There are few things I love better than books and organization! This chapter emphasizes the importance of a well-organized, well-stocked classroom library. It is only logical that we ensure that our young readers have books and materials to read at school and that we figure out ways to make sure they have reading material at home too. This chapter is full of easy, low-cost ways to provide these materials for our students.
I liked the reasoning behind providing "series books" for our students: "having strong background knowledge and familiarity with a particular series also makes it easier to predict and figure out new words successfully.
I also liked the section on book talks and "making books hot" in the classroom. The "Try It Apply It" section is full of good ideas for creating interest in books.
Finally, I have re-organized my own classroom library with student assistance. They were very good at deciding the categories they wanted to use and are beginning to return books to the proper categories. It's interesting to listen to their conversations when a book can go into a couple of different categories. I will continue to work on ways to improve our classroom library and the children's use of it.
I'm with you! I love books . . . and I love to organize (probably anything). I love that you allow your students to help you organize your books. That gives them ownership and the truth is, your students probably are more careful about where they put books back BECAUSE they share ownership. Great idea!
ReplyDeleteI also liked the part about Series books. Students generally LIKE to read series books because they already know the characters, etc., but it is true that by knowing the characters already, their thinking is freed up to focus on other things. Another good word! Thanks for sharing!