How to Organize a Reading Library in First Grade

Organizing your school library can unlock learning potential.

Twenty percent of Americans can not read above a fifth-grade level, according to Education Portal. Reading is an essential life skill, and developing a love of reading early will help foster this skill in your students. Organizing a library of interesting and easy-to-read books will assist you in your quest to develop literacy skills in your first-grade class. Keep the scheme simple, and your students will look forward to reading a new book each day.

Things You'll Need

• Library books
• Baskets
• Book shelves
• Colored stickers

Instructions

1. Purchase inexpensive baskets and colored stickers at a local craft or department store. You will use the baskets to hold the books on the shelves, as it is easier for younger children take and put away books this way. The stickers will be used to categorize the books based on your organization scheme.

2. Choose your organization scheme. Two ways to organize books that work well for first-grade students are by theme or alphabetically. Theme categories for first-grade books might be animal books, car and truck books, princess books, character books and science books. You can alphabetize books either by author or title.

3. Designate a sticker color for each category you make. Place the same color sticker on each book and the basket you would like the book placed in. For example, if animal books will be blue, place blue stickers on each animal book and on the basket you will have the books stored in. You may need more than one basket, depending on the number of books your library has.

4. Place a colored sticker on each book in a certain letter category. You can break the alphabet up into sections, such as A through D books, E through H books and so on. Follow the same steps for cataloging and storing books as in Step 3.

5. Place each basket filled with books on your classroom's book shelves.

6. Explain the organization scheme to your first-grade students. You may want to develop a sign-out sheet for books to keep track of them or have your students practice taking and putting books back in the appropriate baskets to avoid confusion and lost books.

Tips & Warnings

• Write down each book in your library on a master sheet and periodically check to be sure all books are accounted for.

References

• Reading Rockets: Creating a Classroom Library
• Education-Portal.com: Illiteracy: The Downfall of American Society

Resources

• Reading Rockets: For Teachers