Regie Routman writes: Access to books and a wide variety of excellent reading materials and genres have the potential to do more increase student achievement than any advanced technology.
In our book, Intermediate Literacy Stations, you will learn how to use your classroom library as the hub of all of your station work. It's critical that intermediate readers have TIME in TEXT! It starts by setting up a well-organized classroom library. Here are some questions to think about when considering your own library:
Does your classroom library…Have at least 8–10 quality titles per student in your classroom?
Have tubs or baskets to house similar books by author, genre, or topic?
Give students easy access to books with titles facing outward and un-crowded shelves for easy browsing?
Have books representing multiple levels and interests to appeal to your students?
Allow students to check out books and take them home?
Include books that students have helped select?
Have current books that interest students?
Include comfortable places to sit and browse books?
Include multiple copies of popular titles to encourage group discussions?
Contain a variety of text (books, magazines, graphic novels, newspapers, etc.)
If you are just getting started building your literacy classroom, start here. Build your library well! Include your students in book selection when possible. Then you can create and introduce literacy activities that center around the reading your students are doing every single day.
