The Commonsense Guide to Your Classroom Library: Building a Collection That Inspires, Engages, and Challenges Readers - Softcover

Miller, Donalyn; Sharp, Colby

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1338775189 ISBN 13: 9781338775181

Publisher: Scholastic Professional, 2022

Synopsis

Literacy advocates Donalyn Miller and Colby Sharp follow the lifecycle of Sharp's classroom library across the year, showing us practical ways to support young readers–from weeding the collection before kids arrive a matching them with books they want to read, to evaluating and supporting their growth as they become increasingly independent readers.

About this title

About the Authors

Donalyn Miller is a leading expert on independent reading and children’s literature, and is the author of two bestsellers, The Book Whisperer and Reading in the Wild. She is the founder of the annual #bookaday event, co-founder of The Nerdy Book Club with Colby Sharp, and co-host of the monthly Twitter chat #titletalk. Her articles have appeared in Education Week Teacher, The Reading Teacher, Educational Leadership, The Washington Post, and other prominent periodicals.

Colby Sharp, a fifth-grade teacher at Parma Elementary School in Parma, Michigan, is co-founder of Nerd Camp and The Nerdy Book Club. He co-hosts the monthly Twitter chats #sharpschu (with John Schu) and #titletalk (with Donalyn Miller), as well as The Yarn podcast with Travis Jonker. He is also the editor of The Creativity Project: An Awesometastic Story Collection.

Reviews

Curating a classroom library can be a difficult task, especially considering all the moving parts that go into running a classroom in the first place. Teachers are constantly changing physical spaces and age groups and battling administration for financial support for their personal vision. Miller and Sharp offer a practical guide that aims to break down the process of creating a classroom library that will maximize student engagement and visual appeal. Sandwiched between research-based information about the importance of equitable access in the classroom and beyond, and a general dissection of how to achieve an appealing offering for all students regardless of their reading level, Miller interviews classroom and library professionals who offer insight into the day-to-day process of delivering a fruitful experience for providing in-class resources for all students. Although the book seems a bit pieced-together at times, and perhaps a bit slight for the price tag, it does come with valuable advice about applying for grants, navigating both overt and silent censorship, and evaluating a classroom library through a process that will be beneficial for children. The sage advice coming from the interviewed professionals in the field is worth a read. This book gives applicable suggestions on how to weed, purchase, and organize a classroom library. VERDICT Practical and supportive, this is a good fit for new educators who want to set up their library or experienced educators who want to reenergize their collection.-Rachel Joinerα(c) Copyright 2011. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

Edition details

• Publisher: Scholastic Professional
• Publication date: 2022
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 1338775189
• ISBN 13: 9781338775181
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 160