Angie Smith Blog Post #3 – Routman Ch 5: Organize and Outstanding Classroom Library

I chose to read Routman’s Chapter 5 because I am not to a point where I am truly satisfied with my classroom library.  Over the years I have taught students from kindergarten to fifth grade.  My first thirteen years of teaching were spent as a resource teacher, and I focused my attention on purchasing books for my students who were reading independently.  These books worked well in my 3^rd-5^th grade classroom for students with intellectual disabilities and in my classroom for students with autism. I have a large variety of books on many topics and on varied reading levels; however, these books are not a great fit for my kindergarten-2^nd grade students with intellectual disabilities.  I need books that are more appealing to preschoolers and younger readers, and I just do not have many.  I need books that are easier for them to manipulate due to their decreased fine motor abilities.  I need books with few words and that have bright, engaging pictures – both illustrated and photos. 

After reading this chapter, I want to involve my students in the selection process for growing our classroom library.  I want them to have an opportunity to share about topics that interest them. I want them to browse book orders and catalogs so that they can select books that they would like to see in our library.  Most of my students are in my classroom for three years and they need a library that will meet their needs and interests as they grow. 

Routman challenged me to think about how I display my books.  Due to space constraints, I placed my books in labeled bins organized by topic, subject, genre, and reading level.  However, my students struggle to manipulate the bins due to their motor weaknesses.  I believe displaying more books facing outward in shelves made from gutters, pallets, etc, would be more effective for my students.  Now it's time to get creative with my space! I am excited.