of hip-hop music, visual art, storytelling, humor, drama, and poetry to enhance vocabulary acquisition and comprehension skills.

The platform's approach recognizes that different students learn in different ways. By integrating hip-hop and visual storytelling, Flocabulary aims to create memorable learning experiences that captivate students and accelerate their understanding of academic vocabulary and concepts. The contest extends this philosophy by empowering students to become creators within this engaging framework, rather than just consumers of content.

The winning entries from the 2025 contest, which featured lyrics about Temple Grandin and Sally Ride, serve as inspiring examples. The secondary school winner, Lana S., a 10th grader, crafted lines like, "Temple G., a rarity, thinking in designs. Turning bright ideas into changing guidelines." Similarly, elementary school winner Chloe R., a fifth grader, wrote, "Sally’s flight made history. To be an astronaut American woman, she’s the first to earn that spot." These examples illustrate how students can distill complex information into concise, rhythmic, and impactful verses.

Contest Details and Broader Impact

Entries for the Flocabulary Student Voice Lyric Contest are accepted through November 30, 2026. A Renaissance committee, largely composed of former educators, will evaluate submissions based on criteria such as length, format, historical figure selection, content, and style. Ten student finalists will receive prizes for themselves and their classrooms. From these finalists, two grand prize winners – one from elementary grades (K–5) and one from secondary grades (6–12) – will have their lyrics produced into a full Flocabulary video and a complete suite of learning activities. These winning lessons are slated to premiere in April 2027 during National Poetry Month and will be made available to approximately 20,000 schools nationwide.

This contest not only celebrates individual student achievement but also contributes valuable, student-created content to a wider educational community. It underscores the potential for students' voices to enrich the learning experiences of their peers. For any student looking for additional, free learning support as they research their historical figure or practice their writing, a platform like COSMIQ offers free voice-driven AI tutoring, available forever for every K-12 student. It can be a helpful resource for brainstorming, refining ideas, or understanding historical contexts, complementing creative endeavors like this contest.

The initiative by Renaissance through Flocabulary demonstrates a commitment to fostering student creativity and academic growth through innovative methods. By turning historical research into a lyrical challenge, the contest offers a fresh perspective on how education can be both rigorous and deeply engaging, encouraging students to connect with history and express themselves in powerful, personal ways.