Math is a tricky subject. I see it as a subject, where every competency is stacked tightly on top of each other. More so, than in most other subjects. This means that it has grave consequences if students fail to learn critical competencies early on. I have discovered, that maths songs can be a great tool to support the learning process. There seems to be some research, that backs up this claim.
For my own students, I have started to write some of my own songs. They are as yet in German. Maybe, one day I will have the muse to translate them into other languages. But that is not a simple task.
So, for now, I put them here to show off. Or, if you do happen to teach at a German school, you are free to use them, as they are under a Creative Commons Licence. Of course, if you would like to offer to translate, feel free to contact me.
Use Catchy Tunes for Your Maths Songs
Writing the lyrics for the maths songs wasn’t that hard. The first one above is written to the tune of “Wellerman”. It is a catchy tune, and almost all my students know it already from TikTok anyways.
More importantly, it has a simple rhythm, which makes it easy to play on an instrument and sing along to, even for younger students. While “Wellerman” isn’t strictly speaking a shanty, the shanty genre generally works very well for the purpose. That is because the tunes are usually catchy, and simple.
The above song is about direct, and inverse proportions. In time, I will add more songs here. In fact, I have another one in the making to the tune “Drunken sailor”. However, it usually takes me a while to record and edit the videos, so I can’t give you any real promises yet.
You can get the lyrics to the above song here.
Enjoy using it in your classroom!
