I LOVE classroom organization! :)
I am forever searching the Internet to see what other organizational gems I can glean from other teachers. Today I came across something AMAZING! They are called Tidy Tubs!
Basically, whenever you have students doing a project where they are cutting any kind of paper (like for Interactive Notebooks, projects with magazines, etc), you give each group a tub of some sort that will be used for them to place their scraps in as they are cutting. This way, they keep their work area from getting cluttered and they are not going back and forth from the two trash cans in your room the entire time.
This is GENIUS! I've always struggled with how to keep from going insane with the mess during these projects, but now I feel like I have a real solution! :)
Check out the original post on Tidy Tubs HERE from Rowdy in Room 300. I teach older students and will still use the idea with them, but I probably won't make the baskets as cutesy :) HERE is another great example of the Tidy Tubs from another teacher over at What the Teacher Wants. (ps- her classroom photos are awesome!)
Hope this helps you-all as much as it did me!
Have a great day,
Ashley :)
Showing posts with label Classroom Set-Up. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Classroom Set-Up. Show all posts
Saturday, August 9, 2014
Tuesday, April 15, 2014
How I Stay Organized- A Peek at My Organizational Binders
I love to be organized!! I think that without organization,
there’s no way I’d be able to teach.
Some people keep everything on their computers- and while I
do keep all of my files on my computer- I also like to have a hard copy of
things as well- I think this stems from my deep mistrust of computers. I always think back to Skynet and the
Terminator movies ;)
But in all seriousness, I do love to keep a hard copy- this
way I don’t have to be logged in to my computer to access all of my data. And until our school systems and teachers are
all doing everything online, there will be hard copies of things you will have
to keep track of.
I do love to create my own binder covers and make them fun-
I’m going to have to look at them daily for the next 9 months, so I need them
to make me happy! I created several
binder covers (and the matching spine labels- you can’t have a cover without a
matching spine label!) that have helped me IMMENSELY throughout the last few
years, and now I want to share with you how I organize my teaching life.
Binder #1- The
Teacher Organization Binder
I could not live my day-to-day life without this
binder. I literally use it every
day! The sections in this binder are:
To Do Lists- A
page for my sticky-notes of my to-dos
Info Lists- Class
Lists, Photo Release Lists, Approved Parent Volunteer Lists, etc.
Calendar- A copy
of the school calendar- where I write all important dates and meetings down.
Year Long Plans-
A copy of our district’s year long plans, broken down by quarter.
Common Core Checklist-
A list of all of the year’s Common Core objectives.
IEP Info- A quick
reference list of my IEP student’s modifications and needs.
Lesson Plans- A
copy of each week’s lesson plans. (I have these templates in my TPT store!)
Meeting Notes- A
place to put any notes from school or parent meeting notes- I always know where
my notes are- it has come in handy more than a few times!
PLT Meeting Notes-
A place to keep notes and records of PLT meetings.
Student Info- I
keep a list of my student’s parent contact info here and any allergy info as
well.
Lent & Borrowed
Items List- A place to keep track of who you’ve lent things to- and who you
borrowed stuff from… trust me, you’ll forget if you don’t write it down!
Binder #2- The
Gradebook
Now I know many of you, like myself have an online gradebook
that you use for all of your grading during the quarter. However, as wonderful as online gradebooks
are, there is always the risk that the data you inputted may not be there
later.
Each quarter, I print my final gradebook so that I have a
printed record of each student’s grades throughout the quarter, and this also
makes it so much easier when speaking with a parent in a conference to be able
to show them their child’s grades in print.
I also keep track of homework and morning work in a separate
section of my gradebook.
Binder #3- Parent
Contact Log
This binder is essential.
I have a page for each student in this binder (pictured above) with their name at the
top. Any time I have to contact their
parent (with the exception of email), I make a quick note of the date and time
I spoke with them or sent them a letter or a discipline referral. I also write down if they’ve contacted me
with a note or a phone call, and will insert the note in the binder behind that
child’s paper.
This helps out so much if you need to go back and check your
records if a parent has a concern. I do
not keep track of emails sent and received from parents, because I send and
receive about 20-30 parent emails each day.
And I save every email I send and receive so that I have a record of
those. There is no need to write these
down, in my opinion.
Binder #4- Reading
I am mainly a reading teacher, so I like to keep good
records on my students. Here are the
tabs in my Reading Binder:
Assessment Info-
Benchmark testing data (ie: mClass scores, DRA scores, etc)
Reading Levels- A
list of the reading levels of the students in my classroom.
Meeting and
Conference Planning- a monthly calendar where I write which students I will
be meeting with on what days.
Conference Ideas-
Ideas for individual meetings with students and what they need to work on.
Book Clubs- a
place to keep the meeting checklists and work from student book clubs I’ve met
with each week.
Student Data- any
other info or data on my students that I feel is important.
Anecdotal Notes and
Labels- a place to keep address labels so that I can jot down something
quickly about the student and put it on their conference sheet.
Binder #5- Notes for
my Teacher
I love when my students are thoughtful enough to take the
time to write me a note or draw me a picture.
But if you’re like me, once you put one drawing up, 10 more students
have drawn you something to put up as well.
As sweet as this is, after awhile, your wall is littered with
drawings. When do you take them down? Do
you throw them away after you have?
I saw this idea and I put it into place last year- and I
LOVE IT!! I made a “Notes for My
Teacher” binder, and put clear plastic protector sheets in it. Any time a student draws me a picture or
writes me a note, I make a big deal about it, thank them for it and tell them I
am putting it in my special notes binder.
I do it in front of them so that they know I am keeping it. It still makes them feel special, and you do
not have a wall of drawings falling off every day.
Also, at the end of the year, you can go through and clean
out that binder and use it again next year.
If a student spent a lot of time on something or you have something
sentimental in the binder you can keep it instead of wondering where it
went.
I hope this peek into my organizational binders has
helped! I urge you to create your own
binders (or revamp the ones you currently have) to help keep yourself
organized.
I have all of the above mentioned binder covers will be for sale soon in
my Teachers Pay Teachers Store individually and I am selling them as a pack
together (for a discounted price). Visit
my store if you’d like to see these guys!
Have a great day,
Ashley J
Friday, August 3, 2012
Absent Students
What do you do when a student is absent from your class? There are lots of different ways of dealing with this. Last year, whenever I had a hand out, I would place one on the absent student's desk, and at the end of the day, I would paperclip all of the work together.
That wasn't organized enough for me, so I created a word document that I saved on my computer and would type out any day a student was missing. This is what it looked like:
It may sound like a ton of work, but once I had the template created, it was really very simple just to plug in the info for that student. And if you had two students missing on the same day, I just changed the name at the top of the page and printed another copy. This way, I had a copy saved in my computer of what the student had to do in case there were any problems with the parents having concerns about what was due. I also put a line on the bottom of the paper for a parent signature. The student was responsible for returning this paper with their work so that I knew the parents at least knew what their student's responsibilities were from the days they missed.
After I printed this page out, I would paperclip it to the papers and I would collect any materials that they needed to complete their assignments.
Even though this was an ok system, it wasn't great. Sometimes papers would get lost or crumpled in their backpacks, or I would accidentally forget to give them one of the things they needed to complete their assignments.
So this year, inspired by the Paper Drop System by Laura Candler, I decided to make a directions/checklist sheet that I will glue on the front of a 9x13 envelope.
I plan on making several so that I will have enough if I have several students out at one time.
How do you handle absent students in your classroom? Your thoughts & ideas are always appreciated!! :)
That wasn't organized enough for me, so I created a word document that I saved on my computer and would type out any day a student was missing. This is what it looked like:
(I've uploaded both of the forms onto Google Drive as "Word" forms so that you can save and edit them for your personal use :)
It may sound like a ton of work, but once I had the template created, it was really very simple just to plug in the info for that student. And if you had two students missing on the same day, I just changed the name at the top of the page and printed another copy. This way, I had a copy saved in my computer of what the student had to do in case there were any problems with the parents having concerns about what was due. I also put a line on the bottom of the paper for a parent signature. The student was responsible for returning this paper with their work so that I knew the parents at least knew what their student's responsibilities were from the days they missed.
After I printed this page out, I would paperclip it to the papers and I would collect any materials that they needed to complete their assignments.
Even though this was an ok system, it wasn't great. Sometimes papers would get lost or crumpled in their backpacks, or I would accidentally forget to give them one of the things they needed to complete their assignments.
So this year, inspired by the Paper Drop System by Laura Candler, I decided to make a directions/checklist sheet that I will glue on the front of a 9x13 envelope.
(For some reason it wouldn't accept the clip art... so you can download your own clipart for the top of the page. Also the font I used for the title is called "A Truer Blue" from Kevin and Amanda Fonts. The other font I used was Century Gothic.)
Then, after gluing this on the envelope, I will laminate the entire envelope to make it more sturdy. All of their paper, materials and the sheet above will be put into the envelope. The checklist will show all of the materials needed so that they won't forget any if they are gathering the materials, and so that I won't forget any if I have to gather the materials. Because the envelope will be laminated, I will use a wet-erase marker to check the supplies on the folder. I plan on making several so that I will have enough if I have several students out at one time.
How do you handle absent students in your classroom? Your thoughts & ideas are always appreciated!! :)
-------------------------------------
P.S. Did you know that I started my own company, Camp Partridge?
⛺️ Camp Partridge offers online camps for children and teens ages 10-16 who want to be digital creators and authors!
⛺️ Camp Partridge offers online courses for parents struggling with remote learning.
⛺️ Camp Partridge offers resources for your classroom!
I would be honored if you would share Camp Partridge with people you know who need or would enjoy our camps and courses! 🧡
Tuesday, July 31, 2012
Classroom Jobs
Classroom Jobs are a great way to give your students more responsibility, help them to take ownership in the classroom, and to free you up from easy tasks that take up too much time. I am totally a fan of classroom jobs!
Last year was the first year I was a classroom teacher- I had never had students in my classroom all day or even for a long enough time period to make classroom jobs worthwhile. When I was able to use them, however, they rocked! It was wonderful to have students help me do the jobs that take up so much of our precious time!
So here's what I did:
I thought of all of the jobs I wanted students to take care of in my classroom. Then I got some Library Pockets from the local teacher store and created a little chart area under my SMARTboard. I labeled each Pocket with a specific job title. Then, I wrote all of my student's names on index cards. I let them keep their job for one week, then I would rotate all of the cards down the list one spot each, and I had an extra pocket for the extra students who didn't have jobs. I would pull a card from the front of the extra pocket to put in the very first spot on the list after I'd moved all the cards down one spot.
Looking back on this system, it was ok...it worked fine... but it wasn't GREAT. So I researched what other teachers did. I really liked the idea I found on one blog where the teacher had a job for EVERY student. This way no one feels left out AND it gives them a sense of purpose when everyone is doing a classroom job.
Another thing that didn't work GREAT for me was having to switch out the jobs every week. You would think that it takes seconds (which it doesn't take long), however, at the end of the week sometimes I would forget or just think I would do it Monday morning.... it kind of became a thorn in my side... and it was annoying. Several teachers blogs I've read use a Classroom Job Application. Students apply for the job they want (and add 2 back up choices) and tell WHY they want that job. Then the teacher decides which student would be best for that job. The students keep this job for a whole MONTH. No switching of cards every week- just once a month. Then the next month they apply again for another job. I really like this idea because it gives them more choice in the matter and I feel like they would take it more seriously if they actually had a say in what job they got. If you are doing this type of system with your class, I would suggest having jobs for EVERYONE- just because it would be a whole month before a student could get a job if they didn't have one.
This year I will be teaching 5th Grade Language Arts... so I will see 3 classes of 5th grade instead of just having one class all day. I still plan to have classroom jobs, but I think I am going to just split the jobs up between the classes. That means not all students will have jobs. I am also going to use the Classroom Job application system, and only change out the jobs once a month. I wish I could have jobs for everyone- but sometimes it just doesn't work out that way. (I mean, I could probably create jobs for everyone, but I don't want to keep track of 90 jobs!! ;)
Also, instead of just writing names on index cards, this year I am going to use my classroom numbers- I picked up an awesome set from Clutter Free Classroom's Flash Freebie one day... and they rock!! If you have the money, I would definitely suggest getting them! If not, check out the links below for some other great FREE classroom numbers!
I couldn't find any Classroom Job Applications that I liked for my older students, so I ended up creating one... you can download it for FREE below! :)
**Update 8/25/14- I have uploaded an EDITABLE version of this Classroom Job Application at my Teachers Pay Teachers store.
Below are some awesome links to FREE Classroom Job Applications and Job Posters & Cards for your classroom:
Cute & Customizable Classroom Jobs AND Classroom Job Application (from A Year of Many Firsts)
Owl Themed Classroom Jobs (from Middle Grades Maven)
Hollywood Themed Classroom Jobs (from First Grade Parade)
Red & Light Blue Background Classroom Job Labels
Plain Background Classroom Jobs (from What the Teacher Wants)
FREE Classroom Numbers for your Library Pockets (simply print and then glue on an index card & laminate)
Brightly Colored Class Number Circles
Yellow Stars w/ Red Background Class Number Circles
Zebra & Lime Green Class Number Circles
Dr. Seuss-like Red and Teal Blue Class Number Circles
Do you have any tips or suggestions for classroom jobs? What works in your classroom?
Rawr,
Last year was the first year I was a classroom teacher- I had never had students in my classroom all day or even for a long enough time period to make classroom jobs worthwhile. When I was able to use them, however, they rocked! It was wonderful to have students help me do the jobs that take up so much of our precious time!
So here's what I did:
I thought of all of the jobs I wanted students to take care of in my classroom. Then I got some Library Pockets from the local teacher store and created a little chart area under my SMARTboard. I labeled each Pocket with a specific job title. Then, I wrote all of my student's names on index cards. I let them keep their job for one week, then I would rotate all of the cards down the list one spot each, and I had an extra pocket for the extra students who didn't have jobs. I would pull a card from the front of the extra pocket to put in the very first spot on the list after I'd moved all the cards down one spot.
Looking back on this system, it was ok...it worked fine... but it wasn't GREAT. So I researched what other teachers did. I really liked the idea I found on one blog where the teacher had a job for EVERY student. This way no one feels left out AND it gives them a sense of purpose when everyone is doing a classroom job.
Another thing that didn't work GREAT for me was having to switch out the jobs every week. You would think that it takes seconds (which it doesn't take long), however, at the end of the week sometimes I would forget or just think I would do it Monday morning.... it kind of became a thorn in my side... and it was annoying. Several teachers blogs I've read use a Classroom Job Application. Students apply for the job they want (and add 2 back up choices) and tell WHY they want that job. Then the teacher decides which student would be best for that job. The students keep this job for a whole MONTH. No switching of cards every week- just once a month. Then the next month they apply again for another job. I really like this idea because it gives them more choice in the matter and I feel like they would take it more seriously if they actually had a say in what job they got. If you are doing this type of system with your class, I would suggest having jobs for EVERYONE- just because it would be a whole month before a student could get a job if they didn't have one.
This year I will be teaching 5th Grade Language Arts... so I will see 3 classes of 5th grade instead of just having one class all day. I still plan to have classroom jobs, but I think I am going to just split the jobs up between the classes. That means not all students will have jobs. I am also going to use the Classroom Job application system, and only change out the jobs once a month. I wish I could have jobs for everyone- but sometimes it just doesn't work out that way. (I mean, I could probably create jobs for everyone, but I don't want to keep track of 90 jobs!! ;)
Also, instead of just writing names on index cards, this year I am going to use my classroom numbers- I picked up an awesome set from Clutter Free Classroom's Flash Freebie one day... and they rock!! If you have the money, I would definitely suggest getting them! If not, check out the links below for some other great FREE classroom numbers!
I couldn't find any Classroom Job Applications that I liked for my older students, so I ended up creating one... you can download it for FREE below! :)
**Update 8/25/14- I have uploaded an EDITABLE version of this Classroom Job Application at my Teachers Pay Teachers store.
Below are some awesome links to FREE Classroom Job Applications and Job Posters & Cards for your classroom:
Cute & Customizable Classroom Jobs AND Classroom Job Application (from A Year of Many Firsts)
Owl Themed Classroom Jobs (from Middle Grades Maven)
Hollywood Themed Classroom Jobs (from First Grade Parade)
Red & Light Blue Background Classroom Job Labels
Plain Background Classroom Jobs (from What the Teacher Wants)
FREE Classroom Numbers for your Library Pockets (simply print and then glue on an index card & laminate)
Brightly Colored Class Number Circles
Yellow Stars w/ Red Background Class Number Circles
Zebra & Lime Green Class Number Circles
Dr. Seuss-like Red and Teal Blue Class Number Circles
Do you have any tips or suggestions for classroom jobs? What works in your classroom?
Rawr,
-------------------------------------
P.S. Did you know that I started my own company, Camp Partridge?
⛺️ Camp Partridge offers online camps for children and teens ages 10-16 who want to be digital creators and authors!
⛺️ Camp Partridge offers online courses for parents struggling with remote learning.
⛺️ Camp Partridge offers resources for your classroom!
I would be honored if you would share Camp Partridge with people you know who need or would enjoy our camps and courses! 🧡
Saturday, July 28, 2012
Brain Bucks
One of the blogs I follow, Corkbord Connections, written by the WONDERFUL Laura Candler has a really cool post on "Brain Bucks," which are tickets that are handed out to students for a variety of reasons (such as creative thinking, etc). I LOVE this idea!
Check out the post on Brain Bucks HERE. Grab the FREE copy of her Brain Bucks template HERE.
Hope you are having a wonderful weekend! :) Ashley
Check out the post on Brain Bucks HERE. Grab the FREE copy of her Brain Bucks template HERE.
Hope you are having a wonderful weekend! :) Ashley
Friday, July 27, 2012
Lost Tooth Envelopes
Happy Friday!! Only a few more Fridays of summer left! I have been busy working on stuff for my classroom and I want to share with you one of my new favorite projects I've created!
I've always had the problem of students loosing teeth in my classroom. It doesn't happen all of the time, but it occasionally does. Then I have to send them to the nurse to get an envelope so they can take their tooth home.
I dislike the interruption and the fact that the student is missing out on class time. What if the nurse is busy and can't see my student for a few minutes? So this year, I've decided to have some "Lost Tooth" envelopes to keep in my classroom in case this situation arises. (Now, of course I will let them go to the restroom to rinse out their mouth, etc.) But I will no longer have to send them to the nurse to get something to hold their tooth in!
I searched and searched the internet for a "cool" tooth envelope (due to the fact that my kids are in 5th grade), but couldn't find one.... so I decided to make some of my own! :) I really dig these and think they are pretty cool!! :) Plus, they are small, so that the older kids can just slip them in their pocket and not have to worry about carrying something around all day.
I am sharing my lost tooth packets with you today! :) Just click on the link below to grab the freebie! I also have posted a tutorial below on how to put them together... you may not need it... I just hate following directions and would rather see pictures! :) Enjoy!
I've always had the problem of students loosing teeth in my classroom. It doesn't happen all of the time, but it occasionally does. Then I have to send them to the nurse to get an envelope so they can take their tooth home.
I dislike the interruption and the fact that the student is missing out on class time. What if the nurse is busy and can't see my student for a few minutes? So this year, I've decided to have some "Lost Tooth" envelopes to keep in my classroom in case this situation arises. (Now, of course I will let them go to the restroom to rinse out their mouth, etc.) But I will no longer have to send them to the nurse to get something to hold their tooth in!
I searched and searched the internet for a "cool" tooth envelope (due to the fact that my kids are in 5th grade), but couldn't find one.... so I decided to make some of my own! :) I really dig these and think they are pretty cool!! :) Plus, they are small, so that the older kids can just slip them in their pocket and not have to worry about carrying something around all day.
I am sharing my lost tooth packets with you today! :) Just click on the link below to grab the freebie! I also have posted a tutorial below on how to put them together... you may not need it... I just hate following directions and would rather see pictures! :) Enjoy!
(for some reason when you view the file in Google Docs, some of the envelopes look messed up... but when you download the PDF, they are fine! I have no idea why they look messed up on Google Docs!)
Tutorial:
Step 1:
Print desired Lost Tooth envelopes & cut out. (Note: Printing the black & white ones on colored paper gives it a little more panache :)
Step 2:
Flip the envelope over and fold all of the tabs toward the back side.
Step 3:
Put one dot of glue on the bottom tab right next to the small right tab (if you are looking at it from the back side).
Step 4:
Fold the small right side tab over the bottom tab and press where you put the dot of glue.
Step 5:
Put small dots of glue along the bottom and right side tabs. (careful! do not over-glue!)
Step 6:
Press the large left-side tab down onto the dots of glue. Press and hold for about 20 seconds where all of the glue spots were.
Finished Product: (the picture is poor quality, but it's pretty cool, eh?!)
Names:
I left all of the top tabs of the envelopes blank with no graphics so that you or your students could write their name on it in that space. That way if the envelope gets lost somewhere in the school, they will know who to send it to! :) P.S. I plan to tape mine shut after they put in their tooth.
For Younger Students:
If you are afraid of your little ones loosing their tooth envelopes, you might want to put in the tooth, tape it shut and then put a hole punch through the top and attach a piece of yarn so that they can wear it as a necklace. Just make sure they are a student that can handle that and won't get into trouble or hurt themselves (or someone else) with it ;)
Hope you enjoy these!
:) Ashley
-------------------------------------
P.S. Did you know that I started my own company, Camp Partridge?
⛺️ Camp Partridge offers online camps for children and teens ages 10-16 who want to be digital creators and authors!
⛺️ Camp Partridge offers online courses for parents struggling with remote learning.
⛺️ Camp Partridge offers resources for your classroom!
I would be honored if you would share Camp Partridge with people you know who need or would enjoy our camps and courses! 🧡
Tuesday, July 24, 2012
Classroom Library Week {Part 6} Organizing Your Teaching Library
Today I want to share about having a Teaching Library. Whenever I come across a good book that I want to use to teach a particular lesson (also called a Mentor Text), I put it in a special place. In my classroom library last year, this was just a shelf I designated for my Teaching Library. My students were not allowed to choose books from this shelf and I always went over that with them at the beginning of the year.
The reason I didn't want my students to read books from my Teaching Library is because sometimes the book needed to be a "cold text," for a particular lesson I was doing. I also want these books to be more special so that students will be more engaged and excited about them- they aren't just an everyday book we have in our classroom library. The third and final reason is book condition. I want to be able to use these books for years to come. I don't want to have to replace my Teaching Library books because they are torn or worn. Some teachers might not agree with me on this- remember this is just my opinion! :)
How to Organize your Teaching Library
Like I said above, last year I just had a separate shelf for my Teaching Library. At the end of the year, I thought about sorting my books into categories or writing what lesson I used them for and then sticking that in a Post-It on the inside of their front cover. I started doing this, but my books still weren't organized. Then, I came across this gem on Mrs. Terhune's First Grade Site (this lady's got the organization goin' on!):
The reason I didn't want my students to read books from my Teaching Library is because sometimes the book needed to be a "cold text," for a particular lesson I was doing. I also want these books to be more special so that students will be more engaged and excited about them- they aren't just an everyday book we have in our classroom library. The third and final reason is book condition. I want to be able to use these books for years to come. I don't want to have to replace my Teaching Library books because they are torn or worn. Some teachers might not agree with me on this- remember this is just my opinion! :)
How to Organize your Teaching Library
Like I said above, last year I just had a separate shelf for my Teaching Library. At the end of the year, I thought about sorting my books into categories or writing what lesson I used them for and then sticking that in a Post-It on the inside of their front cover. I started doing this, but my books still weren't organized. Then, I came across this gem on Mrs. Terhune's First Grade Site (this lady's got the organization goin' on!):
She organizes all of her unit materials in these Magazine Boxes from Mardel. They also have plain white ones at Ikea (5 boxes for $2!!- but sadly it is only an in-store deal). Then she labels each box and keeps all of the materials in each box. That way, she knows right where they are! I am sooooo doing this for my classroom this year!
What if I don't have a Mentor Text Library?
No worries! You can check out all of the awesome mentor texts you want from your local library or even your school library. Just use Google to find a good book that will work with your lesson, and then go check it out. (Or, if you have some extra money laying around...buy it!)
Why is it important to have a Teaching Library?
I believe that it is essential for every teacher to have a good Teaching Library full of wonderful Mentor Texts to save you time and energy! As much as I love the library, I don't want to have to take the time to search on the internet to find a book that will fit with my lesson, then go to the library's website and search to see which branch has the book I need, then take the time to drive to the library and pick up the book, then when I am finished, drive back to the library to drop off the book. Even if you live close to the library and it is on your way to or from school, the extra 10-15 + minutes you would spend doing that could be spent doing something else in your classroom. I know that 10-15 minutes doesn't seem like a lot of time- however, if you do this once a week every week of the school year, you will have spent a MINIMUM of 6 hours of your year just finding books for your lessons. Personally, I would much rather walk over to my shelf in my classroom, find the Magazine Box labeled with the unit I'm doing, and find the exact Mentor Text I want to use in about 1 minute.
One other reason I like to have a good Mentor Text Teaching Library is because you never know when you might change your lesson plans last minute to incorporate something else you didn't think of. If you have a great Teaching Library right at your fingertips, it's easier to be more flexible with your lessons.
Last year I taught in a small town. The next largest town wasn't that big either. Neither town had a good public library. This forced me to create my own Teaching Library due to circumstances. I am happy about it now, though, because I have a fantastic Teaching Library full of some stinkin' awesome books!
If you are a new teacher, or have moved to a new grade or new class and don't have a lot of mentor texts built up yet in your Teaching Library, no worries! You will get there. You may have to do the library thing the first year... also be on the look out at thrift stores for great mentor texts! They are swimming with them! :)
Happy reading!
Friday, July 20, 2012
Classroom Library Week {Part 5} Leveling Your Classroom Library Books
Leveling your classroom library is helpful not only to your students, but will also be a great tool for you. Most of the books in my classroom library are leveled. What do I mean by leveled? Each book has a sticker on the the spine with the Guided Reading Level that the book is on.
Each year at the beginning of the year, I always do a DRA (Developmental Reading Assessment) test on all of my students to evaluate what Guided Reading Level they are on. This helps them to more easily determine if a book is right for them when shopping for books in my classroom library. Finding out their guided reading level is also helpful to me when planning a Guided Reading lesson or helping them choose a book they might enjoy.
Scholastic has a free chart that you can access HERE that will tell you what guided reading level they are on if you know their DRA or Lexile level. I have one created that I will share with you-all in a few weeks when I can get to my Reading Binder (that is stuck in storage :).
Reading A to Z is a wonderful website, and they have a FREE book leveling tool that will give you the Guided Reading Level a book is on! Check out their awesome website HERE.
Scholastic also has a really awesome book leveling tool called Scholastic Book Wizard. Simply type the name of the book in the search box and it will give you a grade level equivalent of what level the book is on. You can then go back to the chart above to help you figure out which level the book is on. You could also use THIS CHART from Reading A-Z to help with grade level correlations.
Some other FREE leveling sites I've found are:
Leveled Book Lists
440 Book Titles
Another site that I just found, but have never used, is the Fountas and Pinnell Leveling Site. This looks awesome and very helpful. The only downside is that you have to pay to use it. Although it would be definitely worth it if you could get your school to pay for it! :)
So, how do you level your classroom library books? Any great leveling websites you want to share?
Dreaming of chowmein noodles,
Each year at the beginning of the year, I always do a DRA (Developmental Reading Assessment) test on all of my students to evaluate what Guided Reading Level they are on. This helps them to more easily determine if a book is right for them when shopping for books in my classroom library. Finding out their guided reading level is also helpful to me when planning a Guided Reading lesson or helping them choose a book they might enjoy.
Scholastic has a free chart that you can access HERE that will tell you what guided reading level they are on if you know their DRA or Lexile level. I have one created that I will share with you-all in a few weeks when I can get to my Reading Binder (that is stuck in storage :).
Reading A to Z is a wonderful website, and they have a FREE book leveling tool that will give you the Guided Reading Level a book is on! Check out their awesome website HERE.
Scholastic also has a really awesome book leveling tool called Scholastic Book Wizard. Simply type the name of the book in the search box and it will give you a grade level equivalent of what level the book is on. You can then go back to the chart above to help you figure out which level the book is on. You could also use THIS CHART from Reading A-Z to help with grade level correlations.
Some other FREE leveling sites I've found are:
Leveled Book Lists
440 Book Titles
Another site that I just found, but have never used, is the Fountas and Pinnell Leveling Site. This looks awesome and very helpful. The only downside is that you have to pay to use it. Although it would be definitely worth it if you could get your school to pay for it! :)
So, how do you level your classroom library books? Any great leveling websites you want to share?
Dreaming of chowmein noodles,
Thursday, July 19, 2012
Classroom Library {Part 4} How to Create a Check-Out System Using Google Docs
My idea in this post came from the idea I found on the blog, Go Fourth with Mrs. Owens. Check out her blog when you get a chance. She gave me the original idea for creating a classroom library check-out system, and I took it a little further and added some stuff and arranged it a little differently. I also wanted to show you more of a step-by-step process with screenshots to help those of you who are more visual learners :). p.s. it's a long post, but it's worth it! :)
Creating a Classroom Library Check-Out System Using Google Docs
1. Go to Google Drive. Click on the "Create" button and choose "Form" from the drop-down menu (highlighted with a red box below).
2. Fill out the Title for your form (highlighted in the green box below) and any directions for your students in the box below that (highlighted in green below).
The next steps are up to you on what you want your students to fill out for your check-out form. I want my students to fill out their name, the book title, the author and the genre. I really want them to be aware of what authors and genres they tend to read, so that's why I have them fill those out as well. Also, each week I can do a print-out of all of the checked out books and keep a record of what they are reading. This may be helpful for conferences, etc.
3. Name. If you notice in the picture above, in the yellow box it says Question Type. I ALWAYS leave this as Text. That way they can type whatever they need to in each box. In the spot where it says Question Title, simply write the word "Name." I leave the Help Text section blank. Next, leave the Question Type as "Text," and make sure to click the little box "Make this a required question." When you are finished, click "Done." See the picture below for the visual of these directions.
Next, hover your mouse over the Sample 2 Question box. It will be highlighted in yellow and 3 icons will appear on the right-hand side. Click on the Pencil (which is the edit button- highlighted in the red box below).
4. Book Title. Fill out this section just like you did the Question 1 section before, only instead of typing Name in the Question Title spot, type the word "Book Title." Click Done when you are finished.
5. To get another question added to your form, click on the "Add Item" button in the upper left-hand corner.
When the drop-down menu pops up, choose the question type you would like to use. For this form, I always choose "Text."
6. Author's Name. Fill out the question section just like before, only type the words, "Author's Name" in the Question Title section.
7. Add another question (just like in Step 5). Fill out this question section with the word, "Genre" in the Question title section.
8. One other thing you can do to add a personal touch to your form is to add a confirmation note. Click "More Actions" at the top right of the screen. When the drop-down box appears, click on "Edit Confirmation."
A box like this will pop up and you can type in whatever you want. What you type here will be what your students see after they click the "Submit" button. I like to type something like, "Thank you for checking out a book from our classroom library. I hope you enjoy it!" or whatever personal greeting you'd like your students to see. Make sure to click "Publish Response Summary," and then Save.
9. Finally, click the "Save" button in the upper right-hand corner of the form.
Here's the cool part... you can now embed this form into your blog or website!! (If you are not familiar with embedding, it basically is where you can insert this form onto your website instead of sending students to a link. It actually makes it a part of your blog or website.) I am going to show you how to embed it into a blog. If you are familiar with HTML code and have a website, you should be able to embed it yourself there as well.
How to Embed Your new Book-Check Out system
1. Open a New Post or a New Page. (I prefer to embed it on a page. This way it will show up on my sidebar for easy access for my students. Check out my Setting Up a Classroom Blog Series if you are not sure what I am talking about.)
2. Type in whatever title you want up in the Page Title section. Then click on the "HTML" button at the top left of your screen (highlighted in red below).
3. Go back to your Form you just created. In the upper right-hand corner click on the "More Actions" button. When the drop-down menu appears, click on "Embed."
4. A box will pop up with some HTML code. Copy this code.
5. Go back to your New Page. (Make sure the HTML button is still clicked.) Then simply paste your code you just copied to the page. It should look like this:
6. Finally, click Publish. Voila!! You are finished! Your form will now appear on your website! :) If you want to see what the final product will look like, click HERE to see what mine looks like. Keep in mind that I have 3 Language Arts classes, so mine looks just a tad different. But this should be what yours looks like!
To add a little flare, you can click the Theme:Plain button on the top left-hand side of your form. You can choose all sorts of cute themes for your forms. I chose to leave mine plain because of the size of my blog the theme background spills over into the rest of my blog and it looks yucky... but that is up to you! Play around with the themes and see if anything works for you :).
Also, you can go back and edit this form at anytime by going to the spreadsheet for the form, and click the Form button at the top. A drop down menu will appear and simply click, "Edit Form." Your form will re-appear and you will be able to edit it any way you want!
How to Use your New Book Check-Out System
1. Have one computer set up for book check-out. Let students type their book info in (one at a time) into the form. Whenever they click the "Submit" button, it will automatically go to a spreadsheet form in your Google Drive. (p.s. as soon as they click "Submit," there is a button at the bottom of the form that allows them to "Submit Another Response." Have them do this to check-out more than one book at a time.)
Here's an example of what your spreadsheet will look like when 3 students have books checked out:
2. I am going to personally check-in all of the books. I will have students put their books in my book Book Return Bin (see yesterday's post).
-Then when I am ready, I will open up my spreadsheet with all of the checked-out books in it.
-Right-click on the number of the row you want to delete. This will highlight the entire row and a drop down menu will appear. Choose "Delete Row." Do this for all of the books in the Book Return Bin.
-Your spreadsheet is now up-to-date and you know who still has which books out.
Here's an example of the same group of students above. John K. turned his book in, so I deleted the row. Ashley L. and Kari S. still have their books checked out.
Does all of this make sense? Hopefully so! I think this system will be great for me and my classroom! One tip: I suggest once you've embedded the form onto your blog or website, play around with it. Fill out the form, get practice deleting stuff and entering stuff so that you can easily use this system and show your students how to use this system by the time school starts.
Happy Thursday,
-------------------------------------
P.S. Did you know that I started my own company, Camp Partridge?
⛺️ Camp Partridge offers online camps for children and teens ages 10-16 who want to be digital creators and authors!
⛺️ Camp Partridge offers online courses for parents struggling with remote learning.
⛺️ Camp Partridge offers resources for your classroom!
I would be honored if you would share Camp Partridge with people you know who need or would enjoy our camps and courses! 🧡
Wednesday, July 18, 2012
Classroom Library {Part 3} Book Check-Out and Return Procedures
Today I want to tell you about my check out and return procedures.... Last year was the first year I had students take home my personal classroom library books. I never had to have a check-out procedure before and I knew I didn't want to put library pockets and cards in all my books... I felt like that was too tedious of a process and even then, if a student didn't check out a book properly, you wouldn't know who had the book anyway. Also, I have a pretty large classroom library (about 700+ books) and that would be pretty costly to do that-not to mention time consuming!
So after a little research, I decided to have my students write down what book they were reading on index cards and keeping them in one place in the room (in a pocket chart). When they were done reading the book, they would put one line through it and then they could check out a new one. This system was ok....but I wouldn't recommend it. It didn't flow.
So this year, I've done a LOT of research on other classroom libraries... I've found some cool stuff that I want to share with you, and then I will share what I plan to use in my classroom.
Cool Stuff I've Found:
Booksource Classroom Organizer
Ok folks.... this is a FREE website that you can use to create a book check out system. If you have an Iphone, you can scan in the bar codes as well with your phone... and it is FREE. I am totally going to try this system out when I get the time! :)
BookCat w/ CueCat Scanner
This is an online system where you import all of your book titles and use a scanner (just like an actual library would) to check out books to students! The upside to this system is that you know exactly who has the book and you can return them using the scanner too. You will also have a complete list of all of your classroom library books. The downside is that it does cost money (about $55 for both the program and the scanner) and you will have to spend the time to type in all of your titles. I would eventually like to go to this system...it seems pretty awesome!
Book Check Out Cards
This teacher from Teaching In Room 6 blog has a free and easy way to manage her checked out books.
My Check-Out Procedure:
Due to the fact that I will have very limited funds to start off my classroom this year and will be new to the school (so I will need to purchase more supplies than usual), I will probably not be able to purchase the BookCat system above. So, I've found another FREE alternative that will work well and will be easy for me as well.
I like the idea of the Book Check Out Cards in the link above, however, I would rather have an online system. I found THIS system from the blog, Go Fourth with Mrs. Owens. (She also has a lot of other great ideas on her blog- I definitely recommend checking it out!) Basically, you use Google Drive (formerly Google Docs) to create an online "form" that your students can fill out any time they check out a book. Whenever the form is filled out, it automatically goes to a spreadsheet in your Google Docs folder! This way you will know who has which book and when! Tomorrow I will be doing a more in-depth tutorial (with screen shots) to show you how I modified her idea to more fit my classroom.
But I think that the most important thing, no matter what system you choose to use is to have ONE day where students can "shop" for books. Have them choose several books on that day and after having checked them out, have them keep those books in a book box or bag somewhere in the room- so they will always know where they are located and they will always have extra books to read during the week so that they can never say "I don't have a book to read," and waste their whole reading time searching for a book.
Also, having ONE shopping time for the class will enable you to help students check out all of the books and to make sure that they are doing the check out process correctly. (After the first couple of months of training the students how to do this, you could then release that job to another student.)
My Return Procedure:
Last year, I just let the students put the books back when they were finished with them. A lot of times, this resulted in the books being put back in the wrong places.
So, this year I will have a Book Return Bin. Basically it will just be a crate or a basket with a label on it. That way, I can check the books back in (see tomorrow's post). This way I can be sure that whoever checked it out turned it back in. I can also see which student was responsible if there was damage to the book.
After I've checked the book back in, then I will put it in another bin marked Ready to Reshelve. I am going to have one of my classroom jobs be the Classroom Librarian, who will return the books to their correct baskets when they are in the Ready to Reshelve basket.
Update 4-29-13
I have tweaked my book return system. Now, instead of just having a bin where they return the books, I only allow them to return books on certain days (for me it is Thursdays and Fridays) so I do not have to keep an extra bin cluttering up my room all week long and so that they do not waste class time returning books.
My New and Improved Book Return Procedure:
I had a lot of trouble at first when trying to check in books- I had students put their name on a sticky note and then put their books in a stack on my desk. Let's just say massive piles of books on my desk and students with giant backpacks knocking these over made for a very stressed out teacher!
So, I cut some construction paper to index-card size (you could just use index cards- I didn't have any at the time) in 3 different colors (one color for each block I see). Then I put their names on the cards and laminated them.
On check-IN day, students take any books they want to return and put them in a ziplock gallon-sized bag with their name card facing out. Then they put the bag in the return bin. If they have books too big for the ziplock, they put their name on each book that won't fit with a sticky note.
Then, whenever I am ready to check them in, I can! No mess, no hassle and it makes the whole process SO much easier! :)
Note: I keep all of the plastic bags folded in half in a small plastic tub along with the name cards for easy storage. When I check in books, I will take one student's books out of the plastic bag, fold the bag, delete the rows (see Part 4 of this series on how to delete rows), put the books in the Ready to Reshelve basket and the card back in it's pile. Then I move on to the next student's books. It might take 30 minutes or so to do 85 student's books- keep in mind not all students check out books or return books each week.
Here are some FREE labels for your baskets! Print these labels on colored cardstock and laminate... they work great with any color scheme in any classroom! Enjoy! :)
Update (8-8-12) I also found this cute Book Hospital Sign & Book Return sign for free! :)
I really think that this system will work well for me and for the students. I am totally excited to use it! How do you check out books in your classroom?
Thanks for sharing!
So after a little research, I decided to have my students write down what book they were reading on index cards and keeping them in one place in the room (in a pocket chart). When they were done reading the book, they would put one line through it and then they could check out a new one. This system was ok....but I wouldn't recommend it. It didn't flow.
So this year, I've done a LOT of research on other classroom libraries... I've found some cool stuff that I want to share with you, and then I will share what I plan to use in my classroom.
Cool Stuff I've Found:
Booksource Classroom Organizer
Ok folks.... this is a FREE website that you can use to create a book check out system. If you have an Iphone, you can scan in the bar codes as well with your phone... and it is FREE. I am totally going to try this system out when I get the time! :)
BookCat w/ CueCat Scanner
This is an online system where you import all of your book titles and use a scanner (just like an actual library would) to check out books to students! The upside to this system is that you know exactly who has the book and you can return them using the scanner too. You will also have a complete list of all of your classroom library books. The downside is that it does cost money (about $55 for both the program and the scanner) and you will have to spend the time to type in all of your titles. I would eventually like to go to this system...it seems pretty awesome!
Book Check Out Cards
This teacher from Teaching In Room 6 blog has a free and easy way to manage her checked out books.
My Check-Out Procedure:
Due to the fact that I will have very limited funds to start off my classroom this year and will be new to the school (so I will need to purchase more supplies than usual), I will probably not be able to purchase the BookCat system above. So, I've found another FREE alternative that will work well and will be easy for me as well.
I like the idea of the Book Check Out Cards in the link above, however, I would rather have an online system. I found THIS system from the blog, Go Fourth with Mrs. Owens. (She also has a lot of other great ideas on her blog- I definitely recommend checking it out!) Basically, you use Google Drive (formerly Google Docs) to create an online "form" that your students can fill out any time they check out a book. Whenever the form is filled out, it automatically goes to a spreadsheet in your Google Docs folder! This way you will know who has which book and when! Tomorrow I will be doing a more in-depth tutorial (with screen shots) to show you how I modified her idea to more fit my classroom.
But I think that the most important thing, no matter what system you choose to use is to have ONE day where students can "shop" for books. Have them choose several books on that day and after having checked them out, have them keep those books in a book box or bag somewhere in the room- so they will always know where they are located and they will always have extra books to read during the week so that they can never say "I don't have a book to read," and waste their whole reading time searching for a book.
Also, having ONE shopping time for the class will enable you to help students check out all of the books and to make sure that they are doing the check out process correctly. (After the first couple of months of training the students how to do this, you could then release that job to another student.)
My Return Procedure:
Last year, I just let the students put the books back when they were finished with them. A lot of times, this resulted in the books being put back in the wrong places.
So, this year I will have a Book Return Bin. Basically it will just be a crate or a basket with a label on it. That way, I can check the books back in (see tomorrow's post). This way I can be sure that whoever checked it out turned it back in. I can also see which student was responsible if there was damage to the book.
After I've checked the book back in, then I will put it in another bin marked Ready to Reshelve. I am going to have one of my classroom jobs be the Classroom Librarian, who will return the books to their correct baskets when they are in the Ready to Reshelve basket.
Update 4-29-13
I have tweaked my book return system. Now, instead of just having a bin where they return the books, I only allow them to return books on certain days (for me it is Thursdays and Fridays) so I do not have to keep an extra bin cluttering up my room all week long and so that they do not waste class time returning books.
My New and Improved Book Return Procedure:
I had a lot of trouble at first when trying to check in books- I had students put their name on a sticky note and then put their books in a stack on my desk. Let's just say massive piles of books on my desk and students with giant backpacks knocking these over made for a very stressed out teacher!
So, I cut some construction paper to index-card size (you could just use index cards- I didn't have any at the time) in 3 different colors (one color for each block I see). Then I put their names on the cards and laminated them.
On check-IN day, students take any books they want to return and put them in a ziplock gallon-sized bag with their name card facing out. Then they put the bag in the return bin. If they have books too big for the ziplock, they put their name on each book that won't fit with a sticky note.
Then, whenever I am ready to check them in, I can! No mess, no hassle and it makes the whole process SO much easier! :)
Note: I keep all of the plastic bags folded in half in a small plastic tub along with the name cards for easy storage. When I check in books, I will take one student's books out of the plastic bag, fold the bag, delete the rows (see Part 4 of this series on how to delete rows), put the books in the Ready to Reshelve basket and the card back in it's pile. Then I move on to the next student's books. It might take 30 minutes or so to do 85 student's books- keep in mind not all students check out books or return books each week.
Here are some FREE labels for your baskets! Print these labels on colored cardstock and laminate... they work great with any color scheme in any classroom! Enjoy! :)
Update (8-8-12) I also found this cute Book Hospital Sign & Book Return sign for free! :)
I really think that this system will work well for me and for the students. I am totally excited to use it! How do you check out books in your classroom?
Thanks for sharing!
-------------------------------------
P.S. Did you know that I started my own company, Camp Partridge?
⛺️ Camp Partridge offers online camps for children and teens ages 10-16 who want to be digital creators and authors!
⛺️ Camp Partridge offers online courses for parents struggling with remote learning.
⛺️ Camp Partridge offers resources for your classroom!
I would be honored if you would share Camp Partridge with people you know who need or would enjoy our camps and courses! 🧡
Tuesday, July 17, 2012
Classroom Library Week {Part 2} How to Organize Your Classroom Library
Good morning everyone! :)
Today I want to talk with you-all about organizing your classroom library. Please note that there are SO many ways to organize your classroom library-you just have to choose the way that suits you best. I am going to show you how I organize my classroom library.
Some people like to let their students sort the books into different genres- I am not opposed to this, however, I do not let my students sort the books, I do this at the beginning of the year. This is for a number of reasons. First of all, this year I will have 3 different LA classes instead of one...so that means some of my students might not get as much practice with sorting the books into the appropriate genre baskets. Secondly, when my students walk into my classroom for the first time, I want them to know that I keep things organized and in their place, and I expect my students to do the same. It also helps me to feel like my room is complete and not disorganized. Remember, this is just my opinion, and if you choose to do it a different way, that's totally fine :)
How to Sort Your Books
I like to sort my chapter books by genre and my picture books by subject. I put each genre or subject into its own basket (sometimes it takes more than one basket). After that, I make a label for each basket and attach it to the front of the basket.
This was my classroom library last year (I was fortunate enough to have a lot of shelf space!). The sets of books were used for my book clubs and students were not allowed to choose these books. The picture books on the right hand side are my mentor texts for lessons. Students are also not allowed to choose these books as most of them are meant to be a cold text (and I want the story to be interesting and special when I read it aloud to them). But any of the books in the baskets were for students to read. I've found that putting the books in baskets like this helps keep the books organized and it also gives you a little more space (especially with the chapter books). It is also easy for a student to pull out one or two of the baskets to look for a book instead of just standing in front of the shelf the whole time.
Book Basket Labels
My book basket labels were nothing fancy- I just took neon index cards and wrote the genre on them. Then I laminated them, hole punched them in two places on the top and then my wonderful husband put a string through the holes of the card and the holes of the basket and tied it in a knot. This method worked well and I never had any of the genre cards fall off.
However, they aren't very pretty. So this year, I decided to change it up! I found some FREE book basket labels online. Click HERE to access them. I'm pretty sure these are the ones I'm going to use this year. She's included every genre and topic that you'll need... and I like the pictures that go along with them as well! She suggests printing them on cardstock and then she puts them in a floppy disk protector...but my baskets have holes in them and I don't think they'll stick that well. So, I found this awesome idea on another website:
If you didn't like the labels above, I found these for free on Teachers Pay Teachers. I found THESE super cute labels that are also free! And also know that there are many other book basket labels out there... they just aren't free :). Although, if you've found some great FREE labels, please share the link in a comment below! :)
Genre Stickers
Last year, I had a terrible time with my students forgetting which basket a book belonged in. So this year, to solve that problem, I am going to have one classroom librarian who will put all of the books away after they have been returned. (In the next couple of days I will be talking about my check-out and return procedures.) I am also going to put a small round sticker dot (like a yard-sale sticker dot) on the back of each of my classroom books with a genre code on it. For example: if it is a Realistic Fiction book, then the sticker dot on the back of the book will say "RF." I will also have this same "RF" sticker dot on the book basket label. This way, the classroom librarian will know exactly which basket to return the book to and will be able to do so quickly. I am also going to be teaching genres a whole lot more in depth this year as a lot of students seem to have a hard time grasping the concept...
Anywho, that's my classroom library set-up! :) Hope this was helpful! If you have any great classroom library set-up tips, please leave a comment below! :) Thanks for sharing!
Happy Reading,
P.S.
Ok...while Googling for more book basket label choices for you, I came across this Pinterest Board called Labels. Check it out for lots of free labels for things in your classroom! Just thought I would share! :)
Today I want to talk with you-all about organizing your classroom library. Please note that there are SO many ways to organize your classroom library-you just have to choose the way that suits you best. I am going to show you how I organize my classroom library.
Some people like to let their students sort the books into different genres- I am not opposed to this, however, I do not let my students sort the books, I do this at the beginning of the year. This is for a number of reasons. First of all, this year I will have 3 different LA classes instead of one...so that means some of my students might not get as much practice with sorting the books into the appropriate genre baskets. Secondly, when my students walk into my classroom for the first time, I want them to know that I keep things organized and in their place, and I expect my students to do the same. It also helps me to feel like my room is complete and not disorganized. Remember, this is just my opinion, and if you choose to do it a different way, that's totally fine :)
How to Sort Your Books
I like to sort my chapter books by genre and my picture books by subject. I put each genre or subject into its own basket (sometimes it takes more than one basket). After that, I make a label for each basket and attach it to the front of the basket.
This was my classroom library last year (I was fortunate enough to have a lot of shelf space!). The sets of books were used for my book clubs and students were not allowed to choose these books. The picture books on the right hand side are my mentor texts for lessons. Students are also not allowed to choose these books as most of them are meant to be a cold text (and I want the story to be interesting and special when I read it aloud to them). But any of the books in the baskets were for students to read. I've found that putting the books in baskets like this helps keep the books organized and it also gives you a little more space (especially with the chapter books). It is also easy for a student to pull out one or two of the baskets to look for a book instead of just standing in front of the shelf the whole time.
Book Basket Labels
My book basket labels were nothing fancy- I just took neon index cards and wrote the genre on them. Then I laminated them, hole punched them in two places on the top and then my wonderful husband put a string through the holes of the card and the holes of the basket and tied it in a knot. This method worked well and I never had any of the genre cards fall off.
However, they aren't very pretty. So this year, I decided to change it up! I found some FREE book basket labels online. Click HERE to access them. I'm pretty sure these are the ones I'm going to use this year. She's included every genre and topic that you'll need... and I like the pictures that go along with them as well! She suggests printing them on cardstock and then she puts them in a floppy disk protector...but my baskets have holes in them and I don't think they'll stick that well. So, I found this awesome idea on another website:
She uses binder rings (found at any wal-mart or target) to attach the book labels to the baskets! (of course laminating the card first). But how cool is that! So simple, yet so awesome! If something happened to your label you could just easily replace it! I also think it would allow the card to swing more freely and would hopefully allow the card not to be damaged! :) The idea came from Teaching in Room 6's blog. I HIGHLY recommend her blog...so full of SO MANY great ideas!
If you didn't like the labels above, I found these for free on Teachers Pay Teachers. I found THESE super cute labels that are also free! And also know that there are many other book basket labels out there... they just aren't free :). Although, if you've found some great FREE labels, please share the link in a comment below! :)
Genre Stickers
Last year, I had a terrible time with my students forgetting which basket a book belonged in. So this year, to solve that problem, I am going to have one classroom librarian who will put all of the books away after they have been returned. (In the next couple of days I will be talking about my check-out and return procedures.) I am also going to put a small round sticker dot (like a yard-sale sticker dot) on the back of each of my classroom books with a genre code on it. For example: if it is a Realistic Fiction book, then the sticker dot on the back of the book will say "RF." I will also have this same "RF" sticker dot on the book basket label. This way, the classroom librarian will know exactly which basket to return the book to and will be able to do so quickly. I am also going to be teaching genres a whole lot more in depth this year as a lot of students seem to have a hard time grasping the concept...
Anywho, that's my classroom library set-up! :) Hope this was helpful! If you have any great classroom library set-up tips, please leave a comment below! :) Thanks for sharing!
Happy Reading,
P.S.
Ok...while Googling for more book basket label choices for you, I came across this Pinterest Board called Labels. Check it out for lots of free labels for things in your classroom! Just thought I would share! :)
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