LA teacher puts algebra formulas to rap music to help inner-city middle schoolers learn

LA teacher raps to students to teach algebra

LOS ANGELES — The class of eighth graders at a Los Angeles middle school tap their rulers and nod their heads to the rhythm of the rap video projected on a screen. It’s not Snoop Dogg or Jay-Z.

It’s their math teacher, LaMar Queen, using rhyme to help them memorize seemingly complicated algebra and improve their grades.

Queen, 26, is now known at Los Angeles Academy as the rap teacher, but his fame has spread far beyond the 2,200-student school in this gritty neighborhood. He’s won a national award and shows teachers and parents how to use rap to reach children.

He says teaching math through rap music is a way to engage kids.

Student Cindy Martinez says the raps work because they stick in her head at test time. Her grade has gone from a C to a B.