Book Raps - What are they?

Book raps are online book discussions.

They are conducted electronically by email.

They usually continue for 4 -6 weeks

Getting Started

Visit the Oz Teacher Net_Book Rap site

View the Book Rap Calendar and select a Book rap suitable for your Year level.

Subscribe to the list.

Share the story with your whole group.

Send an introductory message to the list.e

l
Keep on Rapping

Read and discuss the Rap points.

Compose a joint response.

Send your email response to the list.

Check the email and read messages daily.

Share the messages with your classmates.

Map the location of participants.

Keep a rap record in a scrapbook or on a noticeboard.

Rap Wrap up

All too soon your rap will end!!!

Respond to the last rap point.

Share other book rap related response activities with list eg paintings, poems, stories.

Rap Lingo

Rap Point : a discussion point about a character, event or theme in the story.

Rap Co-ordinator: The person who guides the discussion, posts the rap points approximately once per week.

Rappers : all the people involved in the book discussion.

Rap rep(s) : the persons typing the responses or collecting the daily responses.

Rap map : a map showing the location of other rappers.

Rap rules: guidelines for the Book Rap discussion set by the co-ordinator

Rap Sheet: a webpage associated with the book rap.

Rap wrap up: final message of a Book Rap. It often features some published work to share.

Extending the Book Rap

Establish further email exchange with a  Buddy class in another school.

Combine book rap with a travel buddy project.

Create a rap sheet as a means of sharing the rap with others.

Programming your Book Rap

Click here to view the sample Stellaluna Book Rap program as a webpage

or download a sample teaching program for printing.

Stellaluna Book Rap Program (pdf)

Resources

Mc Ghee, Cheryl. Rapping with a difference: the Stellaluna Book Rap. Access Vol 11, No 3, August 1997.

Scan vol 17, No 4 November 1998 contains two articles on bookraps, email and information literacy.

The Oz-Teachernet Book Rap Website