Sara Margaret West-March/April Post-Chapter 5

    Having an organized classroom library is a key component to a reading classroom.  Although my library is very organized and labeled at the beginning of the year, I tend to let it go as the weeks pass by.  I do have it separated into fiction and non-fiction, but by this point in the year my nicely labeled bins may or may not contain what they say.  After reading this chapter, I have been encouraged to change the chaos that is my current library.      
     Classroom libraries are one of those things that will constantly need work and constantly need change.  I value that fact that Routman points out that students should invest their time into the organization of the classroom library.  She also brings up the point that allowing students to organize the library allows them to find books they would be interested in reading.  As I read about having the students organize the library, I cringed a little.  I like to have control and have things the way I would like them, which, I know, goes totally against what she is saying.  So, my goal is to let go a little and allow my students to organize (my teeth are clenched as I type this).  Hopefully this will allow students to see what all is available to them in the classroom and will help me get reacquainted with books that are in my library.
     Building the classroom library is something I need to work on.  Yes, funds are limited and books can be expensive, but I need to try and find grants out there that will help me continue to build the library.  Occasionally I will go to the public library and purchase some books that are on sale for a quarter. The problem with that is most of them are not current.  They are wonderful books but can be dated. I also need to purchase more non-fiction books so my students can build their background knowledge. I was very intrigued when I read about the test scores of McDonough and Fox and how they teach reading from all non-fiction texts.  It really does make sense to use non-fiction texts during guided reading.  Those texts can provide students with background knowledge that will help them comprehend other texts.
     This chapter has given me many ideas and improvements to make to my classroom library.  Over time I want to use rain gutters to display student's book recommendations.  I also plan on creating a list of books we want to read and books we have read.  We are studying Westward Expansion next in Social Studies, so I plan on finding non-fiction texts to make available to my students so they can build their background knowledge. I know this will take time, but I can start by allowing my students to organize the library!