Creating a Classroom Library
Today reading 'Creating a Classroom Library' by Mandy Gregory posted at Reading Rockets, here are some notes!
On making it cozy...thinking of ways to make reading spaces more enticing to readers, reflecting on what I've seen in library spaces. To get started the article notes the importance of marking the books. At one point I made an attempt to create a "mobile library" and had book pockets and cards. The recommendation to write instructor's name along the reading pages is more interesting to me.
"Students have to be prepared to make good reading choices and know how to browse..." - Great tip for deciding on a sorting system. While I like the idea of sorting by topic, my preference is leaning towards a genre sorted system. To teach genres.
"I know when I go to the bookstore, the books that catch my eye most often are the ones whose covers are facing out." - YES! This is a great suggestion. Although my personal book collection is focused on binding, in a classroom it would be great to practice a face out approach.
Mandy provides a great suggestion for how she blended genres in book bins and good advice on books that may have been accumulated from a specific author. I like the idea of having a special feature on authors or writers and perhaps having students create fun short biography cards to accompany the books or even bookmarks!
A recommendation from Mandy for letting students help decide the categories in the library. I'm thinking about even providing students with their own specific bin or to come up with a sub genre for each class period or each class period's own reading bucket.
Important to think about how to go beyond identifying where the book is from in so far as writing on the page side, and actually labeling the books per the basket bucket or crate that they're in.
Considering the recommendations from Mandy are focused on younger readers grades, thinking about a space or middle school level, perhaps that incorporates some ideas from how library's set up their adolescent reading spaces.
The author also discusses print labels which I'd like to include inside of the book cover. Thought about the idea of creating ribbons for favorite books like Reader's Choice awards, or books that students ID as their overall favorite. Thought about including a larger graphic novel section. Especially graphic bios.
"Your room should not contain a library within a classroom, but a classroom within a library..." A quote referenced by Mandy in her response to the question "Where will your library be?"
A book recommendation from the author discussing book sorting. Also thinking about labeling issues on the books and devising a method that will allow the book's sticker or label to be removed later. Mandy notes some great advice on teaching children how to treat and handle books. She talks about modeling how to treat a book, "using bookmarks instead of dog earring pages, turning pages carefully so that they don't tear, etc.
A lot of great recommendations to consider and I appreciate the book recommendations. An interesting activity whether this is for the classroom or even something fun for your children or younger siblings to create their own personal library.
