Each book's Profile consists of:
- Bookmarks: page-by-page commentary and illustration of the text;
- Setting: description and illustration of the main places or themes of the book;
- Glossary: foreign, invented and tricky words deciphered;
- Summary: objective synopsis of the book;
- Review: subjective analysis and evaluation of the book; and
- Author: biographical information, interview videos, links and photos.
What readers may find most interesting is the Bookmarks. They often confirm a conclusion a reader has already drawn, as in these examples from The Road:
At other times, the Bookmarks provide additional information which, though tangential to the storyline, in nonetheless interesting, as in the case of the game of Buzkashi, mentioned in The Kite Runner:
The obvious use of this site is a resource for teachers and students to access background knowledge for a book they're presently studying.
However, I can also see students creating their own Book Drum projects informally, using Google Docs or a similar collaborative tool. Google Docs or a wiki would allow pairs or groups of students to work on the same novel by assigning each member a set number of pages or chapters. An alternative to a full would be to use the same process with shorter literature selections: short stories, interviews, current event articles, poems, lyrics.
I have to admit, I like this site. I found myself not only checking out notes on books I had read, but also investigating books I hadn't even heard of. While some of the formatting at times seems a bit clunky (because of oddly sized graphics versus the text boxes), the research and notes seem pretty solid.
Have a thought on using this resource? Can you think of another way for students to create a similar product in order to dissect what they're reading? Leave a comment below.
10 comments:
This is a goldmine - and so is your blog! Thanks for sharing, I hope to visit often and share with my district colleagues.
I do like Book Drum; was especially excited to see some of the titles in progress.
Thanks for the kind words!
What an interesting resource - thanks for sharing it!
Wow! Thanks for sharing this resource! Bringing books to life. I love it! I definitely have to check it out!
+Shana.
I'm participating as a contributor in the Tournament this year and thought the same ideas you had for use in the classroom. What a great resource Book Drum is.
Hi, I'm dropping in from the Friday Blog Hop. Nice to meet you. Your blog is a treasure trove! I'm your newest follower and at: www.kittiehoward.blogspot.com I hope you'll visit me.
Thanks to Bookdout, Shana Ray, Bree, and Kittie for coming by to comment!
Bree: good luck with the tournament at Book Drum. That's got to be a lot of pressure! But we should see some great projects come out of it.
Old follower stopping by from the friday follower hop. Hope you have a great weekend. If you get a chance please check out my blog. I have two great giveaways going on.
http://mommywantstoread.blogspot.com/2011/02/friday-follow-hop-24.html
Wow I wish I had known about this for my students. I love your blog!
www.reflectionsofabookaholic.com
I am adding your blog on the "blogs I love" section of my blog. This is such a great resource. Thank you for what you do.
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