Student Book Boxes

Ahhhh, book boxes.  Such wonder!   Such joy!   Such... a mess?? 😮

If you're anything like me, you have a shelf full of student book boxes. Some are tidy, organized jewels of reading wonder.

And some..... "Wait, why do you have three pennies, a keychain, and a Pokémon card in here?!"

Over the years, I have constantly tweaked how my students utilize their reading book boxes. As with anything, I'm sure I will continue to tweak them, but I wanted to share my current installment.




My second graders keep several items in their book boxes. We use these for independent reading, guided reading, and free time reading.  I use the book boxes from Really Good Stuff. They are about six years old at this point and have held up really well to little readers.

Students are able to check-out new books for their boxes once a week. They are required to have 5 books: two fiction, two nonfiction, and one choice. Out of those, at least two must be in their just right range level. { See how I organize my classroom library here. }

Here's my super amazing, artistic poster to remind them what to check out.  😜  Props to you teachers who are cutesy and artsy. I'm going for..... done.

In addition to these five books from our classroom library, students have their "Just Right Baggie". They decorate the front at the beginning of the year (or, let's be honest, when they replace their ripped one). On the front of the bag, we write their independent reading level and their instructional level (we use Fountas & Pinnell).  It's super easy to add new levels below when they move up levels.  Inside this bag, they are required to have at least 2 books with their independent or instructional level labeled on the book. Since their levels are written on the bag, they know exactly which drawer to choose from. They can also include any guided reading books we are working on.

These have been so helpful in holding them accountable for reading their just right books, and not just flipping through books for the pictures. (Thank you, Star Wars and Pokémon). During independent reading, they must first read their just right books before moving on. It's also a great tool when we have extra helpers or tutors.

"Bobby, grab your just right baggie and go read to the tutor." 

In addition to books, they also have a Reading Folder and Reading Response Journal. The folder holds any handouts, poems, organizers, or Scholastic News we have been reading. The journal is where we respond to reading or do interactive guided reading activities.

Some of them also choose to keep their school library books in there, but only if there is plenty of room. 

This has, by far,  been the most successful organization to date. But I always love finding better ideas. How do you organize your kiddo's books??