How I Organize My Classroom Library

Long time, no blog! I've been (kind of) active over on the old 'Gram (my preteen kids give me the hardest time when I abbreviate words like that, which is why I try to do it as much as possible), but I haven't given much attention to the blog. I thought I'd drop by to talk about how I like to organize classroom libraries.

Obviously, now that I am a literacy coach, I don't get to set up my own classroom library anymore. But, as a coach, I've had the opportunity to help several teachers organize and maintain their classroom libraries. It typically takes a day or so to get everything sorted, labeled, and stored, but once it's finished, students are able to search for and borrow books that are of interest to them. And really, isn't that the whole goal?

Disclaimer: There are tons of different ways to organize your classroom library. There's no wrong or right way. It's really up the individual teacher. Some teachers arrange theirs by Accelerated Reading reading level, some by Fountas and Pinnell reading level, and others by genre or theme.

I am, however, a huge believer in allowing students to choose books that are of interest to them. According to Mindi Wench, when we allow students to select their own books:

1. They will take risks.
2. They will read more.
3. They become better writers.
4. They enjoy reading.
5. They become empowered.

For the reasons listed above, I have always organized my classroom library by theme/series/popular authors.

Step 1:

The first thing I do when I organize a classroom library is to take alllllll of the teacher's books out of whatever storage they are currently in. Yes, this gives me hives. There are books absolutely everywhere, spread out all over the floor. Slowly but surely, I start putting them into piles by theme. This can be a little tricky, obviously, because some books can fit into several piles. I just try to make an executive decision and put the books where I think that they best belong. 

Step 2:

Once I have all of the books sorted and organized by theme, I make a (really hasty and usually sloppy) list of all of the different categories that the books are divided into. Then, I use this list to create typed dividers and labels for my library.

Step 3:

I really keep it simple when it comes to dividers, labels, and storage bins for classroom library books.

Dividers: I create dividers with laminated Astrobrights card stock, and I use my trusty paper cutter to cut them into thirds.

Labels: I use Avery 8167 labels to label all the books. I just put the label in the top left corner of each book.

Baskets: I am admittedly really cheap when it comes to purchasing baskets for my own classroom library. Usually, I bought the $1.00 white Sterilite dishpans from Walmart. Several teachers I worked with this year, however, bought colored baskets from Dollar Tree. Use whatever works best for you and your budget.

Step 4:

Now comes the fun part: putting all of the labels books into the baskets. I put the divider first, followed by the books that fit in that section.

Step 5:

The last thing that I do is create shelf markers for the students to use to select books from the classroom library. Again, I use laminated Astrobrights card stock, labeled with the students' names or numbers. 

This picture is from my own classroom library. The dividers were lime green, and the shelf markers were bright yellow.

Click on the picture below to download the dividers that I use (it is PowerPoint, so it is fully editable).

I just use the Tools > Labels feature in Microsoft Word to create book labels. As I mentioned above, I like to use Avery 8167 labels.

That's it! Hope this helps as you get ready to organize your own classroom library for the 2019-2020 school year!

Wild Ride!

If you have been following me on Instagram these past few months, you already know that I have been on one wild ride lately! I thought I'd hop on the old blog and fill you in on what has been going on!

In early June, I learned that I had been granted a voluntary transfer to a different school in my district. While I was sad to be leaving the school family that I had been a part of for eight years, I was thrilled to be reunited with one of the best (and most down-to-earth) administrators that I've ever worked with. Plus, I was looking forward to teaching second grade for the first time in my teaching career! So, I packed up all of the STUFF that I had accumulated in my eight years and stored it in the corner of my old classroom.

You don't realize how much you have bought/inherited until you see it all in one huge pile.

I was in no rush to move it to my new school, you see, because right before the school year ended, eight brand spankin' new literacy coaching positions were posted: one early childhood, three elementary, three secondary, and one digital. At first, I had no intention of applying; after all, I was all set to move to a new school and a new grade. But after some gentle prodding from friends and my supportive husband, I decided to throw my hat into the ring, and I applied for the digital and the early childhood positions. I was beyond thrilled (and surprised!) when I was offered one of the three elementary coach positions. 

My husband, however, probably wasn't quite so thrilled when I asked him to help me move all of my teaching STUFF into our attic.

Sixteen years of classroom teaching in one very cramped attic.

Since I had no way of knowing what my new position would entail and couldn't really prepare, I spent the remainder of the summer, soaking up the sun, warmth, and time with my kiddos. While the classroom teacher in me desperately wanted to get ready for the upcoming school year during the summer months, it just wasn't possible. Ultimately, it was an enormous blessing because I could focus on being present for my own little ones.

The school year started with a lot of professional development.  Not only did the new team of coaches come together for training, but I also helped to provide technology PD for all of the new teachers in our county. Needless to say, August was a busy month!

First, a little bit about my new role. I serve two campuses in our county, and they are located about 14 miles away from one another. So, there is a little bit of travel required, which I happen to love! I spend the time that I'm in my car, traveling between the two schools, listening to Cult of Pedagogy's amazing podcasts, as well as Kayse's.  Nothing like managing to sneak in some PD while I'm on the road!  I work strictly with teachers, not with students, which is another big change for me. While I've provided professional development to teachers in the past, I've never worked only with adults. Turns out, I really enjoy working with teachers, particularly those teachers who are innovative, creative, and eager to learn and to try new things.  For the first time in my career, I have time during my work day to do professional reading and research. What an amazing thing!! I have already learned so much in my new role, and it's so exciting to share what I've learned with the teachers in my two schools. I was excited to learn that I would be "housed" at one of the schools in our county that had been recently renovated (it's a beautiful building...bright, airy, and inviting) and that I would be reunited with a friend with whom I had worked at my previous school. My husband and I made the decision to transfer our children to my new "home" school, and they are thriving.  Speaking of my "home" school, I am really lucky to have my very own office there. I mean, I even have cabinets, a big desk, two bulletin boards, a dry erase board, and a sink! As soon as I was able to get into my office, I got right to work, making it feel like "me." Besides the bulletin boards you see below, I tried to make my office feel even more like home by adding a long table, the Ikea stools that had been in my classroom, and a small coffee/snack area.

This color scheme should look familiar. You can take the teacher out of the classroom, but you can't take the classroom (decor) out of the teacher!

I created the bulletin board above behind my desk for teachers to see when they enter my office. It's easy to forget why we do what we do every day sometimes; I wanted to create a visual reminder. 

I created this one because I wanted to an interactive way to show my teachers that they are already incorporating tons of Universal Design for Learning strategies into their teaching every day. So, I created this UDL Bingo board (with tons of inspiration from my fellow coaches).

Stay tuned for a look into my day as an instructional coach! New blog post is already in the works!