The top FIVE ways I use the books in my classroom library:
1. Read aloud - Read alouds help students to actually see what a good reader looks like, sounds like, and thinks like when they are reading. These moments also allow me to share with students great literature that they might not be ready to tackle on their own.
2. Anchor Texts - We use the books in our libraries to support our lessons. I call it 'writing under the influence" thanks to the brilliance of Katie Wood Ray. We look at real authors and how they craft their writing to better craft our own writing. We also look at the ways authors write in order to be better readers.
3. Life Lessons - We all know that teachers have to help students work on social skills. We spend the most time with these young minds and we have to help guide them into being responsible, independent, and cooperative members of society. I have a whole series of books that help them learn classroom rules and work on understanding, compassion, and teamwork.
4. Supplemental Readings for Science and Social Studies - Every time I teach a unit, I always bring in great stories and literature that supports our textbook understandings of history, economics, and science. Some of these informational texts turn out to be some of our favorites!
5. Leveled Texts for Independent Reading - Of course, Every classroom library is geared for the students to use on their own! If you are doing the Daily Five, The CAFE, or just doing Reader's Workshop, the students have to be able to select their own texts for independent reading practice.
Because I use my classroom in so many ways, I have spent a huge amount of time organizing it. This allows me the most flexibility in arranging my texts in the way I want students to visualize and understand reading.
Here are some pictures of the library areas of my classroom.
The bookshelf with the white baskets are all fiction books that are organized by series.
The pink bins on either side are nonfiction and are organized by topic. I also have one pink bin that has all my anchor texts for quick reference.
These pink bins are all organized by author. Some are fiction and some are nonfiction. The one green bin on the bottom is my REPAIR bin. Sometimes we just have to have a place to put it until we can get to it. This was my simple solution to help me keep track of what needed to be fixed and keep it organized. My goal is to fix books at least once a week and then let the librarians put the books back.
These six cubbies are sorted by genre. I have my poetry and biography sections here. As you recall, all of the pink bins were nonfiction and that shelf is labeled that way. The white bins are fiction and that shelf is labeled that way. I just wanted to make sure I had a designated section for biography and poetry.
The last part of my library, I just realized I don't have a picture of it. At the front of my room, I have CUBICALS. You can buy them at Walmart, Target, Lowes, and Home Depot. They range in size from a 2 by 2 shelf all the way to 4 by 4 shelving unit. I bought the 2 by 3 units. So, I have three 6 cubical shelves (giving me a total of 18 cubes). I have my leveled library there. I started with the letter J and went all the way to Z. I also have one cube for my teacher recommendations.
The last thing you need to know about my classroom library is that every single book in my room is labeled with Grade Level Equivalent, Lexile Level, and Fontas and Pinnell Reading Level. This allows me so much flexibility in grouping my texts for guided reading and independent reading. It also allows the students more flexibility in selecting texts for independent reading. I think that a well organized library makes for a well organized room. I spend less time looking for what I need. The students spend less time looking for what they want to read and they get right to work. I hope sharing my library has helped you get some ideas for your classroom. I also hope you have a successful school year that you always grow readers in your classroom!
TGT
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