December Blog Post: Organize an Outstanding Classroom Library

It sits on an old library cart at the back of my room- my classroom library.  There are a few "exciting" books- but they are terribly outdated and mostly related to late 90's, early 2000's Nickelodeon shows.  Lizzie McGuire has married and divorced. The Wildthornberries are unknown to the kids who walk in my door.  Meanwhile, the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles have gone from the brink of obscurity to a resurgence of popularity amongst elementary school children.  Yes, my library is in desperate need of some updating.  Its saving grace are the few non-fiction books about animals and cars.  The "Low Rider" and "Sharks" books are well-loved and are grabbed up the instant that independent reading time is available.  There is my other problem- when can my kids do any independent reading?  We have precious few minutes to get our mandated programming done as well as handling any minor crises that may arise during our time together.  

The sections "Expand Access for Struggling Readers" [p.65], "Provide Lots of Choices and Books" [p.67] and caught my attention. It makes so much sense that books have to be extremely interesting in order to catch and keep the attention of a student for whom reading is an area of weakness.  The suggestion that soliciting those students' input makes such a positive influence on the amount of time that those same students spend reading inspires me to do the same in my classroom.  Student choice is so often a greatly motivating force.  What is more natural than soliciting input from the same students who will get to enjoy those books knowing that they are the reason these newer literary treasures have replaced Miss McGuire on my cart?