Setting Up an Organized and Inviting Classroom Library

 Hi, friends!  I'm sure many of you are in full back to school mode, and probably working in your classrooms.  I wanted to get right to it today with sharing tips about my favorite area of the classroom: the library.  There's been much debate over the years about how to set up the library, and at the end of the day, you have to do what works best for you and your students.  In addition, your curriculum department may mandate you set up your library a specific way.  However, even if that's the case, you can still create an organized and inviting space for your students.  Below are my top tips.

1.  Build your classroom library by purchasing books at thrift stores, garage sales, and using Scholastic Books points.  

2.  Sort your books into categories based on easy-to-navigate topics.

3.  Label bins with clear and easy-to-read labels (be sure a picture is included for the younger grades!).

4.  Label each book (I know, I know, but you will be so happy you did once they are labeled!) with a sticker on the inside cover (or outside cover if it doesn't bother you!) that matches the bin label.

5.  Make your library an inviting area...add a lamp, some book character stuffed animals, etc...*Notice my animals are not out...this is a photo from last year.  

6.  Establish a book checkout system with your students and introduce it within the first month of the school year.

I'll link my best-selling library labels below.  Just click the cover photo to be taken to my TpT shop.  There are two sizes of bin labels to choose from included, as well as TONS of themes!  I love the crispness of them.  They are visually appealing and easy for kids to see.  Happy organizing!

xo

Megan 

WhisperPhone

If you've followed me for any length of time, you know that my kids' "Silent Reading" time is sacred!  I have been teaching for 16 years and for all 16 years, I have allotted 30 minutes of silent reading aka read to self aka volume of reading (so many different buzz words for this) time.  This is an uninterrupted time where students read for pure enjoyment.  They select 6 books from the classroom library each Friday.  They keep them in their desks in a gallon Ziploc bag.  I do not level my library.  My library is sorted by theme, to help the kids look for books that interest them. 

During silent reading time, the expectation for the voice level is a "0 inch" or "3 inch (whisper)."  The kids are to be reading, looking at pictures, etc...and not talking to one another unless it's a whisper about the books they are reading.  They do a fantastic job of staying quiet during this time, and they look forward to this part of our day.  Rarely do I ever cut silent reading time, because of the value I see in it. 

I am collaborating with WhisperPhone for today's post.  If you aren't familiar, WhisperPhone is an acoustic feedback tool that creates a direct and clear auditory channel between a child's voice and ear.  It was designed to be used during reading, language, and role-playing activities.  It can be used independently, in small groups, or in partnerships.  Kids read into the phone and listen to themselves.  These are great for students struggling with phonemic awareness; the phones allow them to hear the sounds they are making.  It in turn helps with decoding and thus, helps build fluency. 

Recently, I received a class set of WhisperPhone devices.  I went with the "Element" model.  It doesn't require batteries and is dishwasher safe (praise!).  I love WhisperPhone because it encourages students to read quietly or whisper into it, which keeps the room quiet while I am meeting with my small groups.

I distributed the WhisperPhone devices to my students on Friday during silent reading time and they were THRILLED!  They had a blast reading into them and couldn't believe how well they could hear themselves read!  When I rang the clean-up bell, they begged for more time to read!  I am allowing my kids to keep their phones in their desks (WhisperPhone has zippered pouches--swoon!! that you can purchase to store the phones in if you choose) for the remainder of the year.  I know that these tools will be a treasured part of silent reading routine from here on out. 

I hope you'll take a moment to check out WhisperPhone!  There are several variations of the phone available, including the Element.  The Solo looks like a great hands-free tool and the Duet would be awesome during partner reading time!

Note: Some of the colors shown of the WhisperPhone Element that you see pictured are samples and not available for purchase. 

Happy Reading!
xo
Mrs. Wheeler

The Classroom Library

As I've said before, the classroom library is the focal point of my classroom.  It's my pride and joy.   The library is where the magic happens in first grade; it's where I give my first graders the gift of loving to read!  Today's post is all about how I manage the library.  It's in the form of a Q and A to help you understand my system.

Where did you get all those books?
Over the past 12 years, I've spent my own, hard-earned money buying ALL the books and containers for it.  MOST of the books were purchased from Scholastic Books or Half-Price Books.  I teach in a low-income school district and most months no one orders from the book orders I send home.  What I DO use Scholastic Books for is to order for myself!  I buy books, earn bonus points on my own order, and use said points to buy MORE books!  Kind of like double-dipping!

How do you organize your library?
My library is set up by theme...there are books about all sorts of things: ocean books, space books, favorite author books, non-fiction books, biographies, etc...I feel very strongly about not leveling my library.  I would never want to discourage a child from reading a book that's "not on their level." Kids learn to read by being exposed to ALL sorts of books {and a solid phonemic awareness!}.  Just because a child can't "read the words" of a book, he/she can absolutely "read the pictures!"  My library is organized using my "Basic Library Labels" set {I have other color options here, too!}. Each bin has a clear, easy-to-read laminated label on the outside.  Inside the bins are corresponding books with matching sticker labels inside the front cover.  This makes keeping the library organized so simple!

How many bins do you use in your library?
My library is pretty substantial {and it actually used to be even bigger!}.  I'll show you the before and after photos below.  This year, I wanted to scale it down a bit, so I removed all of my holiday books from the actual library and put them in a separate place.  As a holiday/event approaches, I will put out a special browsing box for those.  This has freed up a lot of room in my library.

OLD LIBRARY

NEW LIBRARY

Do you have your kids get books right when school starts?
I don't open my library the first few weeks of school.  Instead, I get a collection of back-to-school books, color, and number word books from the public library.  I put some in bins {enough for each table} and the kids quiet read from those.  I like to build anticipation with the classroom library!

Before I formally "open" the library, I explain how the books are organized.  I also make an anchor chart with my students about caring for the library.  This is an ESSENTIAL component!  Making the chart together gives the kids ownership in the library.  It makes them want to take pride in it and put the books where they belong.

After we've created the chart, I introduce a portion of the library; not the whole thing!  I tell the kids they have to show me that they can be responsible with the books before they are allowed to choose from all bins.  This helps ease us into it.  *There is a great Brain Pop Jr. video clip on choosing books that I also like to show before our first official "book shopping" day.

What system do you use for selecting books?
Everyone has their own Gallon Ziploc bag with their name on the front.  Each Friday, the kids go "book shopping."  They get to select 5 books to place in their bags.  The 5 they choose are the books they will read all week.  They are not allowed to exchange their books until Friday.  They are not allowed to trade books with friends, but they can let someone read a book for a day if they choose to.

When do your kids read the books?
My kids read their books during one of my Guided Reading groups.  I don't typically start GR until early October, so in August-September, I have a special block set up for reading time.  We start at 5 minutes and build our reading stamina until we get up to 25-30 minutes.

Hope this helps you get started!!!

xo
Megan

Classroom Library

Over the last few years, I've developed a system that works beautifully for keeping our classroom library organized and I am excited to share it with you today!

It's so important to create a warm and inviting classroom library for children, especially in the primary grades. The more contact children have with books, the better readers they will become.  As a first grade teacher, I promote better reading performance by reading to my students several times throughout the day as well as having a large classroom library for my students to browse.  Every day, I allot 30 minutes of un-interrupted quiet reading time for my students.  During this time, students are allowed to read books that they chose themselves from our classroom library.  They keep their books in gallon size ziplock bags.  I believe there is a lot of value in having students select their own books, as it serves as great motivation for learning to read. Think about it this way--would you rather read a book that someone tells you to read or would you rather read a book that you chose on your own?  Being in a book club, I can totally relate to this!

Each Friday, my students go "book shopping."  I call one table group at a time and students take the books they've been reading throughout the week over to the library.  They look inside the covers of their books for the label that will show them where they originally found the books.  They can quickly find the buckets with the matching pictures and place their books back in the proper place.  Once their books are put away, students can select new books for their bags.  We spend a lot of time at the beginning of each year with procedures and rules for our library.  Because of this, the students really take accountability for keeping the library in order.  

Below are some pictures of my classroom library.  I've been collecting books for many, many years {even before I was teaching!}.  Having a wide variety of books at various levels is important for developing readers.  I keep all of my books out all year because I have the space to do so, but you could easily revolve your collection based on upcoming holidays or units you are studying.

As mentioned above, I keep my library very organized with picture sticker labels and matching bucket labels. I use the Red, Orange, Yellow, Green, and Blue set in my classroom, but I have a Black and White set as well as a Turquoise, Red, Orange, and Lime set.  You can take a look at the sets by clicking the links. The end of the year/summer is a perfect time to re-organize your library!

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xo
Megan 

Classroom Library Organization

I have been organizing my library by theme for the past 5 years.  It is my personal belief that to get children excited about reading, they must have a choice in what they are reading.  I have lived through the era of having strictly a leveled library in my classroom.  I did that for several years.  When students were limited to only books on "their level," they quickly lost interest.  It was also very difficult for me to have a wide variety of books on each level.  Having a visually appealing library with lots of selection is very important to me in my first grade classroom.  Below, you will see some photos of my library.  My students have constant access to it.  My bins shown on the top shelf were purchased at Really Good Stuff.  They have been holding up excellently!  My lager bins were found at Dollar Tree.  They have been holding up ok...a few have cracked when they got over-loaded.  I use traditional colors in my classroom and my teaching partner uses my black and white set in her classroom!  Click the product pictures to view my library labels.  I have three color choices for you to choose from!

The first set is black and white polka dot.  The next set is very colorful (red, orange, yellow, green, blue).  The last set is clean and simple with plain black borders. 

xo
Megan