Reading, writing, speaking and listening
Bands A,B,C,D

What is it?

A Book Rap is a moderated book discussion conducted via electronic mail. Individual students or groups of students across Australia (or the world) join the Rap to discuss a nominated book.

What is its purpose?

Students have the opportunity to share their ideas about a scheduled book with peers in other schools. By addressing the Rap questions and engaging in conversations with others, they come to understand that people appreciate and interpret texts in different ways. They engage in increasingly critical conversations with their peers and also with Book Rap guests, including authors, illustrators, teachers, publishers and reviewers. Book Raps are notable for the enthusiastic on-line friendships that develop among students over time. Book Raps work effectively with groups of students involved in a shared reading and are a great way for quiet or shy students to participate actively in a conversation. They can be carried out at home or incorporated into the classroom program and provide a wonderful stimulus for reflective writing in journals and discussion. They can also form part of the supported wide reading program. They are manageable for teachers and students because they last for a pre-determined period of time (often about a month) and can take place independent of the teacher. One of the great things about Book Raps is that the teacher has access to archives of all email discussions that take place and can monitor student progress, intervene if necessary and use the Rap material for assessment.

How do I do it?

Join an organised Book Rap or start one yourself. There will be several Book Raps running simultaneously that your students can join. Oz-Teacher Net Projects co-ordinate Book Raps led by teachers and teacher librarians throughout Australia. Check out the Book Rap Calendar for details of past, current and future Book Raps. Oz-Projects is always on the lookout for new co-ordinators - if you are interested, get in touch with the Book Rap Manager for 1999. Check out also the Book Rap Archives to get a feeling for how a Rap operates. Share some entries with your students to help them get started.

We hope to trial some Tasmanian-based Book Raps for primary, secondary and senior students via the English Web site in 1999. We will keep you posted on this.

If you want to set up your own Book Rap within your own school or with a partner school, ask your school I.T. expert for help. The process is not complicated. Alternatively, you can use the resources of a site such as oz-Projects to find partners and e-mail your partner school directly.

How to Participate

Participation is straightforward. Below are some directions for teachers and students suggested by oz-Projects.

Directions for teachers

Directions for Students

How Can I Adapt it?

In addition to novels, you could try some Raps about films, picture books, tv series.

How Can it be Used to Evaluate Students' Language Learning?

There are many possibilities for assessment, including:

Where Can I Find Out More?

Look for Book Raps to join on EdNA
The Library and Information Services  can also provide a list of sites to explore.