Bookshelf
Research shows that a good classroom library and easy access to the school library are essential to your reading instruction. "I would recommend at least 500
different books in every classroom with those split about evenly between narratives and informational books and about equally between books that are on or near
grade-level difficulty and books that are below grade level" (Allington, 2001, p. 55).
Build your classroom library:
- Work with your school librarian
- Institute a school book room
- Add series books to your classroom collection (Allington, 2001)
Display your books to make them visible and accessible:
- Face-out displays — don't only show the spines!
(Check out Jim Trelease for rain-gutter book displays) - Use book bins, baskets, crates, a red wagon...
- Label shelves or bins: "spooky books," "biographies," "Mr. Putter," etc.
- Better yet, let your students organize your books so they will have greater commitment to and knowledge of the books (Routman, 2002).
- Put anything you've done as a read out-loud on a special shelf or bin so kids can easily go back to those.
For more practical tips on classroom and school libraries, see Allington, 2001;
Krashen, 1993 and
Routman, 2002.
