6th Grade Classroom Library Redesign

This is what the Book Nook looked like the week before school started. 

Summer 2015 Mission: Create an awesome class library and a cozy, inviting reading area for my 6th grade ELA classes.

My inspiration: The Book Whisperer by Donalyn Miller

Ultimate goal: To create a class full of bibliophiles. I want to instill the joy of reading in all of my students.

Background: Here is what my classroom library has looked like these past two years.

Please don't judge.

I was on survival mode.

This is my current reading corner.

It’s year two at my current school. I’ve had a different teaching partner each year.

Luckily, my current partner and I will be working together... indefinitely.

So far, here is my plan.

Step 1: Update class library

Shopping spree at the local Scholastic Warehouse. There was a sale the third week of May! This warehouse is an ELA teacher and bibliophile's paradise. I can’t wait for the December warehouse sale!

My tips: Give yourself a lot of time to shop. Use the restroom and eat a snack prior to shopping. Bring a water bottle. I easily spent three hours there, and I felt like I was rushing. Next time, I will give myself five hours to shop. Ask for a cart. I ended up with three full cases of books. The coupon for $25 off of $100 is a great deal. Register to attend the sale to get the coupon.

This is from my shopping spree!

Find a sale near you by going to the scholastic.com website and register using the link at the upper right hand corner. You’ll receive emails for the warehouse sales.

Step 2: Design the reading corner

A student survey indicated that students wish to see rugs, pillows, stuffed animals, bright or neon colors, a couch and other comfortable seating, like bean bags and bungee chairs. I’d like 24 beach mats in a tub so that we can read outside comfortably.

Current plan:

1) Use the whole front wall for the class library, along with one-third of the adjacent wall.

2) Remove two tables to make more open floor space.

3) Use rain gutters as shelves for displaying the front cover of novels. These will run along the walls above the cubbies and under the bulletin board in the reading corner.

4) Research different teacher and librarian blogs for ideas on setting up a reading corner.

Step 3: Organize class library books

1) Color code by genre

2) Reinforce the covers using Scotch Book Repair tape 2” (Place order)

3) Inventory novels

4) System to manage borrowing

Step 4: System to manage the class library

Sign out clipboards (See the first two photos) didn't work after about a month. Students kept forgetting to check in or check out books. So now it's on an honor system, which makes me a little nervous.

Some ideas that I'm toying with:

1) Bibliophile Binder with an inventory of all of the books.

2) Book lovers to help out **I need a cute name for these student helpers.

3) Use card stock strips with the students' names on it. As they borrow, the title of the book will be written on the card stock. This will be a book "bookmark" to show that a book has been borrowed. This would be a quick visual of which books are out on loan.

4) Have an honor system and cross my fingers that the books are eventually returned.

5) Use index cards with the student's names and the book borrowed. Signed and dated by the borrow. Managed by my student helpers.

6) Allow no more than 2 books borrowed at a time.

Miscellaneous ideas:

1) Literary Legacy - encourage students and families to donate books to the class library.

         Create a little sticker label with a space for the student’s name.

2) Reader's Corner/Book Nook/ Literary Lounge - I'd love a catchy, cool name.

Stay tuned for updates.

Any and all suggestions, links, and photos of your class library, reading area, and management ideas would be appreciated.

"Put It Out There!”

There he was! Graham Salisbury, author, speaker, and mentor, stood several feet in front of me draped in leis! About nine months ago, on September 14, 2014 I attended the premiere of the movie, Under the Blood Red Sun, at the Hawaii Theatre.

I was at the 100th Infantry Battalion Veterans’ “Meet and Greet” Reception with well-known author, Graham Salisbury, who was being inducted as an Honorary Member of the 100th Infantry Battalion Veterans organization 
http://www.100thbattalion.org/.

I watched as he smiled and greeted members of the 100th Infantry Battalion Veterans organization, fans and old friends. I wrestled back and forth with my desire to have a photo op with him. The formal program was about to begin. I had waited too long. Shucks!

I was so excited to sit in the second row. Graham Salisbury spoke about growing up in Hawai’i and discovering his love of reading at the age of 30! I made a mental note to share this with my students. It was never too late to love to read! He discovered he was a writer at the age of 40. He later chuckled as he said, “Revising is the best part of writing. Coming up with an idea for a book is the hard part.” What?! I couldn’t believe that I didn’t record this interview! I’ve missed so many great quotes that I could’ve shared with my students! I sat there disappointed and annoyed. No photo op or video clips of the interview. Sigh...

During the dinner reception, I watched as the President of the 100th Infantry Battalion Veterans organization, Lloyd Kitaoka, guided Graham Salisbury toward the dining area. It looked like they were headed to our table! My friend and I quickly glanced and smiled at each other. I couldn’t believe my luck! Lloyd brought him over and sat him down right next to me! I was so excited and so nervous! I reached out and touched my iPad. Maybe, I could finally get a photo with Graham Salisbury. I tried to keep my cool as we ate dinner and made small talk. He was so friendly, humble, and easy to talk to.

His passion for writing and revising were evident during our conversations. I shared that one of my student athletes was inspired to read his novel, Under the Blood Red Sun, after attending the Hawai’i premier of the movie (the DVD is now available). This student’s enthusiasm sparked other students’ interest in reading the novel. As a result, Under the Blood Red Sun is on our 2015 summer reading list. His eyes twinkled and he smiled as he spoke to us about his life, his writing, and his latest project. He was really excited about what he was currently writing, and hoped that it would be well received.

I asked him if, once his stories were finished and off to the publisher, did he ever miss the characters that had lived in his mind for so long? He smiled and said, “Just a little.” However, he had so many stories to write, there didn’t seem to be time to miss those characters. He enjoyed writing the Calvin series because he had a chance to continue to "live" with the character.

He and our librarian discussed the series and how much our younger students enjoyed looking at the map of Calvin’s neighborhood, since many of them were familiar with Kailua, Hawaii, on the island of Oahu.

As I listened and watched, it occurred to me that having Graham Salisbury share a personal message about revising, would inspire my students. I wavered back and forth. He was still eating his dinner, and I was nervous about his reaction. I wish that I could've whispered to my friend to ask what she thought, but she was sitting across the table. Finally, I built up my courage, took a deep breath, and put on what I hoped was a charming smile, and asked if he wouldn’t mind recording a short message for my students.

I held my breath as my friend looked over with a surprised expression. Graham Salisbury glanced over with a big smile and said, "Sure." To my delight, he seemed excited to do this. Forget the photo op! I get to have a video message with Graham Salisbury! I could barely contain my enthusiasm, as my friend fumbled with my iPad to record the message. I could tell that she was taken aback by my boldness or maybe his by willingness to do the video. It took several takes, but he was such a good sport. We laughed and rolled our eyes at each other between takes. He gave me a high-five at the end of the final take. He was just as excited as I was to watch the video message. We grinned and laughed as we watched the video. I couldn't believe my good fortune. My students are going to be thrilled. I couldn't wait to see the expressions on their faces. I will definitely record that.

During dinner he had asked me if I viewed myself as a writer. I shared that I was an aspiring blogger and that I had a list of what I wanted to write. However, taking the next steps to publish my thoughts publicly, still terrified me. His response? “Put it out there! Not everybody is going to like it, but that's okay. Just put it out there." At the end of the evening, Graham Salisbury gave me a warm hug, an encouraging smile, and challenged me. Smiling and pointing his finger, he said loudly, “Put it out there!” He then added, “I’ll read your blog soon, right?”

All I could do was clutch my iPad nervously. I nodded and smiled back, “Yes, yes. I’ll send you a link to the blog.” I turned to my friend who looked amazed at what had transpired.

Talk about anxiety! The pressure was on. I had a famous author, challenging me to write and take a risk. Knowing that he would be part of my audience was exciting and overwhelming. I reminded myself, as I walked to my car, that I asked my students to take risks every day. Now it was my turn for risk taking and putting myself out there.

Thank you, Graham Salisbury, for inspiring my students to find joy in reading and for encouraging them to view revising as the best part of the writing process. Mahalo nui loa for challenging me, their teacher, to just “Put it out there!”

So here it is...my 2nd blog. Inspired by Graham Salisbury, author, speaker, and mentor.

**Thank you for reading my 2nd blog. I would love comments, but I'm not sure what I did to block them. Please leave a comment on my twitter account @mrsdyr or at google+. With appreciation and aloha!

My 5 Reasons to Blog

Passions and Ponderings is my first attempt at blogging. Thanks to my EdTech friends for encouraging and challenging me to dive into the 21st Century. Needless to say, I am terrified, yet excited.

I often ponder about my passions, and these have become my 5 reasons to blog...

1. Teaching. This is my chance to document my thoughts and tinkerings in 6th grade English Language Arts and World History.

2. Learning. I am a lifelong learner. I enjoy reading the latest research on best practices and I’m a workshop/conference addict. I can’t wait to share my latest learning experiences, and the thoughts and tinkerings that have made their way into my classroom.

3. Food and Fitness are a daily battle in my life. Here are my challenges and successes as I fight to balance my love of cooking and eating, with my attempt to remain healthy and fit with walking, Zumba, swimming, and yoga. So far, food is winning this battle.

4. Travel. I am fascinated by the world, history, cultures, traditions, stories, and ethnic foods. Darn you, Andrew Zimmern and Anthony Bourdain, for igniting my passion and curiosity to eat my way around the world! China, Japan, Palau, Hawaii, Denmark, Sweden, and Canada are just a few of the places where I’ve had my own culinary adventures.

5. Inspirations are the quotes, art, music, places, people, events, and stories that fuel my passions and cause me to ponder about the fascinating world that we live in.

Stay tuned for more posts on Passions and Ponderings.

@mrsdyr

mrsdyr@gmail.com