Having a great classroom library is so important for so many different reasons, for me though, it has been one of the things I have struggled to create. One reason I have difficulty with this is because it is so expensive to build a good library. Our budgets just aren't allowing us to have a good collection of books. Even though I buy a lot of books myself, my own budget doesn't allow me to buy the amount of books I want. There are so many other things that I have to provide for my kids that the budget gets stretched thin fairly quickly. I also struggle with knowing what books to buy for my students. I really liked the idea of having the students give ideas about books they like and want to have in the classroom. The problem that I run into is that most of my students do not have a lot of experience with books. They most likely have very few books at home if at all and the majority have never been to a library. They depend on me and other teachers to help guide them to books they like. Those books tend to be the books that I like or that I read in the class, since that is the extent of their experiences with books. Because of this, I have a hard time deciding which books would be good for them and what topics they may like, since every class is different.
I do think that my classroom library has grown a good bit since I started teaching. I have also put a lot more effort into creating an area that my students want to sit in and read. I try to make it as comfortable as I can and it seems to be a favorite place to go. I would like for my books to be organized better. Right now they are organized based on their topics, since we use units in kindergarten, this makes it easier for me to pull. I share my mentor texts with the students. This year we incorporated more lessons that focused on taking care of books. This has helped to make sure the books we have stay in pretty good condition. Replacing books is also another cost that add up fairly quickly. I would like to see my books organized in a way that makes my students enjoy picking out books to read. It makes a lot of sense to consider how book stores promote books and use that in the class to help students to choose books.
I would live to have lots more books in my classroom. Since so many of our students have never read a book or even owned one, I think it is extremely important that we be a place that can do that for them and be able to provide them with lots of choice. We want them to want to enjoy books and reading and having books available is one way to ensure that happens.
Our classroom libraries are indeed an important investment--not only financially, but also academically. (I still owe you a classroom library makeover!) Teaching students how to care for books is an important first step that makes a big difference. You mention that your students might not have had many experiences with books before they get to you. I wonder what other literacy experiences they have had? Can we structure the choice of some new books by voting, or going through a Scholastic catalog?
ReplyDeleteHi Jennifer,
ReplyDeleteIt was clear from reading your post that you want your classroom library to be a place where your students want to go to choose books to read and that you want your library to be organized in a way that is based on student interests and topics of study so that both you and your students can easily access books you want to read. I am excited about your classroom library makeover and the opportunities you have to grow together as readers and writers. Thank you! Dawn Mitchell