Missing Your Classroom Library? Here's How to Create a Virtual One! #booklove #kidlit #bookaday

Classroom libraries are the heart and soul of literacy instruction.  We know that the right book at the right time can make all the difference … but only if we can find it!  Most of my conversations with teachers and literacy coaches these past weeks have centered on books.  Do you have a copy of …  I forgot to grab my books…  How will we reach our students and match them to texts?  As we plan online learning modules and lessons, we realize we are missing the most important component of our instruction – BOOKS.

And it’s not just the books, it is the classroom library itself that is missing.  This space where readers connect with one another and we connect them to books.  This space where we design, organize and reorganize baskets of books to reflect our students and our curriculum.  This space where students have agency to discover their reading identity and author their reading life. 

I miss this space. I miss being in classroom libraries with teachers, literacy coaches, librarians and students.  It got me thinking.  How could I virtually create this space?  What structure could I create for teachers to replicate for their students? How could we once again work together to empower students and make the book supply seem endless in the eyes of a reader? I felt a bit like the main character in Most Magnificent Thing – I fiddled and played and revised. I tested and redesigned and retested.   

This one is created as a google document, but I also created one in Padlet that worked well.  Each basket is hyperlinked to a digital bin that is also a google doc.  I have curated a collection of texts in each bin from various websites, publishers, and authors reading their books aloud.  We surveyed students to find out what types of books they were interested in reading and created baskets to support upcoming units of study. Baskets contain digital books, PDFs of books, audiobooks, videos of books, images, and short video clips.  Here is a video explaining how I created it.

I also created an independent reading section of the virtual classroom library to support students in finding books that match their reading development.  While I don’t advocate leveling students, I do know how important it is for students to have access to books they can read.  Just like in the classroom library, I don’t suggest isolating each text level for a basket or labeling the baskets with levels.  We asked readers what types of books they wanted to read, and we found books within the band of text complexity they are reading that matched their interests.  Here is an example of a classroom library shelf that is being shared with students reading texts between levels D-F:

Each option is hyperlinked to texts from various websites and publishers.  Baskets contain digital books, PDFs of books, audiobooks, videos of books, images, and short video clips.  Here is a video explaining how I created it:

This week I am collaborating with literacy leaders to provide teachers with the books they need to teach by creating a virtual read aloud and mentor text section for the library.  It works the same way with curating hyperlinks to resources and texts in a digital bin. Here is one for an upcoming unit on character and one for theme:

We are sharing the work by splitting up who curates each basket.  Teachers and students can also add to these baskets as they read throughout the unit.  This will help increase the inventory in each basket and provide more choices for students. Baskets contain digital books, PDFs of books, audiobooks, videos of books, images, and short video clips.  Here is a video explaining how I created it:

This will be week three of using these with teachers, literacy leaders, and students.  There is still so much to revise and discover.  Here is a Pinterest Board of the websites and digital resources I used:

https://www.pinterest.com/booklovefoundation/free-digital-texts-for-kids-access-matters/

Here is a blank template of the google doc I used for the virtual classroom library:

https://drive.google.com/open?id=111p_gLD09Fzm2MeqyvwyyZRmVuG25CUT 

Please share in a comment below or email me (clare.landrigan@gmail.com) to tell me what you create with your students so we can support one another in spreading Book Love!