The rich hip hop genre evolved from youth culture. This research assignment asks students to submerge in the influences that propelled the development of the dance.

This assignment provides a broad scope for classroom exploration through group work. Students are asked to research aspects of hip hop and the history of its development.

"Hip hop is the culture from which rap emerged. Initially it consisted of four main elements; graffiti art, break dancing, dj (cuttin' and scratching) and emceeing (rapping)." [The History of Hip Hop, Davey D Corner]

Because your students may be familiar with the genre, ascertain how many students have prior knowledge about hip hop. If any of your students can break dance, create scratch music or perform rap have them share their skills with the class.

Davey D describes hip hop as a "lifestyle." He explains that it

1. has a distinct language
2. has its own dress code
3. developed a unique music genre
4. has a "mindset" that is evolving

Brainstorm with the class to capture all knowledge of and ideas about hip hop and its associated culture on a Visual Mindmap. Submerge the class in a variety of aspects of the dance, music and art.

Research Assignments

Divide the class into research groups.

Ask groups to

• look into the demographics of the cultural groups from which the dance form originated.
• compile a report about "The Bronx" in New York, targeting "youth culture of the area from 1970 to 2000." This report could be in the form of a Power Point Presentation or a dossier with illustrations.

Cultural Origins

Have groups

• research what it means to be Hispanic now, and to compare this description with what it would have been like in the 1960's.
• look into the culture of African American youth of the late 1960's.
• combine and share information. Ask them to ascertain what a blend of youth culture from the two distinct groups would be like.

Development of the Music

Encourage groups to

• define rap and give examples of this style of music .
• present a report to the class.
• define scratch music. Have them share examples and samples with the group.

After separate presentations, have them work creatively by blending sounds in the manner of the artists studied. The music gathered can be used as background music, when other creative work is taking place.

Artistic Genre

Ask a group to

• find examples of, and then to define graffiti in a Power Point Presentation.
• credit the artists formally.
• explore ideas such as vandalism, legal and illegal street art.
• Explore the site GraffitiCreator.com in the way described in the article Graffiti Creator Artist's Tool

Exploring the Dance Genre

Have students

• experiment with break-dancing. Perhaps students could present a display. If this is not possible, have them present videos or arrange for artists to come to the school.
• look at body popping. Some form of multi media showing or live performance would be ideal.
• combine and explore the idea of blending styles of dance.

Historical Investigation

Tell a group to

• trace the story of hip hop. Look at its origins and the cultural forces that gave momentum to international recognition
• explore the emergence of a new style of hip hop into rap videos, as it occurred in the 1980's
• have them explain to the class how the latter distinguished itself from original break dancing styles. Trace the evolution to concentration on footwork as opposed to acrobatics
• compare and contrast styles

Continued Development

• House music brought a broader range of influences to hip hop; freeing expression. Encourage the students to find examples.
• Once they have become familiar with these, have them gain a deeper understanding by creating a presentation of their own.

Possible Culminating Activities

Such a large body of research would provide sufficient background information for students to create a production of their own.

As a class project they might want to

• choreograph original dance routines
• write their own music
• create a dance style of their own
• create a graffiti backdrop
• stage a fashion parade
• make a UTube or YahooVideos film clip like this one Online Hip Hop Dance Lesson

If you have the time and funding, perhaps you want to stage a whole performance, attending to every aspect of the genre. If so - post about your production on the discussion boards.