Amelia's Little Library

This past weekend my girls spent four hours playing library upstairs in their rooms.  They not only organized all of their books, but they made library cards, bookmarks, a checkout station, holding area, and a late fee form. I not only had to visit their libraries (yes, they each had to have their own), but I had to deliver a package of "books" to each one. Their sheer delight at receiving a package  (that they packaged themselves) was priceless. Each girl visited the other's library and checked books out carrying library books back "home." They then spent a good amount of time reading their checked out books.

My girls are creative. One more so than the other. And as they sat upstairs playing library it really got me thinking about how we (teachers) go about helping students to find a love for reading in the elementary classroom. I have spent numerous hours filling out reading logs for my own kids while assuring them that it was okay that they skipped a day of reading when they were too tired to open a book or too sick to lift their head.

Like most parents, I have been reading to my own children since they were born. I have taken them to the library, bookstores, and used book sales. All my children have their own library card. I purchase books from my kids' book orders. My children know books are important.

And so do my students.

In my classroom books are equally important. All my books are organized by genre. Students are encouraged to read a variety of books throughout the year through the 30 book challenge. Our class goal is to read 660 books by the end of the school year. My students keep track of this through filling out book reviews that are kept in a binder in the reading corner. I give time and choice for reading, and  I have informal conversations with my students about what they are reading.

I also encourage creativity.

When Amelia entered my classroom at the beginning of the school year, she asked if she could bring in books from home to let the class borrow if they asked her. With that, Amelia's Little Library was born. Students ask to borrow her books all the time, and she is constantly switching books out. It was from her library that my students began checking out the What Was? and Who Was? books. Because of that, I made it a point to buy more for our classroom library. Although they are a quick read for fifth graders, my students can't get enough of them and I love how much the students learn from them.

All I want my students to do is find joy in reading. I want them to connect to the characters and learn that reading can take them places.

Choice.

Time.

And more time.

Uninterrupted time to just read.

No reading logs.

No book reports.

No Lexile numbers.

No summaries.

Just informal conversations with students about what they are reading so they know you are listening.

And you can hear them loud and clear.

This is how reading is supposed to be.