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One for the Murphys by Lynda Mullaly Hunt

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One for the Murphys by Lynda Mullaly Hunt

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Students create a bulletin board of book talks created in Seesaw.

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Students create a bulletin board of book talks created in Seesaw.

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Originally the space was smaller and had text organized only by level.

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More student space less teacher space. Teachers reorganized and was able to create a comfortable place to read.

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Before hand there was a mix of fiction and nonfiction and charts were used for calendar.

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An additional seating area was created for comfortable reading.

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Our inspiration for the project!

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The Classroom Library Project began as a conversation in our literacy co-op. As part of our learning, we often share professional texts. Together we were reading and discussing the book Passionate Readers , by Pernille Ripp. We were discussing chapter 3 entitled, The Classroom Library as the Cornerstone of the Passionate Reading Community and wonderful conversations began. Realizing we wanted to share these amazing ideas with as many teachers and students as possible we worked together to create the Classroom Library Project!

So where to begin.....

A Google form was created and shared with all classroom teachers. They were notified that one teacher per elementary building would win a Classroom Library Makeover.

When students enter the classroom is it apparent that books are important? Is there an organizational system that makes it easy for students to find books they are excited to read? Has the classroom library been weeded out lately? Are the book displays in the classroom engaging? Would you like to give the library a fresh look to engage your readers? If so please fill out the Google form to possibly win a classroom library makeover.

The questions were designed to help teachers think deeply about their current library and the possibilities of a redesign that would engage their readers even more. Questions focused on student involvement in the process, the organization of bins and bookshelves, book displays, seating options, book talks, library collections and more. ( Click on the link to see the actual form.) Teachers were given a little less than two weeks to complete and submit the form.

While teachers went to work on the forms we created letters to give to local businesses asking for donations for the project. (see the sample letter.) The letters focused on the philosophy of reading workshop, and our hopes for engaging students with reading. It included a picture of an organized, charming, appealing classroom library. Lastly, the promise of publicity on our website and social media outlets were included.

We received over 20 completed questionnaires. Now the hard part, deciding which classrooms would be involved in the makeovers. The plan was to have the literacy coaches review the documents at our next meeting and make the decisions. As things go in New York in winter the day of the meeting we had a major snowstorm and were unable to meet. We did not want to wait a month for our next meeting so... Plan B. The responses were shared electronically and discussions occurred through email. We focused on the big ideas from, Passionate Readers , student engagement in the process, the organization of books other than levels and the willingness to put the library as a focal point of the classroom.

Decisions were made and the big day arrived, announcing the winners! We wanted to make sure each elementary school was announced on the same day and that it would be exciting for students! We asked a very supportive technology teacher to print LARGE banners announcing each winning classroom. In my mind I wanted to recreate, The Publisher's Clearing House Sweepstakes feel! Balloons and munchkins were bought (must always have food for a celebration) and the day was set. The day before winter break. We asked principals, librarians, literacy teachers and secretaries to part of the celebration, but no one was aware of the winners until we entered each classroom.

We rushed in yelling, "Congratulations!" The expressions on the teacher's faces were priceless! They were so excited and some were brought to tears. The students were also excited but a little unsure as to WHAT they had actually won. We explained that we would be working together to create their new and improved classroom library. It was such a fun day!

Please see the additional posts, to travel with us as we transform five classroom libraries into inviting, engaging places for all readers.

Part 2: Teacher and Student Interviews

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Classroom Library Makeover Project (Part 1)

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The Classroom Library Project began as a conversation in our literacy co-op. As part of our learning, we often share professional texts. Together we were reading and discussing the book Passionate Readers , by Pernille Ripp. We were discussing chapter 3 entitled, The Classroom Library as the Cornerstone of the Passionate Reading Community and wonderful conversations began.

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After consulting with the team; the school librarians, students, and classroom teachers we set out to begin the work of updating the classroom libraries. The discussion with the school librarians enabled us to think about their process for weeding out books, categorizing texts, arranging displays and choosing new books to order and how we would begin a similar process in each classroom.

As the process started we kept Pernille Ripp's words in the forefront of our minds, "Sometimes you don't have to have a perfect system for it to feel perfectly fine. The students make our book-loving classroom their own so they change the organization of books, the shelving of them, and even how we read them. I don't mind, I just have to let go sometimes and trust the students."

Step 1: We met with each classroom to begin our discussion with teachers and students. We discussed the first step would be weeding out books that were outdated, contained misinformation or were worn from being "loved" too much. Fortunately, we have a staff member that is affiliated with an organization that will gladly take gently used books. So it was decided we would donate multiple copies of more than 2 or books slightly worn.

Step 2: We started in the nonfiction section of the library. It was decided to start there for two reasons. One, it would be easier to categorize informational books. Two, the nonfiction section of each library, unfortunately, contains a smaller collection of books. As a whole group, we looked at about a dozen books and discussed how they might be categorized. Students quickly started making decisions.

In the primary classrooms, we started with books about animals. As anyone that has taught a primary grade knows it is a popular topic and there were MANY books that fit into that category. We quickly realized we would need to divide that topic into a variety of subtopics. These were the beginning categories.

Animals that Fly

Animals that Live in Water

Books that Contain a Variety of Animals

Step 3: Next, it was decided that we would meet in small groups during lunch to continue the process. After meeting with a group of five students we were able to make wonderful progress and created additional categories.

Reptiles and Snakes

African Animals

The students in the intermediate grades were able to quickly work through the first step. The categories that were initially formed were very different from the primary classrooms. We started with two broad categories of Science and History. Next, they divided History into subcategories.

Women in History

Government and Economics

US History Before the 1800's

Early America

History After the 1800's

Greek Mythology

Cultures Around the World

Immigration

Other categories included.

Science Experiments

Pamphlets & Magazines

Biographies & Autobiographies

Wonders of the World

Step 4: After all informational books were categorized students noticed that some of the topics contained only a few books. Discussions then centered around combining categories. Also, students began to craft a wishlist of information books to fill in the gaps within a category or a new category.

It was so exciting to see the involvement of all the students! Students were interested in books that had perhaps been sitting on a shelf for the whole year. Not realizing it was part of the classroom collection because previously they were organized by level, not a topic. They made many comments in regards to finding the new system for organization much more useful. Stay tuned as we tackle the fiction section of the libraries!

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Classroom Library Makeover Project Part III: Ready to Begin the Work

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After consulting with the team; the school librarians, students, and classroom teachers we set out to begin the work of updating the classroom libraries. The discussion with the school librarians enabled us to think about their process for weeding out books, categorizing texts, arranging displays and choosing new books to order and how we would begin a similar process in each classroom.

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After the excitement of unveiling our winners, we set to work planning the library makeovers. With Passionate Readers by Pernille Ripp in mind, we considered how best to design libraries that put students at the center while also honoring teacher's individual styles and ideas. In order to keep teacher and student voices front and center, we interviewed the winners. We crafted questions to guide our conversations with teachers and students and help us consider how best to accomplish our mission to design the libraries that increase student engagement and ownership and nurture children's love of reading.

Sample teacher interview questions include:

What are you hoping for with this library makeover? What are your goals?

How do you envision the space?

What do you have in place now that is really working for you? What are your non- negotiables?

Sample student interview questions include:

What are you hoping for in a new classroom library?

Where is your favorite place to read in the classroom? Tell me about your reading spaces here? At home?

What do you love to read? Genre? Author? Series?

In order to help students envision their ideal classroom library, we held interviews during their school library period so that they could find inspiration in the setting around them. We wanted them to consider what they loved about the school library so that we might incorporate those elements in their classroom library. We added the question:

What do you like about the school library that you would like to see in your classroom library?
Our Findings
Both teachers and students expressed enthusiasm for their soon-to-be new and improved libraries. One teacher explained that he wants a library that his students will brag about. He stated: "I want my kids to talk in the lunchroom and say 'Damn, my library is better than yours!"

Overall, teacher and student ideas are very much aligned. The teachers want libraries that grow readers. Students want libraries that are cozy, inviting and easy to use. We share this sketchnote of our findings.
Books
Teachers and students privileged easy access to books and libraries that are at are easy to use. Both students and teachers are eager to explore ways to label bins. One student specifically said he did not like books organized by levels. They prefer bins labeled by series, genres, authors and topics. They wish to build their collection of series books and in one case, gave us specific titles to add.

All library recipients liked the idea of displaying books. The teachers hope that doing so will entice readers to expand their reading diet. Students like the way books were displayed in the library.

Although it can be difficult to let go of books, the teachers recognize the value going through their current libraries and retiring the books that no longer entice students to read. A librarian explained this best when she said, "Weeding out a library is like weeding out a garden. You don't want to put too many plants in one spot." Removing low interest books will provide opportunities to showcase engaging ones and hence, make the libraries easier to navigate.
Space
The teachers were very open to rethinking the physical space of the classroom. Our teacher interviews took place in the classroom where we could envision and reimagine the space together. Some teachers supported flexible seating and were open to allowing students to read anywhere in the room they wanted. Students added a request for cozy seating specifically pillows and bean bags.
Book Reviews: An opportunity to bring the librarian into the process
We want our libraries to be lively, engaging spaces where students and teachers talk about and share books. Our interviews revealed that both the teachers and students saw writing book reviews as a means of accomplishing this goal. In fact, one teacher shared innovative ways to use technology to create videos, post them in Seesaw and create QR codes that will hang in the library for easy book sharing.

An opportunity presented itself to bring the school librarian into the Library makeover project. When I walked into the school library to begin student interviews, I found that the students were writing book reviews! "This is perfect," I thought. "We can use these reviews as the content for student videos about books." Additionally, the librarian and I set up time to work together to help students write their reviews thus creating a collaboration of teachers, librarian, and coach!
A Journey
The Classroom Library Makeover project is truly a journey! These interviews provided us with a solid foundation of where to start however, we look forward to the many discoveries and adjustments along the way! While all 5 libraries share the same goal: to grow students' identities and engaged and joyful readers, we anticipate the path of each library to be as unique as the teacher and students who will create it.

We invite you to stay tuned as we continue on our journey.

Continued Reading: Classroom Library Makeover Project

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Classroom Library Makeover Project Part II: Teacher and Student Interviews

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After the excitement of unveiling our winners, we set to work planning the library makeovers. With Passionate Readers by Pernille Ripp in mind, we considered how best to design libraries that put students at the center while also honoring teacher's individual styles and ideas.

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This space was used primarily for storage originally.

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Teacher space for two teachers.

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Students enjoy their new comfortable seating and the new organization of books. From levels to series, author, genre and topic bins.

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After recording their book talks students generated QR codes to be included on the inside cover of their books. This allowed their classmates to listen to the recording and get hooked on a new book.

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Students recorded book talks on their chrome books using Vocarro.

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Books are now organized by series, author and topic bins for the fiction section of the library. Students named each bin after sorting and combining texts. My favorite is "Stories About Man's Best Friend."

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This book shelf was originally organized into four bands with colored labels to represent the band.

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This space was originally for storing teacher resources and for two teachers desks and four file cabinets.

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Our library was transformed from a very uncomfortable spot with just a rug to a couch with a lot of pillows and a fluffy chair. Also it is very organized. We took all of the books and we personally categorized them by genre

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I really like the new flexible seating, and the new way of orginizing the fiction books. My favorite addition was the must read rack. We have had problems with the flexible seating in the library area, and it has been a LOT of work taping all the books.

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Before hand it was a bit challenging for students to access the library and it was not placed front and center.

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If you are an elementary teacher, you have most likely heard about or have used the online portfolio App called SeeSaw. I love this App because there are so many different ways for students to express their understanding.

3 Sent Book Talk Format

Recently, I met Chrissy in a Twitter Chat. She mentioned to me about how she has students use SeeSaw to create "selfie videos" to practice fluency, summarize text, or respond to a prompt. I was intrigued by her 3 Sent Book Talk format that she learned from Hacking Literacy.

Students use the SeeSaw App to record themselves answering the following questions in 1 sentence each:

1. What's the gist of your book's plot?

2. Why did you like it or dislike it?

3. Who else should read the book?

Other Ways to Do the Same Thing

Although I had mentioned that this activity could be done on SeeSaw, it may be helpful to think about other ways this task could be done - especially for older students who may prefer using another application.

You could have students use their device's camera, record a video, and upload to a website, blog, or LMS.

Students could import their video into iMovie to make a more professional looking product.

After developing a PowerPoint or Google Slide show presentation, students could use a screencasting program like Screencast-o-matic, Screencastify, or Quick Time to record their presentation.

Whichever way you have students respond, the whole idea is that they are responding and thinking critically. What other activities do you like to do? What other programs do you use?

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If you are an elementary teacher, you have most likely heard about or have used the online portfolio App called SeeSaw. I love this App because there are so many different ways for students to express their understanding. 3 Sent Book Talk Format Recently, I met Chrissy in a Twitter Chat.

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What is a Booktalk?

A booktalk is NOT a review or a book "report." A book report tells somebody you read the book, a booktalk tries to convince the person to read the book. The key to booktalking is to "sell, don't tell." Thus, a booktalk is more of an advertisement or a commercial.

A booktalk is a Performance - you want to "hook" the listeners, to do everything, use every trick you can think of to make the booktalk fun, exciting, and suspenseful. The best scenario is that you succeed to the extent that the teens will want to read at least one of the books to find out how it ends. At worst, you have hopefully made their day a bit brighter and relieved the monotony of the typical school day.

The Cardinal Rules of Booktalking

Do your own thing...create your own individual style.
Don't try to be someone else. Everyone on our entire Teen staff has her/his own individual styles. We always go out in pairs so teens can hear different voices, styles and types of books. Exception - sometimes what someone else has written is just too good, you might want to use it verbatim.

Don't talk a book you haven't read.
Read the whole book, even if you write the booktalk halfway through. Be sure it's a book you want to recommend. Exception - there is one booktalk of 20 nonfiction books with a super short flashtalk for each book that students love. The booktalker did not read ALL of every book.

Don't tell the ending.
Remember, we want to encourage the audience to the read the book. Exceptions - Sometimes the ending is already known such as The Sword in the Stone. For a series of books, one may sometimes tell the ending of the first book, especially if the author leaves a cliffhanger ending to encourage readers to continue to read the series. Sometimes a good way to tell about a book of short stories is to tell one of the stories completely, including the ending.

Don't talk a book you don't like or are uncomfortable with.
Exception - One of our staff had a book that she didn't particularly care for. But, she has a great booktalk, and when she gives it, you would never know that she wasn't fond of the book unless she told you.

Show the Book.
At the end of the booktalk, show the book and announce the title and author.

PRACTICE! PRACTICE! PRACTICE!
Practice alone, in front of your co-workers or significant other. Practice movements as well as the words. Know the material.

Choosing a Book

Choose a book that has a subject that you are interested in and that will be interesting to teens. Subjects that interest them haven't changed, at least since the time of Shakespeare - humor and horror, sex and love, murder and magic, friendship and betrayal, and problems they deal with in their everyday lives (school, family breakup, violence, dating, illness, divorce, etc). Romances, mysteries, horror, popular authors, and books with great covers are typical good bets. REMEMBER, you want them to sit up and listen!

If you have trouble finding an interesting good book, try the following resources: ask your contemporaries, use Amazon or Barnes and Noble websites, library publications such as School Library Journal or VOYA, the YALSA website and their booklists for teens. Use older lists too. Quick Picks are a great resource for the younger adult.

Go to one of the many booktalking websites like this one (do a google search on "booktalking"), find a booktalk that engages your curiosity and try it. Remember, you don't have to finish the book if it isn't interesting.

Preparing a Booktalk

How do you prepare the booktalk? First, read the book, the whole book, even if you write the booktalk halfway through. Be sure it's a book you want to recommend.
Some people take notes as they read, especially when they find a page that is particularly engaging and only write the booktalk after they have read the book. Some stop & write the booktalk in the middle of reading when an idea for how to present the booktalk hits them. Experiment. Try it several ways and use whatever is best for you. As you read, be thinking about potential "hooks" - the hook is the key dramatic device of your booktalk. There may be more than one possible hook, find one that works for you and your style. We all do them differently.

Most booktalks begin with a hook. You want the listener to be interested from the start. A hook can also be nonverbal. You can mimic an action. Sometimes silence can be a great hook. In our modern day and age, teens are used to being entertained and having noise around them all the time. Silence, especially with an accompanying action, can rivet their attention.

Then, you have to keep them interested. Middle hooks can also be effective. If possible, plant hooks throughout the booktalk. An effective booktalk leaves at least one hook at the end.

Presenting the Booktalk

Arrive 10 to 15 minutes early to setup your books and relax a bit before talking. If possible, present in groups of at least two. That way one person can be preparing for his/her next booktalk while the other is giving a talk. Pay attention to the teens you are talking to and adjust your presentation as you judge necessary to appeal to the individual group. The amount of time you have for the booktalks often affects which books you talk and whether you give a longer or shorter booktalk.
Interactive booktalks, where you ask questions of the teens, are often helpful to draw the students into active participation. Timing and spacing are also important. Try not to rush through every booktalk. While some character booktalks require a quick pace, others are more effective when given at a more leisurely pace. Don't be afraid to use pauses, or sometimes complete silence. In our fast-paced world, silence and pauses can be riveting and create attention-grabbing curiosity . . . even if it is only in anticipation that you have messed up.

Move around as you talk, act out specific actions, and use props where appropriate.

End each booktalk with a "hook," hold up and display the book, and announce the title and author.

In general, booktalks should be no longer than 3-5 minutes, and it is a good idea to vary the length of booktalks throughout the session. Make sure that you have at least one booktalk that you can give in 1-2 minutes or can adjust in length at the end of the session if needed.

HAVE FUN!

Booktalking Tips from DinoSam

If a book doesn't call to you, don't booktalk it. If it does, do.

If a booktalk idea comes to you while you're reading, stop and write it down.

Learn the high points of your booktalk, don't memorize.

Embrace your mistakes. We learn more by our failures than by our successes. If you make a mistake, chances are you'll be the only one that knows anyway. If the teens catch your mistakes, own up to it.

Be aware of your pace, timing, inflection, expressions, and tone and vary them as needed. Sometimes, silence is very effective. For instance, one booktalk I do starts as follows:
Reach out for staff/walking stick. Stagger as you grab it and almost fall. Use staff to keep you upright, but unsteady. Look up at the staff and then around the ceiling as if in confusion. Look back at the staff, again questioning. "Ah, the early 21st century." Look back around the room in wonder, then at the audience as if seeing them for the first time. Oh! Sorry. Even after so many years, time travel can still be disorienting..."
And on with the booktalk. Which leads into...

Don't be afraid to do something new and outrageous. Try something challenging and unique. I was terrified the first time I tried the booktalk above but it went over great. In fact, my co-booktalker even started to get up to help me when I staggered.

Overact, especially when the situation may call for underacting. Underact, especially when the situation is obviously dramatic. In other words, keep them off balance.

Don't be afraid to break the "booktalking rules" if it makes sense for a particular booktalk. These rules are really guidelines that make sense in most, but not all, situations.

Listen to other booktalkers and storytellers every chance you get for new techniques.

Expand your genre horizons.

Listen to the recommendations of others but if you get through a few chapters of a book and it just doesn't feel right, put it down and try another.

Don't do all serious, or all comedic. Vary the type and length of booktalks during performances.

Be aware of and adjust your booktalks to appeal to particular audiences.

Involve the teens. Ask questions. Don't be afraid to wait for a response, usually one of them will break down before you do. But be prepared in case they never answer. Which does happen.

Be yourself! Whether you're reading, preparing the booktalk, or performing the booktalk, do it your own way.

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What is a Booktalk? A booktalk is NOT a review or a book "report." A book report tells somebody you read the book, a booktalk tries to convince the person to read the book. The key to booktalking is to "sell, don't tell." Thus, a booktalk is more of an advertisement or a commercial.

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Added to first grade.

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We used the criteria for teachers and students to start the conversation as to the components of an inspiring book talk.

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When you read a good book, it's only natural to want to share it. Booktalks are short, informal presentations designed to inspire others to read the same book. Word-of-mouth is extremely effective, and you'll see how much kids appreciate recommendations, especially from their peers.

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A completely leveled library was transformed into a nonfiction topic library. This allowed students to easily access books they are interested in reading1

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Shelves were reorganized to increase the space for the library and to add repurposed shelf.

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A mix of fiction and nonfiction was transformed into a nonfiction section. Students sorted books into categories over many "lunch bunches" and developed their own categories.

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The two chairs and lamp were donated from a local community business. The stool is a special piece donated from a retired teacher who always valued that every student is a reader!

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Furniture was cleared to allow easy access to library and to share a clear message, "We value our classroom library!"

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Shelves were cleared and organized into fiction bins and charts reflected the library space.

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Book bins are organized by topics and bin labels are designed by students.

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Leveled bins were reorganized into series bins. To include students favorites!

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School Kids Seating Squares by Teacher's School Supply

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School Kids Seating Squares by Teacher's School Supply

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A favorite of the second graders!

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5'4" X 7'8" This beautiful comfortable carpet made a wonderful addition to the library space.

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Sturdy well made stools for only $4.95.These stools are easily moved to use in small groups, partnerships or independent reading.

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Written in verse. Added to fifth grade.

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Charts were created with students.

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Added to fifth grade.

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Donated by Ripple through Lakeshore

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Notice books are only leveled with tiny labels on the baskets

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Nonfiction added to fourth grade.

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Addition of sports books was high on the list for fourth grade!

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After students created topics they added colored tape to the spine of each book that would be in that section. A chart was created to give students easy access to each section.

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Great Video to Share with Students to Get Started to Organize Books into Topics

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Great Video to Share with Students to Get Started to Organize Books into Topics

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Cult of Pedagogy Jennifer Gonzalez
Instructional Areas:
Quiet
Process
Collaboration
Create

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12 Ways to Upgrade Your Classroom Design | Cult of Pedagogy

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Money and space are not prerequisites for learning-friendly design. Try any one of these ideas to make your classroom a better place for students to learn.

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Lots of teachers are dumping their desks to make more space for student learning. While there's certainly nothing wrong with having a teacher's desk in your classroom (I was never bold enough to get rid of mine!), some teachers don't want a desk because it takes up so much room, attracts clutter, and rarely gets used because teachers never have time to sit down! The big question, though, is HOW do you do it? Where is all of that stuff supposed to go? Jennifer Gibbons from Teaching with Grace is here to share her method for staying organized without a teacher's desk.
When I student taught, it was next door to a classroom that had piles of stuff everywhere. The teacher had taken over the room. Students always learn better in a room that is not filled with distractions and where they feel as though they can move about without fear of knocking anything over. Which is why I have always tried to improve on my own organization.

Angela's site, The Cornerstone, has always been dear to my heart for this reason! Shortly after I began teaching, I found her original website and my classroom organization and management was FOREVER changed! This has always been the site for me to come to if I have an organization challenge.

As an organized teacher myself (after reading all of Angela's content over the years) I am always looking to improve in one area specifically: decreasing my space while increasing student space. In the beginning of my teaching career, I have to say that my space was way more than it should have been. I want to share with you how I have reduced my space. By limiting my space, my student's are able to move around the room to work, to use resources, and to focus on their learning.

One way that a lot of teachers have been decreasing their space is to get rid of their desks. I can understand this since it's big, bulky, and we hardly ever sit!

But, consider these points:

Where will you plan?

If you say your back table, will you be able to keep your stuff separate from your instructional materials?

Where will you keep your supplies?

Where will your personalized items be?

When you begin to think about it, it may be a better idea to simply replace your desk. Let me show you what I've done in my room that has worked wonders! To begin with, I have reduced my space to just a corner in my room. Here's my corner:

It's not even 1/8th of my entire classroom. Below you can see all of the student's space:

I even let them have my back counter. This is where we eat breakfast in the morning and where we do listening work station during our Daily 5 time.

I have taken the time to really organize all of my materials in the best possible way so that I am organized and not constantly in search of all of my materials and supplies while I should be teaching. Here's a close up of my desk:

I snagged a student desk that I have used for two years now as my desk. It is the perfect size for my computer. On top of the desk is also my container of FAVORITE writing pens and markers to grab from. Inside the desk is a desk organizer that I grabbed like this one:

I use this for organizing those important (but tiny) supplies: coins, dice, safety pins, etc. Underneath my desk are student files for the year. This is where my rubrics and portfolios for conferences are. They are always right at hand AND easy to take home if need be! The biggest help is my white 3-drawer container to the left of my desk. The top drawer holds ALL of my other writing implements (all grouped and organized): markers, pens, pencils, etc.). The middle drawer has index cards, note pads, rulers, and stickers. The bottom drawer holds any other miscellaneous items that used to be in my desk (gloves for winter recess and the like). On top of my drawers is my planner, containers for small daily used manipulatives, and my small group white board. All of these are the most highly used items at my back table.

If we come out just a little bit, you can see I utilize all of my space in my corner. On top of my filing cabinets, I have a file folder holder. This holds my 'To Do', 'To Grade', 'To File' folders. There is also a magazine holder that has my teacher clip boards and my giant sticker container.

The white tower is organized by days of the week for all of my instructional materials need that week. The black tray on top holds items to go to the office, to keep on hand, and small whole group activity games that I use throughout the year.

My bookshelves are one of the very best things that I have done. By stacking them (with permission from my custodians) I have reduced my corner a lot! But I still have all the same storage. If you look at the picture below, you can see how I have organized all of my read aloud books by subject. I use this drawer container for my poster markers, birthday treats, and other stickers.

To the left of my corner is my newest change and I love it! I place my printer on top so it's in easy reaching distance (but off of my student station). I have left the rest of the top empty because it's where my document projector (Elmo) lives during the year.

The top three spots hold (from left to right):

-Small group games and erasable pocket chart for instruction

-Small manipulatives and stamps for small group instruction

-Half personal items and half containers for paper clips, push pins, stapler, and tape

The middle row holds a container for alphabet dice and guided reading group containers. The bottom three spots hold (from left to right):

Homemade Whisper Phones and extra headphones (computer station is directly to the left of this shelf)

Pointer fingers and sorting boxes for groups; alphabet and word building centers

Scott Foresman magnetic boards, alphabet dice, and listening CDs

Make sure you use that 'extra' bit of space! I placed a 3M hook on the side of my bookcase so that my purse will not be on the floor. It works perfectly! I am totally that type of teacher to trip over things that I leave in the floor. Plus it looks messy to anyone who comes in the room if you have loads of stuff all over the floors. I also have my bulletin board squares in this spot. I hang up my 'gifts' from students here. They love to see their work on the wall!
Jennifer Gibbons authors the blog Teaching with Grace. She loves blogging about her classroom, teaching, and her life with her husband and two munchkins. This year is her 7th year in teaching, with the first four years spent in third grade and the last two in kindergarten. She loves to help her students dig deeper and really 'get' what they are learning. She's even spent two years helping to coach groups of students compete in their county's alternative energy competition building solar ovens! Being proactive is also very important to Jennifer to ensure her students' success. She has earned her Master's in reading as well as an endorsement in Gifted. You can connect with her on the Teaching with Grace Facebook page. Thank you for sharing these practical tips in such detailed and helpful way, Jennifer! If anyone has questions or feedback for Jennifer, please share in the comments.

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How to get rid of the teacher's desk AND stay organized!

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Lots of teachers are dumping their desks to make more space for student learning. While there's certainly nothing wrong with having a teacher's desk in your classroom (I was never bold enough to get rid of mine!), some teachers don't want a desk because it takes up so much room, attracts clutter, and rarely gets used ...

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It is interesting how each of the classrooms in the project has taken on a life of their own. With this post, I will be focusing on just one of the classrooms, and then in future posts, I will highlight additional classroom progressions. The fifth-grade students have been the most energetic, thoughtful, and innovative. They have had many conversations regarding room design, sharing favorite reads, and on the organization of books. Here are some of their latest discussions.
Room Design
Two main points were discussed in regards to room design. First and foremost a comfy reading nook and then making the currently open library area into a more enclosed space. This will be partially accomplished with the beautiful new seating that will be ordered through a very generous donation from Ripple on Donor's Choose . If you are on Twitter check out the hashtag #BestSchoolDay! Over 35,000 projects were funded in one enormous $29 million dollar act of generosity. Every teacher that had a project was funded! That means that two projects we had proposed for the Classroom Library Project were fully funded!!! Check out some of the awesome seating that will be arriving in some of the classrooms! What a wonderful way to support teachers and students.
Sharing Favorite Reads
While leaving one of the elementary buildings last week I spied a metal book display stand that rotates. It was in mint condition, without any books on it, and just sitting in the hallway. I stopped in my tracks and hovered around it for a little while. Someone surely wasn't just getting rid of this book stand I thought. After a couple of inquiries, I found out it was up for grabs. So I brought it down to store in my office, as I knew I would find a good home for it. It didn't take long, the fifth graders decided to have a "Must Read" rack. Perfect, it had found a home! Once students finish a book that they thought another classmate might enjoy they will add it to the display on the new rack. One step further with this idea, the students would like to paint an existing metal heater cover, which is about eight feet wide and 3 feet tall, with whiteboard paint. The heater would be a place students could share their ideas about their recommendations and hopefully hook a few readers to grab their next read. Fantastic idea - right?
Organization of Books
After a few growing pains, (finding books that have been relocated in the library) they decided to keep the fiction and nonfiction books in separate locations within the library. In each section, the books will be stored in labeled bins. The fiction section would be organized primarily by series and author. In the nonfiction section, the books will be organized by topic or theme, with each bin alphabetized on the shelf. Sets of three to four books of the same title, that are used for book clubs currently take up "prime real estate" space in the library and will be moved to a different area out of the way. It was decided that each book will be labeled with a colored label on the spine of the book. Some books may have multiple labels if they fit into more than one bin. A color coded chart will be displayed in the library and also available to students in their individual binders to direct readers as they make independent reading choices. Wow, what great organizational ideas and all student driven!

Last but not least, Rewarding Reading with... Reading! The students are going to create a large Kerplunk game in the reading area. If you are younger than 40 you may have not played this game before. In my younger days, it was a family favorite. When someone finishes a book, one read at home or at school, they will pull a stick out which will loosen the balls resting on the sticks. The student then writes their name on a list. Once many sticks have been pulled and all the balls drop there will be a reward for all the readers! Some of the rewards that were discussed were, having the principal come and read her favorite book. Perhaps having a flashlight party while the classroom lights are dimmed and everyone reads by flashlight. Have an entire school day devoted to choice reading, hard copy texts or audio books. Inviting a local author to come in and have them read to the class. Buddy reading with a younger class is always a treat. These are just a few ideas. Please share any of your ideas you have tried with rewarding reading with READING!

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Classroom Library Makeover Some New Surprises

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It is interesting how each of the classrooms in the project has taken on a life of their own. With this post, I will be focusing on just one of the classrooms, and then in future posts, I will highlight additional classroom progressions. The fifth-grade students have been the most energetic, thoughtful, and innovative.

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Northshire Books in Saratoga NY donated books. Books were also ordered from Booksource.

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Booksource Classroom is a FREE, classroom library management tool that helps teachers inventory, manage and analyze their classroom libraries.

Powered by Booksource's robust title data, Booksource Classroom allows teachers to maintain an online inventory of their books, access title information and reading levels, monitor student reading habits, discover gaps in their classroom libraries and easily purchase titles to fill those gaps.

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Booksource Classroom is a FREE, classroom library management tool that helps teachers inventory, manage and analyze their classroom libraries. Powered by Booksource's robust title data, Booksource Classroom allows teachers to maintain an online inventory of their books, access title information and reading levels, monitor student reading habits, discover gaps in their classroom libraries and easily purchase titles to fill those gaps.

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It's All About the Books by Tammy Mulligan and Clare Landrigan

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It's All About the Books by Tammy Mulligan and Clare Landrigan

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Through Donor's Choose we were able to receive comfortable seating. We also received donations from school and community organizations!

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About us

Founded in 2000 by a high school teacher in the Bronx, DonorsChoose empowers public school teachers from across the country to request much-needed materials for their students. Right now there are thousands of teacher requests that you can help bring to life with a gift of any amount.
Read the story

Support teachers and students with a

Monthly Donation

Choose a new project every month.

We'll charge you once a month, and you handpick the projects you want to support. No time to pick? We'll use your donation to help an urgent teacher request.
Support teachers monthly

Transparency & Efficiency

We know that you care about how effectively your donation is being used. That's why we show you how every dollar was spent, how you made a difference, and how grateful the students and teachers are!

We've received the highest possible ratings from:
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The most trusted classroom funding site for teachers

As a teacher-founded nonprofit, we're trusted by teachers, donors, administrators, and partner organizations across the country.
Learn how to get funded

Looking to help out? There are thousands of exciting teacher requests that would benefit from a donation of any size!
Find a request to support

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DonorsChoose: Support a classroom. Build a future.

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DonorsChoose connects teachers in high-need communities with donors who want to help.

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Colored Masking Tape for Easy Book Returns

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Colored Masking Tape for Easy Book Returns

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Colored masking tape was added to spines of books and then coordinating color added to organizational chart and bin label for easy reshelving.
https://www.staples.com/colored+tape/directory_colored+tape

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First Grader's response on reveal day...

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First Grader's response on reveal day...

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"Wow, is this for us?"

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Students in fourth and fifth grade recorded book recommendations on Vocaroo and created QR codes to be added to inside of books for classmates

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Vocaroo is a quick and easy way to share voice messages over the interwebs.

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It is amazing to think that we are this far along in the process with the Classroom Library Project! The students have organized books into categories, topics, author, and series bins. They have made creative labels for the bins. Now it is time to think about where the gaps are in the titles and what books do students want to add to their wish lists. It is wonderful to see how students in every classroom that received a makeover took ownership in their library and made suggestions on how to fill the gaps. As you may have guessed in many of the libraries in an elementary classroom the fiction section is abundant and the nonfiction section is sparse. It is definitely not up to the standards of having 50% fiction 50% nonfiction. When talking with students some of the gaps that students wanted to fill were animals, sports, history, weird but true, graphic novels (not my favorite but it truly is theirs) and fantasy. So we set to work looking for the latest and greatest titles.

First, when looking for new engaging titles we started by having the school librarian come into the classroom and discuss her process for choosing new books and listened to her suggestions for new texts. After that, we went online to find some resources that would recommend books. Some of the places we visited were; , Mr. Schu Reads , The New York Times Children's Book Section , Pernille Ripp's Favorite Books, to name a few. Facebook is another resource; Units of Study in Reading, Pernille Ripp's Passionate Readers Group and many more. Often teachers will pose specific needs when looking for books to fill a gap and within minutes other teachers share their favorite picks.

Once specific titles had been decided then the process started for the actual ordering of books for specific classroom libraries. In order to determine if certain texts are appropriate and interesting to students, I visit Common Sense Media. If you haven't found Common Sense Media yet please stop and visit. This tool has many components to support educators, students, and families. Along with fantastic digital citizenship resources this online tool shares information on apps, books, and video games so that educators can decide if a book is engaging and appropriate for students. Please watch the screencastify to view the features available to educators on Common Sense Media. https://youtu.be/IRXrpPrgLbM

The last step is choosing a vendor. Booksource is an ordering website that I often use that has thousands of current titles and saves districts 25% on all titles. It is a great way to save money to buy more books! Please check back in to see the books as they arrive!

Posted in: Uncategorized

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Classroom Library Project Part V Time to Order the Books

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It is amazing to think that we are this far along in the process with the Classroom Library Project! The students have organized books into categories, topics, author, and series bins. They have made creative labels for the bins.

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Yesterday morning I took a group of fourth and fifth-grade teachers to visit the classroom library that received a makeover. Before taking the trip down the hall to visit the library, I showed a few "before" pictures and suggested that the visiting teachers take note of the library's location in the room, the teacher's footprint, and the teaching charts in addition to the library itself. With that, we were on our way.

Being mindful of how disruptive the arrival of 8 adults can be to class instruction, I had planned to quietly and discreetly show the teachers the library. I knocked on the door, and the hosting teacher waved us in. We began to make our way to the library, now situated in the corner across from the classroom door when the teacher and her students stopped what they were doing and eagerly told us about their new and improved library!

Organizational Shifts Lead to Shifts in Thinking

The first thing the teacher shared was that the students were involved in this library every step of the way! She explained, "My students were the ones who took the most active role. They had a say in how they wanted their library to be organized." This was clear once the students started telling the fourth and fifth-grade teachers about their library. They beamed as they shared how we (the teacher, students and I) reorganized their book bins. They talked about how we took the nonfiction texts and made their bins labels more specific. For example, students decided that rather than have bins labeled "Animals", they sorted the books into 2 piles labeled "Fierce predators" and "Pets".

In the fiction section, the students requested that we move away from organizing books by reading level. "We took the books out of the leveled bins and put them in piles by topic and theme," one student explained. Unlike bins organized by a reading level, labels such as "Girl Power" and "LOL" excite students and motivate them to pick up the books in the bin. One student shared: "I like the topics better than levels. They make it easier to find a book I want to read." The new organization encourages students to read more of a type of book they enjoy.

The classroom teacher shared that the students' strong desire to move away from leveled bins lead her to rethink the role levels play in her class. She shared, "This experience shifted my thinking about levels. I realized that the levels restrict students when selecting books to read." Her responsiveness to her students and willingness to let them take the lead gave them true ownership of their new library.

A Library That is Both Inviting and Functional

The students discussed how much more colorful and appealing the library is now. They proudly showed off the bin labels they created explaining the reason for their design choices. They explained their new system for organizing books using colored and patterned masking tape. "See how the tape on the spine of the book matches the tape in the corner of the label. That's how the librarian knows where to put the book" explained a student. They went on to explain their decision to add a "Book return" bin and have the class librarians be in charge of reshelving the books. They also drew our attention to the chart we created together last week entitled "How to Care for our Classroom Library."

New Discoveries and Excitement for Reading Workshop

The process of reimagining their library introduced students to all the books it contained. As one student shared, "Wow! We have so many books that I never knew we had before!" Not only did the makeover process generate excitement about books, it reaffirmed the students' passion for reader's workshop. A student explained that because of the library makeover she feels "...excited and encouraged to read more!" The classroom teacher shared how the library project gave her reading workshop a boost. She added that the project was a great team and community building experience for her students.

The Best Professional Development on Classroom Libraries

The 4th and 5th-grade teachers grinned from ear to ear as the kids told them about their library. By the time we returned to my office, the teachers were truly excited and inspired to reimagine their own classroom libraries with their students.

Discussion of classroom libraries has been a large part of our professional learning around Reading Workshop. We have read about libraries, examined photographs and visited classrooms in other districts. But hearing students from our school community talk about their library made the power of a student-centered and run libraries come alive!

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Yesterday morning I took a group of fourth and fifth-grade teachers to visit the classroom library that received a makeover. Before taking the trip down the hall to visit the library, I showed a few "before" pictures and suggested that the visiting teachers take note of the library's location in the room, the teacher's footprint, and the teaching charts in addition to the library itself.