5th Grade Classroom Library

You also see my bulletin board above the bookcase which includes genre posters that we’ll review the first week of school. The posters will act as a visual reminder to students about the different categories of the books they should be reading throughout the year (based on The Book Whisperer). On the far right you see running list of ‘Words to Know’ that we’ll cover in our first unit together. Through the year, I’ll switch out the words. I wanted to go ahead and have them up for Open House so parents will know what we will be learning the first few weeks!

Also, you might notice writing on the side of my filing cabinet! No, I did not defile school property, but I did cover the side in black butcher paper and purchased a silver sharpie and added a magnet to the cap. This will be our classroom’s “Favorite Book Quotes” area. As students are reading their books, they will look for the ‘just perfect’ quote to include on the board. I just finished up The One and Only Ivan, and had to start our class out. BEST BOOK EVER.

Since my 5th graders do not go to library (yes, you read that correctly), it is SO important that my library appeals to all of my readers. So, I wanted to make sure I have different books on display. I picked up a magazine display from Staples, and then, two plate holders from Hobby Lobby! The two picture frames that you see were one of my spray paint projects a few weeks ago.

Lastly, I place my REALLY low books (Horrible Harry, Clementine, Nancy Drew Clue Crew, Magic School Bus chapter books) in the bottom drawer of my black file cabinet. From there, I added containers to the bottom shelves of my fiction and nonfiction shelves for students to pick from. My students who read at grade-level or above never really paid attention to these books (although they were welcome to pick them up for a quick, fun read), but my below-grade level readers were able to pick books from the shelves just like everyone else!

For all my intermediate friends, you can find the labels I used here. Also, a sweet friend requested a set of labels for Primary Land, so I whipped these out. I took out the cursive ‘nonfiction’ ‘fiction’ section of each label and added more topics/categories. There are over 55 labels in this pack, and I am always happy to edit/add labels if you need them!

So friends, what do you think? I really hope my fifth graders love it! I had a chance to meet a few of my kiddos at registration last week, and…..they were not terrifying!!!! In fact, I think I *might* like them. YAYAYAY – it was {such} a huge relief and I kind of felt like crying. Plus, I was even taller than some of them – say what?!?! I know. 🙂 It’s the small things people.