Part 4: Organizing my Classroom Library

So here is the beginning of my classroom tour. The only part of my classroom that is completed is my library. I will break down how I organize my classroom library for you.

How did you acquire so many books?
This is an important question because as we know, teachers don't make enough money to just go to Barnes and Noble and buy every book we want. I have received my books from multiple sources.

The first place I bought many of my books was from www.Scholastic.com. At scholastic, you can put out your monthly flyer and buy books for yourself, as well as parents can buy books. For every book purchased, you will earn bonus points. These bonus points can be used to buy books, cds, technology and a variety of teaching supplies and furniture.

The other place I bought most of my books for SUPER cheap was through book sales. Libraries across the country hold book sales once or twice a year to get rid of books that have been donated to them that they don't need. Many of these books are in just slightly used condition and there are a lot of great, high quality books. At my book sales in NH, the children's books are usually only 25 cents. You can find book sales in your area by going to www.booksalefinder.com.

The final place that I received some of my books was from a teacher that retired prior to me moving into her room. I recommend that you pay attention to anyone you might know that are retiring. Most teachers that are retiring do not take all of their books with them and they might be willing to give some to you.

How do you sort your books?
I sort my books through a variety of levels and subjects. Some of my books are sorted by author, such as: Dr. Seuss, Robert Munsch, Leo Lionni, Eric Carle, etc. Some of my books are sorted by title, such as: Magic School Bus, Clifford, Curious George, etc. I have many books sorted by theme, non-fiction and guided reading levels. To determine a books guided reading level, I used two different websites/apps. Book Wizard by Scholastic is very effective and just requires you to type in the title. You can find Book Wizard here: www.scholastic.com/bookwizard/ . I also used the app, "Level it." Level it allows you to just scan the barcode on the back of the book or manually type in the title. This app is still working on adding many titles, so there are some titles that cannot be found when you scan for them.

Where did you get your labels?
You can buy my labels in either zebra print (shown in my classroom) or in blue chevron print. Sadly, they will not be able to include the books by author or title because it is considered copyright infringement. However,  there will be blank labels for you to write them in. The next 5 people to follow my blog or leave a comment on my blog will receive their choice of my chevron or zebra library labels for free!

My zebra labels can be found here: http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Library-Book-Bin-Label-Zebra-Print-1389433

My blue chevron labels can be found here: http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Library-Book-Bin-Label-Blue-Chevron-1389328

Where did you buy your bins?

 These green and pink bins are from ReallyGoodStuff. You can find them in a variety of colors here:
http://www.reallygoodstuff.com/durable-book-and-binder-holders/p/160103/

Also, these bins are 20% off this weekend!

The top bins are from Lakeshore Learning, but I spray painted them turquoise. You can see my post about spray painting them here:
http://coordinatedclassroom.blogspot.com/2014/07/spray-paint-galore.html

The green bins are from the Dollar Tree. They are the perfect size for chapter books!

The pink bin with my reading buddies is from Walmart by Sterilite. The turquoise bin is from Target by Sterilite. The pink lap desk is from Michael's and will be used for our library center during learning stations. The white bins are from Walmart, also by Sterilite.

Any other questions? Post them here and I'll be happy to answer! :)

Enjoy  the sunshine,
Jessica