Project quick links

Coordinating a Book Rap

There are 3 stages in conducting a Book Rap.

1. Preparing for the Book Rap
2. Conducting the Book Rap.
3. Reflection and review of your Book Rap.

Stage 1: Preparing for the Book Rap

1. Select the book and read it.

2. Determine the issues to rap about and formulate three or four Rap Points.

3. Other optional Rap events to consider:

   • Author involvement

   • Experts online

   • Using live chat

4. Visit the Bookrap database. Enter your bookrap into the database and an e-mail will be sent to the oz-TeacherNet Project Officer Bronwyn Stuckey (b.stuckey@qut.edu.au). She will then set up an e-mail list for you to manage the Book Rap.
   (We need 4 weeks warning, please)

   You will need the following information to complete the database fields.

   • Author

   • Title

   • Place, publisher,date

   • A one paragraph blurb or teaser to add to the welcome message for the email list
     (It is a little bit about the book and the focus for the rap.)

   • Your name

   • Your school

   • Your e-mail address

   • Proposed date for starting the Book Rap
     (Remember the starting week is for introductions of participating schools and the first Rap Point is posted in the second week.)

   • Your proposed Rap Points

5. Await notification from the Book Rap Manager that your Rap is operational. This means
   
   • An e-mail list has been created.
   • A basic web page has been created with the details of the Rap.
     (It is essential to have all the 9 items above for this to happen.)
     
6. Join this Book Rap's e-mail list yourself either by following the email instructions or using the web form.
   
7. Register and advertise your Book Rap
   
8. Email an advertisement for the Book Rap to various lists depending on which countries you would like to participate in this Rap.
   You can use the list welcome message as your advertisement with the subject "New Book Rap on your-book's-name."
   
9. Register your Book Rap on the following lists. Click here

 

1. At the start of the first week, you email a message to the email list for your book reminding the participants to send an introduction for their group.

2. At the start of the second week, you email the first Rap Point to the email list for your book.

3. Students reply to the rap point by posting their messages to the email list.

4. Students ask questions or offer comments about other students' responses by sending messages via the email list.

5. You send the remaining rap points a week apart over a period of 3 to 4 weeks.

6. Students reply to each rap point and then ask questions or offer comments to each other's responses.

7. In the last week, you send the Rap Rap Wrap up message to the book rap list.
   No response is expected from the students.
   It consists of some follow up activity like read other books by the same author, read other books on the same theme, read other books in the genre, see the movie of the book or whatever suits that book.

Stage 3: Reflecting and reviewing your Book Rap

1. Send comments and suggestions about the usefulness of the web site to the Book Rap Project Manager.

2. Share your teaching ideas via the email list br-teachers@rite.ed.qut.edu.au

3. Relax...pat yourself on the back for a job well done, put your feet up and start reading a book for your next Book Rap.