Setting Up Your Classroom Library

Setting up a classroom library can be challenging and a lot of work! It is well worth it when you get your library all ready for the students, and make it easier to find books at their level.

Check out Beth Newingham's Classroom Library on her website. It is filled with beautiful pictures of her library, and great suggestions for setting up individual reading time.

Here are some things to remember about your classroom library. It can be sorted in two ways: by genre and subject, and by reading level.

Sorting By Genre/Subject: Using inexpensive tubs or bins (I always got mine at the dollar store, or target has some for $1.02) sort your books by the subject. You could have a science section with "Weather", "Animals", "Volcanos", "Dinosaurs", etc. You could sort by fiction and nonfiction. Many teachers like to have "Holiday Books", "Fairy and Folk Tales", and "Books About Friendship" as categories. I usually put my picture books into subject categories since most picture books are written at a level about my students reading level.

Sorting By Reading Level: Students can read books independently if they are matched with books that they can read with 95% accuracy. This is why it is important to have leveled books in your classroom library. The easiest way to level you classroom library is to use the free Scholastic Book Wizard. You can choose to level the books in your classroom library by Fountas and Pinell's Guided Reading Level (A-Z) or Grade Level Equivalent. The Grade Level Equivalent will look like 1.7, which means First Grade: Seventh Month.

Fountas and Pinell also have a book that helps you level a library. Inside are lists of books at each reading level. The book is the Leveled Book List.

Here is a chart that will help you know what Guided Reading Level your students should be practicing reading at:

Kindergarten: Levels A, B, and C

K/1: Levels D, E

Grade 1: Levels F, G, H, I

Grade 2: Levels J, K, L, M



*** This is an estimate. There is a good chance that you will have students in your class reading at all different levels.


Growing Colors is a Level A Book. Bears on Wheels is a Level D Book. The Best Mistake Ever is a Level I Book. Cam Jansen is a Level L Book.











What if your classroom library is lacking books?

Some great places to find books for your library...

• Thrift Stores: In Chicago, Unique Thriftstores have 1/2 off on Mondays.
• Garage Sales
• Scholastic Book Order: Sign up for the Scholastic Book Club. Send home a book club order every month, and the more your students buy the more bonus points you receive for free books.
• Scholastic Warehouse Sales: Gather a bunch of friends and head to the Scholastic Warehouse Sales where you can find great deals on books for your classroom. There is a warehouse sale coming to Bloomindale, IL from December 8th to the 19th.

Building a great classroom library is a way to show students that reading is fun!

Does anyone have any other tricks for building their classroom library???