The title of this article really caught my eye. As a new teacher, I was very worried about having enough books in my classroom library. I was pleasantly surprised to find that my mom had been hoarding many books for me as a graduation gift. I was again pleasantly surprised when I walked into my room to find that many books had been left in my room from the teachers that had been in it before me. But then I was faced with another task: how to organize it.
My mom (who is great and was a HUGE help getting my room ready) and I spent hours in my room just trying to get my name in all my books and get them on the shelves. This was after my dad and I (as you can tell, my parents were a huge help getting my room ready. They're awesome.) spent hours getting a bookshelf ready. I was trying to figure out how to organize my books, and I ended up not doing a very good job. But after reading this chapter, I realized there are some things that I am doing well and some things I could be doing better.
I realized that my library is a huge part of my room. It is large. And I have a large, carpet, sitting area in front of it. It has a few chairs but it looks inviting. I also got a lot of my books at used book outlets and discount stores. I know they aren't the newest titles, but a lot of the time you can find newer titles at awesome discounts. I am also trying to find popular titles and multiple copies of them.
Some of the ideas I am excited to start are to have more book talks. I realize I am not doing this enough at all. I also want to begin a 'student favorites' where students can share their favorite titles or authors with the class. I also need to try and get some nonfiction magazine subscriptions like Time for Kids, Sports Illustrated for Kids, National Geographic for Kids, and Kids Discover. I think my students would really enjoy these, so I need to work on getting them. I also need to work on changing my displays. I tend to just say "oh, I've got all these books, they can just look through them" but really then they just spend way too much time looking through the books. So I will work on changing my displays. I am excited to try these new ideas and changes to my library so my students will want to be in it more!
You are off to a great start which is the envy of any new teacher! To have a large area filled with books is a good problem to have. But what good are all of those books if they are not jumping off the shelves? Your idea for book talks and favorites is an excellent idea--better yet, teacher's favorites too. Being a reader yourself helps put the right book into the right student's hands. It can lead to great conversations that can go viral in a classroom. Sharing your interests, allowing them to share theirs, all becomes a transformative experience for a classroom where everybody has a voice and an opportunity. How cool is that?
ReplyDeleteWhat a fabulous graduation gift!! You have some fabulous ideas for spicing up that classroom library--good luck! :-)
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