Word up! Forty teachers from nine states are gathering next week for a program to discuss the merits of using hip hop in the classroom.

The conference at the University of Wisconsin-Madison will also address using spoken word as a teaching tool. Spoken word involves telling a story in a lyrical way, much like poetry.

Madison high school teacher Mary Swenson says using hip hop language in the classroom helps marginalized students.

The weeklong conference now in its fourth year is organized by the UW-Madison Office of Multicultural Initiatives and Urban Word NYC.

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