One of the questions I see asked most often on educational forums and blogs is the following: How can I stock my classroom library? There are a ton of tips and tricks out there, but I have compiled a few for you here.
Many of you know by now that I am on a journey to start reader's workshop in my classroom. To support a reader's workshop, you have to support reading. And to support reading? You have to have books! You know the drill.
So, how do you build your library?
1. Take advantage of free book programs.
The Brown Bag Teacher recently wrote a blog post getting free books for her classroom library. If you live near a Half Price Books store, be sure to check out her blog post.
This program is not the only program that offers free books for classrooms. Check out First Book, a nonprofit organization that provides books to different organizations serving students from birth to age eighteen.
You can also start a project on Donors Choose. This website matches teachers with various donors that contribute money to classroom projects. The projects allow you to choose the exact books and resources you desire for your classroom. I've used Donors Choose in the past to receive stability balls as a flexible seating option. Starting a project is simple and painless!
If you serve in a low-income school, check out Kids Need to Read. The link will take you directly to the application page, which details the requirements to receive a donation.
Also, a quick Google search of "free books for the classroom" or "literacy grants for classrooms" will turn up all sorts of ideas.
2. Beg, Borrow, and Steal
Okay, maybe don't actually steal... but, beg and borrow all you want! I've been extremely lucky throughout my teaching career. I've moved into four different classrooms in the past four years, and each year, the teacher moving out of the classroom left a ton of great books behind. These teachers were moving to different schools (or becoming the district's new dyslexia therapist). Ask and ye shall receive. Mention that you would appreciate them leaving any books they don't need behind, and chances are, they will.
Does your school require you to pack classrooms away at the end of each school year? Does your hallway become a gold mine or treasure trove of gently used classroom materials? Don't be afraid to mention that you are looking for books, and don't be afraid to dig through those treasure piles. I've come across quite a few books in this way.
Also, put it out there into the universe. Post it on your Facebook wall, pester your parents, and remind your neighbors (who are now cleaning out their attic). Teachers need books, and most of the time, people will understand.
3. Start where you are. Use what you have.
Just about every commercially made basal program or reading curriculum comes with leveled readers. Are you pulling these each week to use during guided reading? Great! Put the ones you aren't using in your classroom library. Afraid your students will read it before they come to your table? Don't be. Repeated readings aid fluency. Let those babies read!
Did your school recently adopt a new program? Remember the previously mentioned leveled readers? Save them from the old program to stock your library. They may not be the classics you remember as a child, but your students will benefit from the wide reading that comes with a well-stocked classroom library.
It should also be mentioned that these books are usually already labeled with reading levels, making it easy to set up leveled book shopping (which we will talk about in a later post).
4. Online book programs
This one isn't free or even necessarily cheap, but I am including it in the list because it is awesome. Reading A-Z allows teachers to print leveled books to use during guided reading or in classroom libraries. If you need to be convinced, sign up for the free trial. You'll be glad you did.
5. Thrift Books
I recently discovered Thrift Books, and I wish I had known about it five years ago. There was many a mad dash to a bigger town in college to find books I needed to go with student teaching lessons. Thrift Books would have solved that problem. This website is an online thrift store for books. I tried to look up just about every book I could think of for different thematic units throughout the year, and all but one of the searches turned up what I was looking for.
The best part? Most of the children's books are less than five dollars, and if you spend more than ten dollars, the shipping is free.
(And side note, the site is also great for ordering the latest Liane Moriarty books for yourself. Just saying. Teaching little humans is daunting. Get yourself a good book or two, and sit in your favorite chair with a Diet Coke.)
6. Thrift stores, thrift stores, thrift stores.
Thrift stores, y'all. THRIFT. STORES. I wish someone had told me to hit up the local thrift store to find books for my class library when I first started teaching. This idea came from searching for my own books in thrift stores. I love digging through the shelves in thrift stores to find hidden gems. A good 85% of my Dr. Seuss collection came from thrift stores.
Not every thrift store is created equally. Trust me. Some thrift stores will allow you to walk away with a trunk-load of books. Others will have you dousing yourself in Germ-x and heading to the nearest Barnes and Noble.
I live in a small town in Mississippi. My favorite thrift stores around here are City Thrift in Tupelo, Mississippi and the Goodwill Bookstore in Southhaven, Mississippi. The Goodwill Bookstore will blow you away. Make the trip.
You may have to dig around, but I guarantee you will discover books you can use. Many of these books are in excellent condition. I have discovered books containing stamps from their previous classroom library homes. Doesn't it make you feel warm and fuzzy to give those books a new home in your classroom library?
A word to the wise: Go through your books before purchasing. It is a huge disappointment to come across books that make your teacher heart swell with excitement...only to discover they are missing pages or have scribbled pages. These disasters don't happen often, but beware, they do happen.
Most thrift stores offer discount days throughout the week for different types of price tags, and some even offer discounts for students or teachers. Just ask!
7. Use discounts when you can
Barnes and Noble offers a 20% discount for educators. Just go to your local store and ask to enroll in the educator program. Voila! 20% off your future Junie B. purchases!
I have actually found books at Micheal's, too. They are few and far between, but I love the ones I have found. They were part of some special book drive the store was doing, but I was able to use my 15% teacher's discount to purchase them.
8. Take care of the books you have.
This should be self-explanatory, but train your littles to take care of their books (i.e. your books). Create a book hospital in your library, and train your students to place books with torn pages or broken spines in the hospital. Choose a day each week to check the hospital, and bandage up your books with tape.
It also never hurts to hold a class discussion about how to handle books. Talk about what it means to take care of books, and create a culture of careful hands in your classroom.
I hope this helps you on your journey to create (or build) your classroom library. Once you have the books, we will talk about how to set it all up and invite your munckins to read, read, read!
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