CHARLOTTE - A group of Charlotte-Mecklenburg middle school teachers have a unique way of teaching.
Sixth grade teachers at Ridge Road Middle School turn history lessons into rap music and dance.
In Claire Tamayo's class the kids stand on desks, dance and rap. But it's all for a good reason.
"They're excited to be here, and I’m excited because they're excited," Tamayo said.
It was about a year ago when Tamayo says she realized music was the best way her students understood the lessons.
So she got together with two other teachers in her cohort and this was the result.
"They're phenomenal with the content activities, coming up with strategies, coming up with other things. So having them help me with that, helped me have the time to come up with the creative stuff that we've all shared."
Tamayo says students like Khalila Corry now comes to class ready to learn.
They pay attention more and she says grades have improved.
"I had like a B- in the class and then now, it's gone up to an A. I'm really happy because of that because social studies is not really my favorite subject, but now it is," Khalila Corry, a sixth grader at Ridge Road Middle School, said.
Tamayo also says this way of teaching helped her student's confidence.
"Seeing adolescent kids come into themselves and being confident, that is what makes this that much better for me every day."
"Wonderful, I think it's amazing. Instead of just learning how to do things, we're learning how to make it so it's fun," Corry said.
Tamayo says parents respect her way of teaching and she's getting a lot of good feedback.
Going into next school year, she hopes to make her style of teaching better.
"The response that I’ve gotten from the kids, and the relationship that we've been able to build with one another, that to me is worth more than anything at the end of the day," Tamayo said.