Building Class Libraries

Do you scroll through beautiful classroom library pictures on social media pages and think, "HOW did they purchase all of those books? "WHERE did they get all of them?" And my personal favorite, "HOW can they afford that?!"

I know I panicked when I went from kindergarten to second grade a few years ago. I had no idea how I was going to build a classroom library without going broke. The year I transferred into second was a crazy year. Now wait, before you think big deal let me explain.

The year I moved into second, I moved houses Labor Day weekend. I got pregnant with my second son and I am sick ALL NINE MONTHS. My district closed 2 elementary buildings and my building had to move halfway through the year. We were supposed to move at Christmas, so I packed. We didn't move until February so I taught from boxes for 2 months. Once we moved, I had 2 days to unpack and set up a new classroom.

Yep. Told ya it was a crazy year!!

Ok, back to that library business. That year I had a wonderful parent who had 10 boxes of books and magazines delivered to my classroom. I remember standing in the door when the custodian delivered them saying, "These are all for me?!"

What happened was this parent went to the thrift store frequently and kept finding books she thought I would enjoy. She said she knew I purchased most of my own things and she thought this would help build a library for the kids.

Can I tell you I sat down and cried? I couldn't believe it. I never had a parent show so much generosity to me in my career. She got it. She knew I worked hard to make my classroom the best I could for my students but did a lot out of my own pocket.

After finding out thrift stores were a hidden gem for school supplies, I am a frequent flier. This week alone I was there twice and in just those two trips I bought nearly 80 {Yes, I said EIGHTY} books. Today, I spent nearly $70 but I did buy a few other things also. Most books are marked between 0.25 -1.99. You just have to read the signs. You can tell how long the book has been there by the date on the sticker. Sometimes if the book has been there for a while, the store will clearance the item.



This particular trip I scored over 20 books, a puzzle, a dvd, and the crate that is in the background for under $20!!

Each time I go I'm not always lucky. Sometimes I find a bunch. Other times I walk out without buying a single item. The key is to go frequently, park yourself on the floor, and dig through piles of things. I have several hundred books for my kids to use and very few of them were purchased outside a thrift store.

Many retired teachers will donate their classroom libraries over the summer so be sure to check back EVERY WEEK!!

One of my favorites is Goodwill. They have great employment programs for kids with special needs which is one reason I support them. {I am simply stating my opinion and am not being paid/endorsed by Goodwill or any other thrift store.}

Sometimes you will find many books that are on the same theme. This trip I found so many non-fiction books that I plan on throwing into writing centers that were all around $0.50-1.00 each!!

So my question is, is there enough gas in the car to find the nearest thrift store?? Check back and let me know what you find!! I LOVE a good deal:)

10 Reasons to LOVE the Magic Tree House Series

This is one of my all time favorite children's series. EVER. I use this series in my classroom in so many different ways and I have been reading through them with my four-year-old. The fact that he will sit and listen attentively and ultimately fall asleep to each night is a blessing.

If you have never read the series, let me give you a little background. The series is based on a brother-sister duo, Jack and Annie, who live in Frog Creek, Pennsylvania. They stumble across a tree house in the woods and discover they can magically travel through time (Past, Present, and Future) by using books inside the tree house. Eventually they help a magical enchantress, Morgan le Fay and a wizard Merlin preserve magic and history for Camelot.

Still not convinced? This is the top ways you can utilize this series in your classroom.

 

 

 

1. Read Alouds. As I mentioned before, I use these in my classroom and with my children at home. Before you go and say 4-5 year-olds won't sit and listen. They will. Trust me. I read the first 25 books with my kindergarteners for years. They literally sat on the edge of their seats waiting to find out what happened. My son simply adores the series. He is working on his speech and this series has presented an expansive vocabulary to him in a captivating way.
2. Beginning Chapter Book Readers. Are your little darlings ready to stretch their wings and begin to read on their own? This series is great for captivating their attention, using simple sight words BUT throwing some challenge words into the mix as well.
3. Vocabulary/ELA. We've all heard it. They need more vocabulary. They need to be submersed in it. This series offers such a wide range of vocabulary you could work on the entire book for 2 weeks and have 15-30 new words to focus on. Check out my Magic Words: Read the Room sets for different vocabulary ideas {HERE}. I also have created a NO PREP line for the first 11 books in the series. The first 10 are in a bundle. They cover phonics and grammar standards for K-2 while using vocabulary and topics found in each book. Check them out {HERE}
4. Writing. Oh.My. The possibilities are endless. Do you want to work on poetry, creative writing, informative writing, persuasive writing, grammar, letters, etc.? No matter what you want your little ones to write, there is a way to incorporate this series.
5. Text Features. I love how Mary Pope Osborne has included the captions in the text in bold face print. You can use time lines, captions, illustrations, maps, etc. while reading each adventure.
6. Non-Fiction. There are so many different topics this series touches on: biomes, landforms, food webs/chains, animals, ancient civilizations, different cultures.
7. History. My all time favorite book in the series is Tonight on the Titanic because I had a distant relative who was on the ship. At one point there was a fantastic exhibit with actual artifacts taken from the wreckage in Tampa, FL. That was years ago but well worth the money if anyone ever gets a chance to go. Your kids can learn about the Civil War, the Revolutionary War. They can meet famous inventors like Albert Einstein and presidents like George Washington and Abe Lincoln.
8. Geography. One of the best lessons I have ever done is when my kindergarten team took Afternoon on the Amazon to the extreme. We pained our hallway to look exactly like a rainforest. I'm talking rocks and water on the floor with pihranas. Jungle vines and birds hanging from the ceiling. A volcano and waterfall painted on the stairwell door and elevator. We used the idea from Flat Stanley and got Polly the Parrot (introduced in the book Pirates Past Noon) to fly all over the world and send postcards. We used a large word map and tracked her progress. That year we got nearly 100 postcards from all over the US, Afghanistan, India, Ireland, the Caribbean, Africa, Mexico, France, England, and so many other places. At the end of the unit, we had our kids choose a location Polly visited and do a large writing project. Check out my interactive notebook on biomes {HERE}
9. Science. There are so many different wants to incorporate science into the series. One of my favorite lessons was when my class read Mummies in the Morning and I had them actually prep a mummy for burial. Check out the lesson for more details{HERE}. Want to include animals and geography studies? Check out my animal interactive notebooks {HERE}
10. Captivating. I would not waste so much of my time on a series that I didn't enjoy so much. I was first introduced to the series as a teenager when my mom was trying to get my younger sister to read. I completely forgot about the series until I was student teaching and my first grade class was reading Night of the Ninjas. Children will love the characters. Annie is a free spirit and adventurous. Jack is methodical and cautious. But the two siblings balance each other out while learning and having fun at the same time.

So there you have it my friends. Ten different reasons why I think this series is a MUST READ in primary classrooms. I'd love to hear which book is your favorite and how you use the series with your kiddos!