Raps FAQs

What is a book rap?

A rap or book rap is a discussion about a book or topic using email. It offers a powerful tool for enhancing learning outcomes across the curriculum, using technology. Participants subscribe to the book rap, answer questions ("rap points") sent by the Book Rap Coordinator, and read the messages from all other subscribers.


How is a rap structured?

Raps usually last for about five to eight weeks, and follow these basic procedures once the rap has been advertised:

• Week 1: Introductions: During the first week, rappers send a short introductory message about their class or group, and give some information about their school and its location.Rappers can also locate schools on their Rap Map after reading each introduction.Rap Point One: In approximately the second week, the rap coordinator(s) send a message to all subscribers containing a question relating to the book. Each group of rappers formulates a group response to this issue in Rap Point One through their class work, and reads the responses from other rappers. The written discussions, including replies to other school's messages, are sent to the rap email address, thereby automatically reaching all rappers.
  
  
• Rap Points Two and Three: Approximately a week apart, further discussion points are sent out, and rappers construct their group's responses.
  
  
• Rap Wrap Up: In the final week of the rap, the coordinator sends a Rap Wrap Up message, which finalises this particular rap.
  
  
• Sometimes invited guests, such as the author and/or illustrators, join the rap for all or some of the time, answering particular questions posed by rappers.
  
  
• Often, web sites are created to further support learning during the rap.
  
  

What preliminary planning is needed to participate in a rap?

Not sure how to begin? Here is a step by step guide for planning your successful participation in a rap.

1. Who will participate?

Most raps are designed for specific age and skill levels. Decide which students would benefit from the particular rap being considered. Perhaps a whole class of students, or a small group (extension or those with learning difficulties) would gain from this experience.Which teachers might be involved? Class teachers, head teacher, teacher-librarian, STLD? For specific projects, in which a particular perspective is covered, it is good to involve other members of the school community. For example, the My girragundji book rap involved Aboriginal Education Assistants and community members. Take a flyer with dates and information about the rap to prospective teachers, invite their participation, gauge their interest and secure their commitment.

2. How many copies of the rap book or material will I need?

If the rap involves a book, arrange for as many copies as possible of the text to be available. Students and teachers will need to be familiar with the text. For longer books, reading should begin several weeks before the rap itself commences.

3. How much time should we allow?

Class groups will need to meet about three times a week (but more often is better and easier) for about six weeks. Decide times and places this will occur, and check timetables with teachers involved.

4. When should we meet?

Students will need to access the Internet to collect their rap email. Times to do this may need to be arranged, eg. the teacher-librarian could assist rap reps to collect the email messages from the library, if classrooms do not have email access. If a small group only is to participate in the rap, arrangements need to be made with the class teacher(s) as to meeting times, so that all parties are clear on expectations and procedures.

5. Where should we meet?

Decide where the group will meet and how the work is to be stored or displayed. Where will your Rap Map be located? (See also How is a rap structured?) Will you have individual maps in the each student's folder, or a large wall map?

6. What technical arrangements will we need to make?

Teachers need to subscribe their school to the rap (see How do I join the current rap?). During the rap you will need access to email at least three times a week. Students (Rap Reps) could be trained to collect the email on disk at other times and messages read on a stand alone computer in the classroom when the group meets. What is your school's policy on student use of the Internet? Should further parental permission be gained? Another worthwhile approach is to inform the parents of participating students (See Parent information letter).

7. A week before the rap starts

Have a pre rap meeting with teachers and students to explain this new learning adventure. Provide details of the rap procedures (see How is a rap structured?), establish a positive atmosphere, discuss and perhaps circulate Rap Lingo and prepare your class Rap Map. Download any teaching notes or unit outlines available for this rap. Inform other staff, including the Principal, of this forthcoming experience that you and your students will be undertaking.

8. You're ready to rap!
   
   

What are the protocols of a rap?

For the successful operation of raps, participants are encouraged to abide by the following protocols:

• Each group should send only one initial reply to each Rap Point. The response to each Rap Point should be constructed by the group after discussion. If several students in the group have different responses, these could be collated into the one email message; multiple messages from each school would overwhelm rappers with too much email.
  
  
• Subsequent messages may, of course, be sent at any time. These would be in reply to ideas expressed by rappers in other schools.
  
  
• The length of messages is generally short unless a number of paragraphs are required for the discussion point.
  
  
• Ensure the subject line clearly states the content of the message. For example, rather than simply Book Rap or Only the heart as the subject, be specific. Use: Introducing Barnsville High School; or Response to Rap Point 1; or Response to Rap Point 2 (a); or Response to Barnsville High School.
  
  
• Proof read all messages carefully before sending. Check for incorrect spelling, punctuation and grammar, making sure your message is polite, respectful and informative.
  
  
• An "e-signature" at the bottom of each message helps to identify rappers clearly. Including the school name is important. Try Class 7B, Barnsville High School, Barnsville rather than simply '7B' or 'The Ripping Rappers'.
  
  
• When asking a question of rap guests (such as a visiting author or illustrator) send your message to the rap email address (ie. the same one used for your introductory message and rap responses) so that all rappers can read your question and the guest's response. This also reduces duplication of questions to guests.

To what do the students respond in a rap?

• The discussion questions in a rap are posed by the coordinator and are known as Rap Points. Each group should send only one initial reply to each Rap Point. The response to each Rap Point should be constructed by the group after discussion. If several students in the group have different responses, these could be collated into the one email message; multiple messages from each school would overwhelm rappers with too much email.
  
  
• Subsequent messages may, of course, be sent at any time during the rap. These would be in reply to ideas expressed by rappers in other schools.
  
  
• Questions can also be asked of rap guests (such as a visiting author or illustrator). These messages are also then sent by a class or group to the rap email address (ie. the same one used for your introductory message and rap responses) so that all rappers can read your question and the guest's response. This also reduces duplication of questions to guests.
  
  
• In the final week of the rap, groups forward their evaluations and the coordinator sends a Rap Wrap Up message that finalises the rap.
  

Email access at our school is limited. Can we still participate in the rap?

To participate in a rap, it is necessary for the students to read and send email messages. There are various ways in which this can be carried out:

• Classes can access their email directly in classrooms where schools are networked.Whole classes, groups or individual Rap Reps can access email messages through an Internet connection outside the classroom, eg. in the school library if each classroom does not have email access.
  
  
• Messages can be printed out and stored in clear folders for students to read and reply to as necessary.Class email accounts can be set up using free web based email services.
  
  
• Messages can be downloaded to disk from the Internet machine and read on the stand alone classroom computer.
  
  
• Messages can also be read on the class email archieve web page.

How do I join the current rap?

Type your class email address into the subscription box and click on the "Submit" button. This sends an automatic message to the listserv. A welcome message will arrive by email, usually within the hour, to confirm that your subscribing has been successful. Save the confirmation message as it contains important information, including the email address to which all book rap messages are to be sent.

If I miss the registration date, can my school still join the rap?

Yes. For raps hosted by the School libraries and Information Literacy web site, all responses to the rap points, plus all group responses to other schools' messages, are automatically saved as Archives of the email discussion on the web site. These can be viewed at any time, so schools joining the rap late can still participate.

Does it matter if we are running late with our Rap Point responses?

Not usually. Unforeseen circumstances in a school may cause a particular group or school to be late posting a message to a particular Rap Point. It is better that a group's answer be well considered and polished than to be rushed. Be sure that your subject line clearly indicates the rap point being answered.

Can we email another participating school directly?

Unless the content of your message is completely "off topic" and therefore relevant to only one school, all rap messages (including class responses to other schools' postings to the rap) should be sent to the book rap email address. In this way, all schools can read all messages.

Should I also join the "teacher support listserv" that accompanies the rap?

Some raps feature a teacher support listserv that runs concurrently with the students' rap. It is especially useful for teachers participating in their first rap. The teacher support listserv becomes a forum through which particular aspects of a particular book rap can be explored. The coordinator is available online to answer teachers' questions and to promote discussion. Where a particular educational perspective underpins a rap, experts are also available online to provide additional support. (For example, the My girragundji book rap had the Aboriginal Studies support team and AEAs on line to offer advice. The Sailing home book rap included a focus on the literacy demands of visual texts, and Matt Ottley, the book's illustrator, became a valued expert.) Teacher support listservs can be a vital tool for developing collegiate support and sharing professional expertise.

Can I email the rap coordinator directly?

The question you wish to ask the rap coordinator is probably a question that other participants are also pondering. The best way to ask such a question is through the teacher support listserv.

How do we manage a large number of incoming email messages

Sometimes there are many subscribers joining us for a particular rap. Even if all schools respect the guidelines and only send one message from each class, there will still be a considerable number of emails generated. You may well be wondering how to make the most of all these engaging messages from sometimes over a hundred excited schools.

1. Choose certain schools to 'follow'. The selection process could be an interesting exercise in itself. For example, will you choose a diverse range of schools, geographically, (e.g. one from each state or district), by enrolment size, primary/secondary, or size of city/town, or alphabetically by school name? Once your 'target' schools are chosen, their introduction and response messages can be printed off and used as reading and reference materials throughout the rap. The downside with this approach is that some excellent responses from other schools might be missed. However, targeting 20 or 30 schools, could allow you to more closely follow up on issues raised by others and therefore foster public discussion.
   
   
2. Groups of students could be responsible for following a certain number schools each so that all schools are 'covered'. Each group would read the messages from their target schools, decide on any notable responses to be shared with the whole class, or worthy of a whole class response, and perhaps print this message off. This method means that all messages are at least scanned, and no 'gems' need be missed. It also gives students the full responsibility of accessing, sorting and evaluating messages. The other plus for this option is that considerable group cooperation and discussion are necessary, as individuals justify the inclusion of each day's 'favourite' message for further attention. Knowing there are others eagerly awaiting your school's response to each Rap Point, increases students' interest and enthusiasm, and also fosters a sense of responsibility to the larger learning community of rappers.
   
   
3. Try sorting mail messages into folders. This keeps the Inbox manageable, and means students are learning to sort and organise their material. Folders could be assigned for each Group (if method 2 above is used) or according to Introductions, Rap Point 1 Responses etc. Sub-folders could also be helpful. Of course filing messages becomes much easier if Rappers put accurate titles in their subject line e.g. "Introduction", "Rap Point 1(c)", "Response to Barnsville High" etc.
   
   
4. Most email programs have filters which can be set up to channel messages. This is a drastic step as you may miss some excellent messages.
   
   
5. Most importantly, try to keep the focus on the message and on the ideas being communicated, not on the technology. A rap is designed to be a challenging and stimulating learning environment, where email is used to generate ideas and make possible the sharing of thoughts across a broad spectrum. Try not to allow the technology to become a frustration, or the focus.