Learning to read a lead sheet ... Being able to read those charts and create drum parts from the charts youre given .... getting a real book just to learn the tunes, and while youre at it sit at the piano and bang out some changes to really have a clue as to what's going on while youre playing the tunes. Good luck!
Yes I think this is exactly what there is to do. These skills are invaluable. Being able to sing the melody accurately while following the form of the song is also what will enable to create one's own drum charts more easily .
In his book
The Art of Melodic Drumming, Georges Paczinsky suggests the following method:
--> at the piano first:
1) Memorize the melody by singing it aloud
2) Play the melody and chord fundamentals on the piano
3) Study the chords (placement...)
4) Play the chords by heart with the left hand and improvise with the right hand rythmically on one note only, then 2 notes , etc.
--> Then using the drumset
1) Comp the melody (spang a lang, hi hat on 2 & 4, possibly feathering the bass drum) while singing it aloud
2) Under the jazz ride rythm (right hand on the ride, hi hat on 2 & 4, possibly feathering the bass drum) play the melody with the left hand on the snare drum.
3) Do the same thing bu play notes thet do not belong to the melody.
4) Add set up fills
5) Triplets on the snare drum but accentuating the notes that belong to the melody
6) Solo improvize using the whole drumset while singing the melody and following the form (eg AABC 32 bars)
I think you can skip the piano work (very rewarding though) but don't skip the learning of the melody. There we have the slogan again "if you can sing it you can play it" ...
There's no need to say that listening (and transcribing) to what the great drummers have played on a specific song is of course invaluable too, because everything above is just the beginning ...