Taking Another Look at Google Books

Google Books in the Classroom

Get The Tool:

http://books.google.com/

What is it?

Google Books allows you to search, bookmark, organize, and share millions of books and magazines from libraries and publishers worldwide. Google Book Search allows you to search the full text of books -- from the first word on the first page to the last word in the final chapter – so you can find books that interest you. Book Search works like web search. You can try a search at Google Book Search (books.google.com) or on Google.com. Once you find a given book, you can browse available pages, search further in that book, find online reviews, and learn where to buy the book or check it out of a nearby library, and in some cases, even read the entire title online. Finally, Google Books allows you to create your own "My Library" consisting of custom bookshelves with public and private options. You can also rate and review books, take notes, view common terms and phrases, and search for related books.

Why use it?

Students can use Google Books to: Create a library of books consisting of bookshelves of titles they have read and titles  they would like to read Read and write reviews of books Find a book at a local library or purchase a book online Search for a phrase within a book Preview a book by reading the overview or a limited preview of the book View popular passages and common terms and phrases Teachers can use Google Books to: Familiarize students with a book they are about to read by previewing different editions and cover art designs of a novel Find a list of related books Create an online classroom library Embed a book in a classroom blog for easy access by students and parents

Instructional Ideas

Elementary: Creating an author study using a Google Books bookshelf is a wonderful way to increase reading comprehension and make text connections. Here is an example of a teacher created author study bookshelf on Mem Fox:http://books.google.com/books?uid=12799663630115966648&as_coll=1004&source=gbs_lp_bookshelf_list Middle School: Create a genre unit study using a Google Books classroom library with bookshelves classified by genre. Provide students with a list of books and have them classify the books by genre. Students can write notes and reviews after they have read and classified them. High School:When writing research papers, students can use the Advanced Book Search feature to narrow down results by time period, language, and exact phrases. Students can also use the "Find in a Library" or "Search Inside this Book" features to further enhance their research.

Your Tool in Action

Project: You Are What You Eat Grade/Subject: 9-12/Cross -curricular URL: http://books.google.com/books?uid=12799663630115966648&as_coll=1002&source=gbs_lp_bookshelf_list Using Google Books previews from the books Fast Food Nation, Food Rules and Food Inc., as well as previously learned historical, scientific, and mathematical concepts, students will explore and compile data regarding the impact of food on individuals, societies, and the environment in both modern and ancient times. What is the impact of food availability, production, and consumption on an individual, a locality, and a society? • Why are there chemicals and packaging in my food? What are the effects of these on my body and the environment? • How can I improve my health and the environment with the food I consume? • How are foods marketed? Students will choose or be assigned a food and trace its evolution, availability, consumption, and environmental/cultural/social impact. Using this data, as well as their own experiences and secondary sources, students will draft a research paper. Students will use Google Books to search and add related texts to the "You Are What You Eat" bookshelf, add notes about the books, search common phrases, etc.

Expert Tips

Use Advanced Book Search -http://books.google.com/advanced_book_search to narrow search by language, full view, search just magazines Import books into your library by ISBN number Share your library through an RSS feed

Additional Resources:

More Examples Google For Educators-Book Search- http://www.google.com/educators/p_booksearch.html Inside Google Books-http://booksearch.blogspot.com/ Google Books adds New Features and Tools-http://techcrunch.com/2009/06/18/google-books-adds-new-features-and-tools/ 10 Ways to Use Google Books for Lifelong Learning and Research -http://www.makeuseof.com/tag/10-ways-google-books-lifelong-learning-research/ Complimentary Tools Blogger-http://www.blogger.com- embed a book in your blog Google Squared-http://www.google.com/squared/search?q=books- classify books by genre Google Maps- use google maps to view places mentioned in the book or to create your own a google lit trip- http://www.googlelittrips.com/GoogleLit/Home.html of a book