I have a problem. A book problem. As far as problems go, I suppose it could be worse. My kids are the ones who benefit from this particular problem. See, I love books, all kinds of books. And I get so excited when I get new books for the class library and the kids get excited too. Sometimes I will line the new books up along the chalkrail so the kids can see them. They will ask every day when the books will be added to the library so they can read them. And that my friends is what it is all about!
Having a usable class library is a very important step to ensure reading workshop works in your classroom. For me, the most important thing is keeping it usable for the students. They are the ones who need to access it and find their book choices quickly. If it is too hard for the students to find what they are looking for, or to look when they don't know exactly what they are looking for, they will not check out a book. That is unacceptable to me. As I mentioned in an earlier post, I transitioned to the Reading Workshop Model about 10 years ago. In that time I have watched my class library grow. Having an organization that could grow with my library has been really important. I found Beth Newingham's website and loved how she organized her massive library. I still follow her on Scholastic and am green with envy over her expanding library collection. When I decided that I liked her organziation I immediately ordered the same baskets, downloaded her basket labels and madly spent hours leveling each book, placing a genre label and a label with my name on them. Every year I have teachers who have total library envy! And who can blame them really? If you haven't heard of Beth Newingham, let me introduce you to her. Here is her page where she walks you through her layout. It includes a link for her labels as well as the chart she uses to level her books. She is amazing, so amazing that Scholastic snatched her up and has her share all of her fabulousness on their website! So how exactly do I make my library such a wonderful place for kids to discover their love of books?
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AuthorWelcome to my blog! I'm Susan and I am a wife, mother, runner, teacher, and resource author! I have been teaching for 21 years, and I love finding ways to engage my students in learning! Reading is my passion, and I love helping my students find their passion for reading. Categories
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