Classroom Library

So for the past six years, I have struggled with setting up my classroom library. Books everywhere in tubs, racks, and a complete disorganized mess.

Nothing was more frustrating than a week into the school year seeing all the precious books you had spent days organizing being put in the wrong tubs. I would try to get on to kids and rationalize with them: if it's an animal book, put it back in the animal tub. However, that seemed to fall on deaf ears. By about October, I gave up each year. "I'll deal with it next year." I told myself.

Well, six years later I decided to tackle this problem as school let out this year. I was DETERMINED.

So when I was packing up my room this year, I took an inventory of all my books and tubs. I counted every tub and the number of books in each tub, once they were all back in their proper homes. I ended up with 65 book tubs and too many books to total.

I created book tub labels for each book tub. Some people sort by lexile levels, genres, authors, etc. Mine are by topic and authors. This one happens to be "Girl Fiction".

Notice the brown dot on the side? That is the lexile level. A couple summers ago I went through and lexiled every book in my library. Longest. Task. Ever. And then we created a color coding system at my school so it would be consistent from room to room. When our kids MAP test, it gives them a lexile so when they do independent reading, they read books on their level. By leveling all the books, the kids can chose whatever they want, as long as it's their "dot" color. I stick with telling them their dot colors and not focusing on numbers, that way the kids can't really tell too much about each others levels.

I then took this to the next level. I printed matching labels for each book in each tub. Obsessive. Crazy. OCD. Yes, yes and yes. But I am *hoping* that this will make it super easy for the kids to just look at the number and put it right back in the correct tub.

This took HOURS. But I am so glad I did it! Hopefully this will keep my classroom library under wraps this year and many more too come! All 65 books tubs are complete and I am feeling good about it!

How do you organize your classroom library? I'd love to hear your ideas!

Brit :)

Slackin'!!!

Hello all!!

I have been seriously slacking here lately! School has "sort-of" gotten back into a routine... a little bit.And it's taking some getting used to sadly.

This past week we were off Monday, had a 2-hour delay Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday were "normal" and Friday we sent the kids home 2 hours early for "impending" weather- which really didn't show till after 10 pm that night. So.....

But things have picked up. I help sponsor "Girls on the Move" and Drama Club. So between those 2 practices after school two days a week, team planning another day, and meetings on Mondays, Fridays have been the only non-hectic after school day here lately. SHEW.

Anyways- I wants to inform some that I updated my Reading ACED posters. I wasn't loving the color scheme, so I changed the first blue one to a nice pretty green and uploaded the update to TPT.

Much better in my opinion! :) Remember this set is 4 posters to help your students with answering short answer questions and it's TWO sets (one with owls and one without!) Get your copy for just $1 in my TPT store: Reading ACED Strategy Posters!

And if you are wanting Math ACED posters, I've got those too! You can get them too: Math ACED Strategy Posters!

Anyways- today I am going through a TON of data. My living room looks like this:

I have been sorting and sifting and pitching. But my data binder is starting to look a little normal now. Got to get it all together because now starts the push till testing! With about 3 months-ish or so to go, we have to hit the ground running. Unlike my cat right now...

Sleepy Oliver has got it BAD. I want to be a cat. *Sigh*

Happy Sunday y'all!

Brit :)

ACE Those Short Answers!

Hello everyone!

Well, we have been "sort-of" back in the swing of things! We had 5 days off last week and I caught up on a bunch of stuff around my house! We went back to school Monday and it was great to finally get going again.... only to be out Tuesday and Wednesday due to dangerously cold temperatures, like -15 with the wind chill! Poor babies can't be out at the bus stop in that! YIKES!

I did spend the last two days at SCHOOL working on a grant with some other people! So I haven't been able to work on all this jazz so much lately!

BUT, that all changed tonight! :)

In third grade, it is the first year we do KPREP, which is Kentucky's standardized state testing. Third grade is responsible for testing in only Reading and Math. They have to do multiple choice and short answer questions.

Multiple choice is not the struggle--- it's those DARN short answer questions! They have such a time trying to get them answer COMPLETELY.

So, we have been using this acronym, ACE...... however, I changed it to be ACED. You'll see why in my explanation of each letter!

So, it stands for:

A- answer the question
C- cite your evidence
E- explain your answer
D- double check your response

See why I added that D? :) So many kids finish and then move on, never checking their work which is a habit that I desperately try to break them of!

So, I decided I needed some "cutesy" posters to hang in my room to remind my students of this acronym when working on short answer questions.

TADA!!! Posters for the classroom! I made a set with owls and a set without owls! (I am aware not everyone is an owl fanatic like me lol) I love them and think they are super cute!

If you would like a set for your classroom, head over to my TPT store and download a copy here! :)

We have to go back to school tomorrow! I am actually excited and ready to teach these plans... we have been working on the same set of plans for about 3 weeks now, so I am OVER it, ready to teach, and move on to some new stuff! 

Brit :)