Classroom libraries are becoming more popular in schools across the nation. No longer do students have to go to a school library to get books of their choice. Instead, students can conveniently grab a book right from their classroom library. With the horror of of skimming through the shelves of a large library, and going through the lengthy checkout process, Students are able to choose books from a wide range of genres and topics.
Teachers who incorporate the use of classroom libraries in their instruction are more effective at teaching reading strategies. Teachers can help students build better reading habits both in the classroom and at home. When students spend more time reading, their reading fluency increases. A study by Anderson & Nagy (1992) estimated that children learn an average of 4,000 to 12,000 new vocabulary words each year as a result of book reading.
To encourage student reading, teachers should make classroom libraries fun and inviting. Here are some tip for setting up an engaging classroom library.
1. Create an attractive and inviting setting for your library.
Teachers should choose a nice, quiet area in the classroom to set up the library. This area should be away from the main instructional area. Teachers can add bean bags, small chairs, carpet, and stools for students to sit and read. These items should only be used for the reading area. Besides books, teachers can incorporate other reading tools such as magnifying glasses, bookmarks, and reading logs. Although the library is away from the student area, it should be open and monitored by the teacher at all times.
2.. Classroom Libraries should be organized and purposeful.
There isn't anything worse than having a messy library. Books in the library should be organized and sorted b genre, language, topics, and perspective. The library should be leveled (A-Z) and contain a wide range of reading difficulty. Students should be encouraged to start books at their particular reading level and work their way up.
3. Teacher should set up guidelines for using the library
All of the students cannot access the classroom library at once, therefore, the teacher should designate certain times for library use throughout the school day. Specifically, the classroom library should be used main during the reading block. This the perfect time for students to work on their reading skills. Whether students are reading independently or with a partner, students should spend no more than 20 minutes in the library. This gives ample time for more students to use the library.
These are just a few tips for setting up a healthy reading environment. For more information about classroom libraries, please visit teacher.scholastic.com.
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