Last year, I felt my library was thrown together. It was leveled and then there was nonfiction and interest. Once I was hired permanently, I knew my library would be my prized jewel in my class.
For me, my library had to be organized, comfortable, and a place the kids wanted to hang out in. I also wanted them to have ownership over it. There are a few kids who organize it every few days, once a week minimum. We went over how the library is organized into genres, levels, series and/or authors. Each book has a label to help them know which box/shelf it goes back on.
I also wanted to make adding books to my library fun. Every time a Scholastic order comes in and I've added my name and the label, I make a big deal out of the new books. I think I've turned them into Pavlov's subjects because they see the box and get excited, lol.
There are a few things I do to get them excited. Depending on the books, I may read the blurb on the back. My favorite thing to do is line the books up on the whiteboard easel. Then I pull their name sticks aka The Sticks of Destiny, and they can come grab one of the new books.
It makes my heart happy to see them reading, or curled up in the library reading a book and smiling.
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