This chapter was a
great resource as I am currently attempting to re-organize my classroom
library. It is a tedious process but my students are delighted that they have
new books to choose from in easy to access tubs. I was able to bring in my own
books at the beginning of school, but with access to books through Scholastic,
I was able to order based on my students’ interests and our updated curriculum.
Even with the new books, I’m not sure that our class library would reach
Routman’s qualifications for “excellent” status – yet.
But how should books
be organized? Genre? Series? Topic? Author? Level? The concern with labeling by
level is that we don’t want students to be identified by their level. Though
this may be motivation for some students, others will find it to be a deterrent.
Prior to reading this,
Mrs. Culbreth suggested I not put all the books out at once, in order to keep
students checking and interested in our library. They never know what they will
find and it will be a pleasant surprise as they browse. Routman is in
agreement. There are 4 bins available at any given time and books are
added/removed monthly. In addition, we have a “Blessed Books” section. I give
students a brief synopsis of these books to pique their interest.
Students may sit
anywhere in the classroom during independent reading. There are pillows, rugs,
and a comfy chair. Some students choose to sit in rolling chairs while others
find a quiet spot near the window or under a desk. Allowing students freedom to
become comfortable while reading foster a stronger sense of ownership and
responsibility. They are invested in our independent reading time, our books,
and in becoming stronger readers.
I too talked to Mrs. Culbreth about the number of book baskets to make available to students. I have 8 book baskets in my reading center currently. The books are labeled to help students identify where to put them when they are finished. This is a process that we are working to learn as a class. Setting up a classroom library is such a tedious task and one that I'm not sure I will ever be perfectly happy with. It seems as though every year I work on improving my classroom library. I think as long as I purchase books for my library, I will struggle with the organization because every time I place a new book I go through a series of questions to determine which basket the book should go in. I even change books and move them to different baskets as I learn and grow.
ReplyDeleteMy classroom library also needs revitalizing. I recently sorted and relabeled my book bins in order to organize my library. Now my plan includes creating a rotation strategy for how I will rotate books and when.
ReplyDeleteHi September,
ReplyDeleteI loved reading your reflections on Routman's suggestions for improving our classroom libraries. Please know that I don't think we can ever have "enough" books. 15 years in and I am still adding more every year based on student and teacher interests, new topics of study, and authors and series that I fall in love with or students do and I am compelled to check them out and add them in.
You asked about how to organize your library. Routman, Miller, Harvey, and many other reading practicioners and researchers suggest organizing books based on topics of interests and inquiry, genre studies, and author studies so that students can find and access the books quickly and easily. I think about how our public library is organized and how the fiction books are organized by author and genre and how the nonfiction books are organized by topic and genre. I am excited about how you are growing and organizing your library. I am glad that the suggestions in this text are helpful to you! Sincerely, Dawn
September, I am so glad that you were able to use the information in this chapter. I know your students are glad as well and will enjoy the new additions to your library. I wonder how you are enjoying time to conference with students while they are finding those cozy places to read around the room. Congratulations on winning the classroom library extreme makeover, and thanks to our media specialist for adding a few books to the win!
ReplyDelete