Mrs.Decatur's Little Gators: Classroom Library

Ever since my first year of teaching, I have been collecting, buying, finding, scavenging books for my classroom library. It is mostly picture books and several baskets of chapter books. First graders tend to gravitate towards picture books or easy readers, even if they are capable of reading longer and higher level chapter books. I wanted to discuss how I run my classroom library today and how it has changed over the last four years. Here is a total view of my library!

The first tool I have my students learn to use is clips to mark which basket they will be pulling books from.Before I even teach my firsties to use the five finger rule to choose just right books, I focus on getting my books put back into the correct baskets! It really is the most important tool to keep my library organized and running smoothly, WITHOUT my help!

One of my biweekly classroom jobs is "Librarian", this student checks at the end of the day that all the books are turned correctly, the clips are on the ribbon, labels are still on the baskets securely, and if there are any books in the "book hospital". I wish I knew who had the original book hospital idea, because it really is a lifesaver, to keep students from bothering me during small group time.

The rainbow of book baskets you see are not by accident or just for fun, I use them to color code my book genres. I use the term genre, very loosely in first grade. I aim to expose these first grade students to different genres and the vocabulary that it entails, not have them memorize the proper genres of a public library! I have tried a leveled library in the past, and it just wasn't for me. A regular school or public library does not level the books for you. So instead I organize by 'genre' and teach the students to choose books that are on their instructional level, its a life skill. I'm not going to go down to the library and check out a book on "thermonuclear ..whatever" just because I like the way the cover looks, because I KNOW I CANNOT READ IT. Five finger rule, y'all.

Here is the key the students use to help them remember which color is which genre. Each basket also has individual labels within that genre. The students use their clothes pin to clip onto the label of the basket they are currently reading a book from.

My school does Accelerated Reader, AR, so I simply write with sharpie...gasp...on my books. I put the AR level on the cover and I put the AR quiz number on the inside cover for easy access for the students when they are ready to test. My students learn early on in the school year to memorize their AR range and can quickly use it and the five finger rule to choose books for their personal book basket that are on their level.

I teach two classes of reading with integrated social studies and my team teacher teaches math & science. So two students will share this desk, with one basket each. They will keep their reading notebook and their books in these baskets for easy access. I use three drawer Sterilite containers (one per group) to store Writer's Workshop folders, textbooks, and other materials. I don't use any sort of formal check out/take home procedure for my books. I think I have had maybe five books go missing in four years. I think my students can see how much I LOVE my books and how proud I am of them for taking the same care with them as I would. It really cuts down on theft and loss.

My library is one of my 'must do' literacy stations, each pair of students visits the library once every 11 days. They take 1-2 books from the classroom library each time they visit, returning the other books they had from my library. They also get their AR book and free choice school library book, and their leveled reader each week. So at any given time, each student has six or seven books in their book basket to choose from. This set up is super low key & has worked wonderfully for me! Here are some bonus pictures of my completed and ready to go library for my new firsties!!

My reading tub is always a class favorite! The two kids who are at library station can curl up in there with a good book for independent reading, to read more about where this tub came from click on the picture!

These are my holiday and seasonal baskets.

Fables, folktales, and fairy tales in light blue!

Most of my chapter books are housed on this small added shelf on the side of my library.

I try to make at least one class book per student each year, those go here throughout the year. At the end of the school year, I draw names to see who gets to take which book home. It is always a very exciting time to reflect on all of our learning in first grade! The book that is in the basket is one that I keep, my amazing mentor teacher had my student teaching class write me letters right before I graduated.