Brandon was twice as tall as he was when he first stepped into my classroom all those years ago. It was a nice surprise to see him. Every once in a while students visit the classroom on their way back from middle school. It means a lot. As a seventh grader, he looked exactly like he did in first grade, yet also very different. He looked around the room and chatted about the ways the room was the same and the ways it had changed since he had spent a year in the space.
“What are you reading these days?” I asked. Brandon was an avid reader in first grade. He could not get enough of the books in our classroom. He read everything, and it was easy for him to step into new books.
He paused thoughtfully, and then said, “I don’t have time to read. I have so much assigned reading and homework in my classes.” I watched him shift uncomfortably and wrestle with the new thought. I could tell that, just as he did many years ago, he was tossing the idea around in his head a bit.
I tossed it around too. I couldn’t believe that Brandon wasn’t still reading voraciously.
For weeks, I thought about Brandon and wondered why he didn’t still read like he had all those years ago. I looked around my classroom and wondered if the first graders spread around our room devouring books during our reading workshop would soon meet the same fate.
A few days later, I was walking around conferring during our reading workshop, still replaying Brandon’s sweet visit and the change in his reading life in my head. As I pondered, Audrey walked back to her book bag, grabbed some books from inside, and signed out to head to the school library. Although Audrey took a self-selected book from our classroom library home each day, she still went to the library several times each week to check out additional books. Would Audrey come back years from now and tell me she no longer read books? I wondered if there were ways I needed to shift to help students build a reading life that sticks across years.
As classroom teachers we put a lot of time and thought into our classroom libraries. In many ways, the classroom library is the engine of all the learning and conversation that happens each day. We are thoughtful in selecting books that will interest our readers. We consider the readability of the books for all of the children in our classrooms. We collect authors, characters, and interesting topics. Our libraries not only stretch our students, but also stretch us as we work to consider interest and curriculum, as well as update our collections for equity and inclusivity. Our classroom libraries are the mirrors, windows, and doors to the world.
It is students like Brandon and Audrey who push my thinking about the classroom library to ask new questions.
- Does my classroom library help a child grow as a reader?
- Does it provide opportunities for children to build a reading identity?
- Does it build bridges to books beyond our classroom?
- Does it step children down the hall to our school library?
- Does it make them bug their parents to take them to the public library?
- Does it build their reading life in a way that will continue long after they leave my classroom?
These are big questions. Here are some changes I’ve made to help build bridges to libraries beyond the classroom.
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We know… |
How to build a bridge |
| Classroom libraries need strong author collections. | Create author collections using authors who have written several books. If possible leave some titles out, provide a QR link to the library collection, or create a graphic of other books available. (Make it visual.) |
| Classroom libraries need series books. Series books connect children to their next read. | Although it is nice to have full collections of a series available for readers, what is hot changes often. Try having the first few books of a series and then find ways to connect readers to the library for the next book. |
| Classroom libraries need rotating collections. | I’ve always freshened our library with books from the school and public library. Keep a digital list of books read so children can continue to request titles from the library even after the books are returned. |
| Classroom libraries need anchor and mentor texts. | Make it visual. When the learning community spends a great deal of time studying a book, create some type of digital or visual way to connect it to other books that are related and might be of interest. |
| Classroom libraries need “hot titles.” | We have all smiled in quiet glee as demand spirals out of control for a well-loved read-aloud. Although creating lists for who might be next to borrow the book is helpful, becoming intentional in reminding readers that this book is available in the school and/or public library is a good way to empower them (and cut the wait time). |
| Classroom libraries have “seasons.” | Now I like to think of the first weeks of school as weeks when children get to know our classroom library and the community shapes it into one that will support them. As we approach winter, I work to be more intentional to connect readers to our school library. As we turn to spring, I want to build a bridge to the public library so readers are ready when summer comes. |
| The interest and voices of the children in the classroom help shape the classroom library. | Now I take time to talk about books children are checking out of the school and public library with our learning community. Books are always better when they’re peer recommended. |
| When children request books or collections for the classroom library, it’s important to honor their voice. | I used to make a list to check books out at the school or public library when students requested titles or collections. Now I try to remember to pull up the school or public library website and request it on our large screen with children so they can watch the steps of the process. |
Across the years I have pushed the goal post in our reading workshop. It is no longer enough for me to be happy about a student who spends their time in our reading workshop devouring books from our classroom library. Now I look for ways to build a long game and help children take the first steps in growing a sustainable reading life that carries well beyond our school year, well beyond the summer, and into the many years that follow. Finding ways to build bridges to the school and public library for readers is an essential step. My hope is that these intentional steps ensure that readers return to visit full of new books to talk about.
