Checklist for classroom/area libraries. DRAFT. Faye Bolton, Diane Snowball 2009-10-11WMR Establishment of Classroom Libraries DRAFT
Checklist to guide the establishment and evaluation of classroom or area libraries
DRAFT
‘Research supports the notion that the books students choose to read and enjoy the most come from their classroom library. We need to recognise that the classroom library is the most significant library in children’s lives.’ —Dr. Linda Gambrell, Clemson University.
President of the International Reading Association (2007-08)
Students who have easy and frequent access to worthwhile reading resources are much more likely to read more often. More frequent reading leads to improvement in reading and in all areas of literacy across all domains. Although many secondary school libraries are much more developed, often with more than one qualified librarian to help students select books and other reading resources, thought needs to be given to making the resources more available to students on a continual basis and for independent reading to easily be part of the curriculum in English classes and in sessions in other domains.
Classroom and area libraries ARE NOT meant to replace school libraries but to work in conjunction with central libraries of all types to encourage students’ reading development and enjoyment. Librarians are an important part of this work and can provide a great deal of guidance to the establishment and success of classroom/area libraries.
The following checklist can be used to help guide the establishment of classroom or area libraries in primary and secondary schools. It can also be used to help schools evaluate what they currently have and to set future goals for improvement.
Obviously no two schools are the same and there are aspects of this checklist that may not suit every situation. So common sense should prevail. Administrators and teachers need to think of solutions to achieve goals that will support students’ growth in independent reading – in the time they spend reading and in the quality and variety of their reading – rather than to simply say that the following ideals are not attainable.
The more that students are involved in the establishment, organisation of and monitoring of the classroom and area libraries the more they will be interested in reading and in maintaining the libraries in ways that are useful and attractive for all students to use. The more ownership they have the more they will appreciate what the worth of the libraries.
Key: *A = achieved
*B = in progress
*C = date to be established by
Checklist for the Eestablishment and uUse of Classroom/Area LibrariesyAll schools are different. One size doesn’t fit all.
Different set-up in an open learning area. / *
AAchieved / In Progress*B / *
C Date to be achieved by
DESIGN AND POSITION OF CLASSROOM/AREA LIBRARY
The classroom library is iscan be clearly visible and attractive
There is a comfortable area for several students to sit and read (if sufficient space beside or in a nearby area).
Chairs, sofas, rLibrary shelves, rugs,(?) or other furniture define a special the reading area (if sufficient space).
Equipment for listening to or reading along with resources on ipods, CD-ROMs, DVDs etcComfy chairs, listening posts, is available nearby
There is not enough room in many small classrooms
Carpet companies sometimes donate, cushions
Bookshelves are both traditional and open-faced . Cost, space.
M(may be movable on wheels)
Literacy displays, including posters to encourage an interest in reading or about authors, etc.,include class charts reflecting those found in public libraries: charts about the borrowing system, students’ personal interests, students’ recommendations, wish lists, author information, etc add to the appeal of the library ….
Window ledges and other areas are , book cornersbeing used to display books, magazines etc.
Posters, noticeboards
Literacy props, e.g. flannel boards and puppets are available for re-enactments.
Word walls
Visual reminders about– comprehension straartegies, grammar etc. support students reading
NATURE OF COLLECTION
The implication is that the same students are in the same room. This is not the case in many 2ndry schools at the moment and needs to be put in place for libraries to work.
High quality, physically attractive books, and magazines. and other resources
Scope for students to bring own books, etc
Free magazines, catalogues, etc such as JB HiFi – DVD magaziness
A wide variety of texts that are personally interesting and appropriate for students’ age ranges and personally relevant to individual students.
Engaging texts representing a wide variety of genres, topics, authors and types (books, magazines, catalogues, books-on-tape/CDs, Graphic novels and newspapers, etc …)
A wide variety of topics, authors, and reading levels to accommodate individual reading needs, thus ensuring each student the opportunity to experience success. (Icl. Graphic novels and newspapers.
Cannot fit all of this into onea portable library but can do it across all sets.)
A balance between fiction and factual texts. (About half the collection should be devoted to factual texts, with this percentage increasing as students move through the grades.)
Why?
Small specialised sets of books related to a topic being studied, current events, or an area of great interest to individual or groups of students. More related to different KLA areas in relevant rooms. (Note: Consider how to organise when all year level classes are studying same thing at same time.)
Hard to organise when all Year 7 are doing same thing at same time. Need to look at how thisis organised.
Reference books such as dictionaries (both traditional and visual), dual language dictionaries, CD ROM encyclopedias, specialiszed visual encyclopedias, and thesauruses.
Sets of plays, poetry, novels.
Multiple copies of popular titles for students to read together, such as sets .
Uused for Literature cCiircles or pairs of students with same interests
Texts that reflect cultural and linguistic diversity; acknowledging the background experiences of culturally diverse students.
Some
Ttexts that reflect the issues of the day, themes being sstudied
Junior and Senior levels
Student-published texts in English and other community languages. (?)
A ‘core’ collection available throughout the year (e.g. references) and a ‘revolving’ collection that changes every few weeks, based on the topics being studied, author studies, and the students’ current interests. (In secondary schools consider Wwho looks after this when teachers move from room to room. What can students do to assist?)?
Popular series and books by popular children’s Young Adult Literature / teenager’s authors, with resources to suit all necessary reading levels.
(Critical to have this). Not old yelloed cast offs. Needs funding.
Get low literacy texts too if possible.
SIZE OF COLLECTION
It’s important toDependent on where books are secured.
Needs to be paraphrased – really it’s about haveing enough books for studentskids to choose from or to have an everchangingever-changing collection.
NOTE: There is no readily agreed-upon formula for an adequate number of classroom library books. Some experts recommend at least eight per student (Fractor, Woodruff, Martinez, & Teale, 1993), while others suggest 10-12 titles per student (Reutzel & Fawson, 2002). Allington and Cunningham (1996) recommend 700-750 books for primary-grade classrooms and 400 for upper-grade rooms.
It’s More important to have change- over of material rather than all being on display all the time; t. Too much material is daunting and stops face-out rather than spine display.
Encourage studentkids to bring in own books as well to/ share within the class.
In the classroom library there is a minimum of tenten four? titles available for each student in younger primary grades in younger grades, with fewer titles available for older students (perhaps at least 4 per student).
(Obviously this needs to be a goal with budgeting for future purchases as required or reorganising of what is already available in other parts of the school. Planning wisely is essential.Too many
100 – 200
We’re hoping for 150 across three portable libraries– not enough money)
ORGANISATION AND MANAGEMENT OF COLLECTION
(Note that students should be involved in this both for ownership purposes and to also assist teachers and librarians with the work involved)Who does the organosation?
The classroom library is organised in a way that supports students’ text selection . (Clearer definition required.for interest and levels of difficulty)
Face out display works best
STUDENTS are involved in selecting grouped the texts in the classroom library using theirsuitable selection criteria, such as funny, girls’ books, Social Studies/Science topics, poetry, science fiction, award winning, author, playwright, series, hot topics, etcs …). Thought needs to be given to interests across range of students using the collection.
Not always necessary, can be annoyng or restriciting when they get jumbled up by other students from different classes.
Most of the books, magazines, etc … are arranged with their covers facing outwards. They may be pPortable, in boxes, rather than just long shelves. This requires a balance of numbers vs. appeal and accessibility.
Needs more space to be able to do this. Not practical in the space we have.
Depends on size of room, furniture etc.
If you have an old 50s type school having books facing into the corridor is excellent.
The students (or the school) developed a borrowing system, published and displayed the procedures involved. (If all dDone by teachers there is lack of ownership by students and more work for teachers. Librarians should also be involved. It may be Linked to library borrowing system.
Depends if your library is organising for you.
Linked to library boroowing system, so NOT relevant
The organisation and signage invites borrowing and browsing, such as indicators of new books, recommended resources by students and teachers, etc..
New books etc.
There is a display area to highlight books and other materials and students change the displays frequently, with some help from teachers as necessary.
Students with some adult input otherwise ‘same old’ keeps appearing.
Not possible but can have general displays about books.
Student Trained (who does the training??) library monitors are may be responsible for managing the borrowing system and displays (if possible school librarians can help with training or ask students to think about suitable ways to do this; consideration needs to be given for systems to suit the range of use).
Less likely to work in secondary schools.
Doesn’t work with changing classes.
Weekly rosters
The term Classroom Library is not always appropriate to use in sec. school it is more “reading time” in class or open plan library areas or in the school library.
Must remember school libraries are much more developed in most secondary schools with often more than one qualified librarian to help kids.
Reading Aloud to Students
Books from the classroom/area library are may be selected by students and or the teacher to be read during Read Aloud sessions, thus introducing providing students access to an increasing number and type of resources to read independentlybooks.
Don’t use Big Books
. Sometimes just parts of a text may be read aloudSnippets as an invitation to entice reluctant readers.
Shared Reading
SmallMultiple copies (Where are these purchased, housed? of the small format of enlarged texts used for Shared Reading are in the classroom/area library for students to select to read independently or, with buddies., … (T Big bookshe enlarged texts used for SR shouldmay also be available in classroom library..) / Funding hard with so many KLA’s
Guided Reading
Some cCopies of texts read in Guided Reading sessions are kept in theavailable in the classroom/area library for some students to select to read independently, although if the purposes for guided reading sessions require unseen texts then such texts may not be placed in the libraries. / Too hard
Independent Reading
To optimise time spent reading during Independent Reading, each student has pre-selected a variety of texts from the classroom/area library. These are and pplaced somewhere that means they are easily located and readily available any time students have to engage in independent reading. In primary classrooms this is them in their personal book bag/box/folder.
Students are taught how to select appropriate reading resources depending on their purposes for reading, including knowing how to select easy, just-right and challenging texts.
Some time is set aside on a regular basis for students to change or replenish independent reading texts, with students realising that this can also occur at other times as necessary. (This needs to suit the scheduling etc of secondary schools in particular.)
(Something suitable for secondary students, not babyish) Most texts selected are at their independent Reading level: 95%+ accuracy, with an understanding of what is beingthey read.
Teachers monitor students’ selection of suitable texts, variety of genres, authors, etc being read and the time frame for reading texts, through observation, use of reading logs and conferences with students and the teachers give guidance as necessary.
Needs to be monitored
Students don’t have ‘bags’
Only selected classes can borrow.
Current resources,time frame for holding onto books etc.
Our kids still use the whole school library per fortnight. They borrow 2 – 6 books – their choice. The whole school library is being pushed as the place for the newest, next inseries, knowledgable librarians to help with choice.
NB However, students may have also selected some ‘easy’ material and some more challenging material that they are interested in reading from the classroom library.
CR libraries as the place to ‘take a chance’ to reward yourself or take the pressure of if you left your book at home / Selection time at the start.
Primary sStudents have time to read texts selected from the classroom library for sustained independent reading every day during the Reading Block.
(Students need time to read independently every day. Most authorities recommend at leastbout 20 minutes of uninterrupted time is necessary to ‘get lost in a book’.)
Secondary students have time to read texts selected from the school library and area library for sustained independent reading every day either in English classes, during sessions in other domains or at some time designated by the school. Tricky. How do we push this outside of English, better to concentrate on Englich SOSE??
Not every day/ maybe every class. (Not timetabled for subject every day)
Primary sStudents are provided with opportunities for engaged, sustained reading of texts from the classroom library across curriculum areas (beyond the Reading Block) throughout the school day: for pleasure, for information, to perform a task.
During the time allocated for sustained independent reading of texts from the classroom/area library, teachers monitor students’ reading and provide explicit feedback to students about their strengths and needs during reading conferences.
Great for wet weather days.
Lunch time activities?
Take-Home Reading Program
Teachers promote independent Reading beyond school: students continue reading texts selected from classroom/area library outside school hours. (Obviously the borrowing policy affects the success of some aspects of this and some students need to be taught ways to remember to take some items to school, just as we all have ways to remember certain tasks.)
Borrowing policy put into place
Problem with accountability
Difficulty in letting students take books home. Not returned. Other kids reading same book in Indep. Reading time.
Conversations About Books
Students have multiple opportunities to respond to their reading and interact with their peers about the texts they are readingbooks, articles … they have read from the classroom library, through a variety of activities such as book clubs, whole class and group and partner discussions.
Library offers this too.
BUDGET
Obviously necessary resources cannot be developed in a school without appropriate budgeting and budgets are allocated according to the importance of experiences necessary for students to become successful in all areas of literacy. Sometimes it is possible to reorganise current resources so that they are being used more wisely across a school and there are other ways to find reading materials than to only buy them or to purchase them in the most expensive ways.
Appropriate mMoney is allocated in the school’s budget to add to materials available for classroom/area library collections and necessary furniture, etc. (This will vary depending on the original state of the collection, furniture, etc and the stage of development in setting up appropriate resources for students’ independent reading. At different stages of a school’s development budgets are allocated according to needs at that time.)
When, How much?
Most schools have to take this from somewhere else
Needs shelving and hardware too. / Prep to Yr 12 school –
10 items per student x 650 kids x changing material every 2 – 4 weeks, almost impossible.
A variety of means is used to find alternative funding for reading materials for classroom collections, e.g. unsold magazines from newsagents, visits to thrift shops, and ‘wish lists’ that parents or community members who wish to and can afford to purchase classroom-reading materials can consult, donations from past students who may no longer need books they read when younger, etc.
Who does this? Time allowance?
Everyone who buys/donates a book has an acknowledgement in the book.
Request for donations in school newsletters
Wouldn’t work for our parents finances/language
REFERENCES