The students at my school come from a small town in Georgia that is actively growing. To keep from overcrowding classrooms, my school hired a number of new educators for the 2017-2018 school year. I am one of those new teachers. I recently moved from another city, about 3 hours southwest of here, and have spent the summer getting ready for my upcoming first graders. One area of my classroom I have worked extra hard on is the reading area. It is full of children’s favorite characters of today, such as Pete the Cat & The Fly Guy, as well as classics like Dr. Seuss and Clifford. I’ve been collecting children’s books since I was in college, almost a decade ago, and it continues to grow each year. My goal is to create a space that encourages reading by providing books that appeal to a variety of cultures and interest. I believe children who develop a love for reading at an early age become life-long readers.
Each bin has a space for a label that will make them perfect for book organization. Sorting books by level and category will allow my students to search for books that not only appeal to their interest, but also give them the opportunity to choose from books they are ready to read. This will be a way of self monitoring their own progress as they move up to higher reading levels. It will also allow me to differentiate reading instruction by selecting books that are appropriate for each student. My hope is that my students develop an appreciation for books and reading by getting to explore a variety of books and genres throughout the school year.