In the summer leading up to my first year of teaching I collected any and every book that people were willing to donate to my classroom library. My collection was growing! The school didn't provide bookshelves, but I went out to thrift stores to get them. I needed everything easily accessible and organized. It took me (and my family) hours to level and categorize each book in my collection. By the first day of school I had hundreds of books perfectly aligned and separated. It was a dream come true! (Well, almost.)
What I didn't realize was that the number of books that you have in a library doesn't matter if it is full of books that people don't want to read.
Kids weren't using my classroom library, and it was hard to find enough time to get them all into the school library for meaningful trips. My dream of putting independent reading at the forefront of my work was crumbling. If kids don't have books that they want to read, then they won't read! What to do? After research and collaboration, this is what I've found:
-The key to a successful classroom library is to ensure that it is reflective of the people that are going to use it. Books should be relevant and engaging. If you serve black and brown kids, you better have books that represent those students. There should also be books BY black/brown authors in your library. Do you have books to represent LGBTQ students? These are things we have to think about! Who wants to read a book if you can't see yourself in it?! It is so crucial that we show all students that they have a place in literature. (If you are looking for an extraordinary list of culturally relevant books and engaging books you will want to check out the Project LIT community. This grassroots movement started at a local high school and has grown into a national book club. I am honored have my own chapter at my school, but that is a whole other post! Learn more on this Twitter account.)
-If you aren't already doing so, YOU need to get in the YA game and start reading books. When you read the books you will be able to recommend them to specific kids. This will also help you to find books that are relevant for your community. Most importantly, you can talk about these books with your students. Authentic conversations about books and characters are so powerful. This is a great way to allow students to make text to world and text to self connections.
-Find new books for kids to read and explore. If I judge a book by its cover, I know that kids are doing the same thing. Keep up with lists from places like the New York Times (YA List), Brightly (YA Brightly), or good reads.
-Incorporate a few old school books in there as well! Of course we want to ensure that students are still reading powerful stories like Speak, Monster, and The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian even though they aren't necessarily topping the charts right now.
-Allow choice. I heard Kwame Alexander speak at the beginning of the summer and he said something that has stuck with me. "Books are like amusement parks, and we have to let kids choose their rides." When we try to tell kids what to read, it becomes a chore. My mom never forced books on us, and we explored because of it. If a ninth grader wants to read a Diary of a Wimpy Kid book for a quick read? Let them. (And then give them other suggestions!)
-Allow for a kid to abandon a book if they aren't into it. Even though I consider myself a reader, I have certainly come across books that I didn't enjoy. Life is too short to force yourself to read something that you aren't interested in! Tell kids that. Let them know that it is okay!
-Accessibility. Do you remember how I told you that my love of reading came from my mom? It was because she modeled what it looked like to be a good reader, but it was also because she made books accessible to us. Many of our students live in book deserts which means that they do not have easy access to good books. By creating a strong classroom library you are making books visible and accessible to students throughout the day. There is no trek to the school library or public library! ;)
Over the last few years I have purged a great deal of that initial library. (Sorry, y'all!) I have also worked very strategically to fill it back up. It takes time, but having books that kids WANT TO READ is worth it. Here are a few resources for you as you work to create a killer classroom library!
1. Create an Amazon Wish list
You know how people make wedding/baby registries? Now you can do that for your classroom! (*Throws hands up in the air*) All you have to do is create a public wish list on Amazon and insert your information. From there, you search the wondrous site and add books, shelves, etc. to your list. Ask your community (family, friends, school) to purchase gifts from your list and have them sent directly to your school. Often times people want to help students, but they don't know how. This is a great way to involve different stakeholders. I always include the person's name on the front cover so my students know that people from the community are thinking about them! (Here is an example of my list: Mrs. Sainato's Classroom Wish List)
2. Use Donors Choose
Donors Choose is another awesome way to involve the community in your classroom library. Donors Choose makes it easy for people around the world to donate funding to a project of your choice. You get to pick the books you want, write a compelling request to the world, and then watch it get funded! The process is a bit time consuming, but they will guide you through step by step. I get all of my class sets through this organization!
3. Look around the community/Non-profits
As I was writing this post my literacy coach sent me an email about a book drive that my community is having at the beginning of the month! There are plenty of events happening if you take the time to look around for them. Another great idea is to look for local non-profits in your community that are looking to help students. Book Source is a great non-profit that offers individual books and class sets at inexpensive price points!
4. Write a grant
I will admit that I am not well-versed in this realm just yet, but I will be working on this much more this school year! Here are a few that I am going to look into: Dollar General Literacy Foundation, Target Grants, and CLA Grants. (Scholastic is making it easier and easier to apply with these simple steps: Get the Grant!)
5. (Used) Bookstores
I am fortunate to have a mega used book store here in Nashville, but you can also find them online! Here are a few used bookstores that you can look into: Goodwill Books, Half Price Books, Thrift Books.
6. Teacher Power
LOL - we don't get a whole lot of power, but your teacher ID can snag you a few perks. You can use your teacher ID for discounts at bookstores like Parnassus, Barnes and Noble, and Books A Million
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