"Teachers who love teaching, teach children to love learning." ~Robert John Meehan

Wednesday, December 14, 2016

My Classroom Library

Oh, my classroom library. It's by far my favorite part of my room. All the books! All the possibilities! All the pillows! It's so nice to have such a comfy, cozy place to spark a love of reading in my students. Here's how I organize it all...






First of all, I have a TON of books. I mean, a couple thousand. And with that many books, it is essential to have it well organized so it is actually useful for my kiddos and their book boxes { read about how I use those here }. Secondly, my classroom does not have built-in shelving so I had to think outside the box when it came to housing my books.

ENTER. STERILITE. DRAWERS.



I house my library in Sterilite Three Drawer organizers.  I actually found mine at Target {my second home} for $9.99 at Back-To-School time.  It was a big investment up front, but they are still in perfect condition and it is literally the only thing about my room I haven't changed in ten years. Really.

They are perfect for so many reasons! They are free-standing, they always look organized, I can put baskets on top, I can easily move drawers around, I can design the space in any shape I'd like, and students can remove the drawers to get a better look.





I organize all of my books in three basic categories: nonfiction, author, and levels. My nonfiction books are sorted by topic, like math, language arts, biographies, etc. This is helpful because I require my students to have at least two nonfiction books, so they can easily find the nonfiction drawers to choose from.




Then, I have some of my fiction books sorted by author. I love collecting books from authors, especially my favorite author, Robert Munsch, and second favorite author, Mo Willems. It's great to have lots of books easily accessible. Recently, we used Kevin Henkes books for character traits and it was so simple to just pull out our Kevin Henkes drawer.






 Finally, any book I have that doesn't fall into one of those categories gets sorted by reading level {we use Fountas & Pinnell}. This is perfect for when my kiddos choose their just right level books for their book box baggie. It makes it so easy for kiddos to find a book they will be successful with. I use the Scholastic Book Wizard app to find levels. I found parents were more than happy to help find levels and label books for me. I just send home about ten books with directions  (grab the directions here). I write the book level on the cover with a marker so it's easily seen.



I know what you're thinking.... "How do they know where to put the books back?"  So.... when I first started teaching, I labeled my books with stickers like Mo Willems, math, animals. Major. Fail.  It was too hard for them to read and match the labels. Then, I had a realization that I needed to simplify { a "simplifization"?}  Now, each drawer and basket has a number, 1-63. Each book has a round sticker on the top corner with the matching drawer number. All they have to do is match the book number to the drawer number. Easy peasy. I went from having to clean out drawers weekly to, well, never. They can all put books away.

The labels I use are super simple as well. {Are you starting to learn something about me?}  During Back-To-School time, I found some great 3in x 3in clear pocket pouches in the Target Dollar Spot {anyone remember when it was actually $1 items?????}. They stick easily on the front of the drawer. Then I just made some labels in Powerpoint. I made them black with white letters because I love the way they look and I didn't have to use my color ink. Grab my labels for free here! {You may have to change the font if you don't have the one I used.}


Across the top, I have small baskets from Dollar Tree. These are pretty much all of my chapter books. I just recently moved a couple of series to a pull out drawer, but mostly, all my chapter books are on top. They fit nicely in the baskets and are at the perfect little-person height.





I really love this space and it is so functional. My kiddos LOVE to read and I am so glad I can give them organized access to surround themselves with books!  How do you organize your library? Leave a comment below!

**8.14.17 Update: Now that you know how it all started, check out how I changed it the next year here!

Happy reading!



30 comments:

  1. This is fantastic! I'm inspired.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Love this idea. The books in my library are organized in a similar way. I do coding on them as well, but never thought of numbering baskets and books. I've done "blue sticker with star", "yellow sticker with smile face" etc, but the kids still struggle to get into the correct bucket. I love love love the idea of just numbering The container 1-whatever and label the book the same. Thank you for sharing. I see my future summer projectšŸ˜‰

    ReplyDelete
  3. Question: Do you include books you use for teaching in these bins too? Or do you have a separate organizing system for those?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Yes, I do keep those books in the library unless I specifically don't want them to see or read it before a lesson. Then afterwards, I will put it in the library. Thanks!

      Delete
  4. I LOVE your classroom library! This is a genius idea! I am going to implement this next year in my library when I switch grades, as my current kindergarten class is throwing my books in different spots and they are getting bent!

    How well do the drawers hold up when they are very full? Does it become tricky to pull open the drawer as it gets heavier? Have you seen any damage on your Sterilite drawers as you pack them full of books? Are students able to quickly and easily find pictures books in the drawers without taking out every book?

    Thank you for your help! I want to make the leap but I want to be sure it's practical and efficient for all of my students (and my books!).

    :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi Ms. Preston,
      I'm so glad you are going to make the switch! It is the best.

      The drawers hold up perfectly! I've had the same ones for ten years now and they are still like new! If the drawers get heavy, they could be hard to remove. I would just suggest limiting how many books are in each drawer based on your kiddos. I have several topics that are divided between two drawers. Kiddos can easily flip through the books without removing any. I have found the cheapest prices are about $9.99 each either on Walmart.com or at Target during Back to School. You can always start small and add more as time goes on.

      Happy booking!

      Delete
  5. Do the kids have an easy enough time browsing to see what books they want to read, even though they are laying flat?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi Kalli,

      Yes, they can easily browse through them. Since the drawers are not completely filled there's lots of room to move them around. It's also helpful that they can remove the drawer completely to help see more. Thanks for reading!

      Delete
  6. WOW!!! Unbelievable! If you live near Chapel Hill NC would you be my book friend and help me do this!

    ReplyDelete
  7. I honestly wish I didn't have shelving so I could use this idea! It looks so great! I hate my baskets the way they are organized on my shelves!! ��

    ReplyDelete
  8. I just moved into a new classroom where the teacher has book boxes on the shelves and there is no visibility or way to know what books are in there. I teach 1st grade so I'm really hoping this is successful for my students!!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I used it with first graders, and it worked so well! Good luck!

      Delete
  9. Did you do this gradually? Or all at once. I have several hundred books and would like a beautiful system like this. I think it makes your room look very organized. Thanks for sharing.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi Jennifer,

      Well, both! I did it all at once when I first started, but I am constantly updating or rearranging when I find ways that I like better. I am super lucky that my mom loves to help me with this! I always go in before school and spend a few hours on it. I would say, start small and do what you can. Good luck!

      Delete
  10. Thanks for sharing your labels and parent homework sheet for leveling-that is a fabulous idea!

    ReplyDelete
  11. I love the look of that corner! I would love to copy this but don't think it's feasible for me at this time. I have flexible seating options included in my reading corner, such as bean bag chairs. I see your pillows in the far corner. Do you have any other seating options in your room? If so, where do you keep them?

    ReplyDelete
  12. How do you handle larger, over sized books that don't fit in the drawers or baskets?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi Cathy,
      I really have only come across a handful of books that don't fit in the drawer. In those cases, I either put them on a display or gotten rid of the book. Thanks!

      Delete
  13. As a reading specialist I applaud you for making the books you use in whole group available to your students. I'm sure they can't wait to gobble up those books once they are teacher approved. I also make sure that I use text found in their school library to so that I clean encourage them to check the book during library time. Love your system of giving each bin a number. I wish I had done this when I had my own classroom.

    ReplyDelete
  14. Wow! This looks amazing! I too am a collector of books, much like you I want ALL the books from my favorite authors. Thank you for sharing.

    ReplyDelete
  15. Loved this so much, I incorporated it into my classroom this year. It takes a lot of work in the beginning - getting things set up and organized. Is it worth it? I think so! Of course, school starts in a week, so after going over the set up and how to's with the kiddos, we'll see! I did mine a little differently, as I placed the chapter books in the drawer with the regular books and placed the favorite authors in baskets on top. I am so thrilled with how it looks and I am really looking forward to showing it to the kids and getting them to dive in to reading. Next stop: Imagination Station!

    ReplyDelete
  16. I love this idea and how simple it is. Why couldn't I have thought of that years ago!!

    ReplyDelete
  17. Kristen, are your book labels editable? It doesn't seem so (but it might just be good ol' user error!) Thanks!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi Suzanne,
      Yes they are! The link takes you do Google Drive. Just download the file, it's a Powerpoint file. You may need to select a new font if you don't have the one I used, but you will be able to edit. Thanks!

      Delete
  18. Hi! I love this idea and am wondering about the sterlite bins you got. Everywhere I am looking only had the 3 stack bins with wheels. Did you remove yours or find some without?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi Ms. Forst!

      Yes, the bins came with wheels and I just didn't put them on. I found they moved around way too much! Good luck :)

      Delete
  19. Hey Kristin! Thanks for sharing this- I’ve been looking for a way to reorganize my classsroom library since my district dropped AR, and this is perfect. I do have a couple of questions. Where do you put sets of books used for guided reading or literature circles? Do you put them in the library for students access throughout the year, or do you set those aside somewhere else to keep them better intact?

    ReplyDelete
  20. Positive site, where did u come up with the information on this posting?I have read a few of the articles on your website now, and I really like your style. Thanks a million and please keep up the effective work. Medium roast coffee

    ReplyDelete