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January 5, 2014

Words Have Power {Book Display}

Happy day, friends!
One of my favorite parts of 5th
grade is how much ‘content’ we can dig into. 5th graders have such
an interest about the world and what’s going on. Reading is a perfect
outlet for exploring their curiosities. I have a significant amount of wall
space in my room {read: I am in a middle-partitioned room}, and allot much of that space for book displays. I’ve talked about our books display before here– Banned
books
, Bullying,
and Pearl
Harbor
. Yesterday I spent about 3 hours changing out the display for the
first few weeks of January! 
This month, we are revisiting the idea that words
have power…so powerful that they can change our actions, our
thinking, or even our country. After I finish DRAing, we’ll head into nonfiction texts learning about different people who dramatically shifted the paradigm of equality in the U.S.. We’ll also read some accounts of how race impacted and impacts the lives and treatment of African Americans.
Black History Month
Here’s a picture of the books I am highlighting for the next few weeks. I make sure there is a nice mix of fiction/nonfiction, books that appeal to boys/girls, books that reach all my readers (2nd-10th grade readers), and books with a variety of lengths. In this set, I have included a few ‘popular’ books that are rarely on my shelves (Who Was books, I am books, etc.), as well as, a lot of books that are rarely checked out. Highlighting these rarely checked out books tells students, “Ms. W thinks we might enjoy this book. I would like to give it a try.”
So – for the question I often receive – how do I put these displays together without spending inordinate amounts of time at school? The easiest way to make large displays
is to trace the image using your SMART board or projector. Please know that I
am ridiculously careful – using only pencil and taping the paper on the cement
wall not the SMART board. 😉 After I traced the hand outline, I placed white
paper over the black and traced the definition. Then, cut and glue the white
and black outlines.   
Then, decide how you want to highlight each book. For this month, I
pulled a powerful quote from each book that really stuck with me. I turned these quotes into book ‘blurbs’ that will act
as teasers for students and will help get conversations started when I first
introduce the display. As students start reading these books, they’ll have the option
to create their own ‘blurbs’ with powerful words. To make sure the blurbs
attach to the books, I tape a paperclip to the back of the blurb and clip it
onto the book. When students check-out the book, they place the blurb in our ‘library’
basket and put it back when the book is checked back in.    
Quotes by famous African Americans
Since the books that are on display FLY
off the shelves {literally}, I also have a back-up stash at my desk. I hate to
see a display void of books, so in between each class {I have 3 classes of 30},
I re-stock the shelves!
So, here it is! 3 hours later, we have
our newest book display and conversation starter. Our kids are such ‘visual’
beings, I love grabbing their attention with bold images and books!
Black History Book Display
Friends, it’s off to grade I go. School
is back in session tomorrow {if it doesn’t snow}, and I am really excited to
see my kiddos! Have a lovely first day back. 

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Related Posts

  • A Day Which Will Live in Infamy {Remembering Pearl Harbor}
  • Let’s Talk About Bullying
  • Banned Book Week
  • Book Madness: A Tournament of Books

Filed Under: 5th Grade, Book Displays Tagged With: Books, Library Display

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Kelli says

    January 5, 2014 at 11:52 pm

    You constantly inspire me with your displays. If I was a student in your room, it would be impossible for me not to buy into the power of a good book. You truly know how to instill a love for reading with how you present these books to your students. Another amazing book display, Catherine! Thanks for sharing!

    Kelli
    Tales of a Teacher

    Reply
    • Kate says

      January 6, 2014 at 12:35 am

      Oh my goodness – you have made my day! I can only hope that my kids leave my classroom loving reading. Thank you so much, Kelli! 🙂

      Reply
  2. Marcie Stowell says

    January 6, 2014 at 12:06 am

    I love your displays and am VERY jealous of your wall space! I need to find someplace where I can do something similar in my classroom…..hmmmm…..
    We have a workday tomorrow and kids on Tuesday. Have a great first week back!

    Reply
    • Kate says

      January 6, 2014 at 12:36 am

      It's definitely one of the benefits of having a middle room! Have a fantastic week, Marcie. We just got the call that tomorrow is a snow day – woohoo!!!! 🙂 It's my first snow day as a teacher, so I plan on cherishing it.

      Reply
  3. Michele says

    January 6, 2014 at 12:11 am

    Catherine~
    Your display looks great! I'm sure you'll have some pretty excited students tomorrow!
    Michele

    Coffee Cups and Lesson Plans

    Reply
    • Kate says

      January 6, 2014 at 12:37 am

      Thanks, Michele! It's always fun to see what they like about the displays. 🙂 I'll have to wait until Tuesday to show them. We just got the call that tomorrow is a snow day – woohoo! Have a wonderful week, Michele. 🙂

      Reply
  4. AMC Looking From Third to Fourth says

    January 6, 2014 at 12:23 am

    Your book display looks amazing – as usual – you could make a coffee table book of all your displays – I would totally buy it 🙂

    Reply
    • Kate says

      January 6, 2014 at 12:38 am

      Hahaha – thank you, AMC! I've had so much fun making them. 🙂 Have a wonderful week back!

      Reply
  5. Eclectic Educating says

    January 6, 2014 at 12:33 am

    Your display is beautiful! I am not surprised the books you put on display are flying off the shelves. You make them so appealing! Wonderful work!

    Amy
    Eclectic Educating

    Reply
    • Kate says

      January 6, 2014 at 12:39 am

      Thank you so much, Amy! I have been so impressed by how much my kids have 'adopted' the reading lifestyle. Pretty neat thing to see as a teacher. 🙂 I hope you have a wonderful week, Amy.

      Reply
  6. Deb Hanson says

    January 6, 2014 at 1:24 am

    Catherine, this is truly amazing and inspiring! I thought your Pearl Harbor display would be hard to top, but you did it! I can't wait to see what you come up with next! Thank you for sharing!

    Crafting Connections

    Reply
    • Kate says

      January 11, 2014 at 12:57 am

      Thank you so much, Deb. Next month, I am SO excited. We are going to go on blind dates with books – woohoo! 😉

      Reply
  7. Miss Lifesaver says

    January 6, 2014 at 2:25 am

    Looks great! And I don't know why I've never thought to trace things from the SMARTboard. Duh! No more excuses! Love it!

    Reply
  8. Kim Valera says

    January 6, 2014 at 3:18 am

    LOVE, LOVE, LOVE your display!!!!!!! SO amazing!!!!!

    Reply
  9. Joanne Miller says

    January 8, 2014 at 2:02 am

    Catherine, your book displays are ridiculously AMAZING! I believe in presentation and it's no wonder your books fly off the display! I so wish I had the space to make something like this! I have an ENORMOUS book collection that I'd love to highlight a few books the way you do!
    Joanne
    Head Over Heels For Teaching

    Reply
    • Kate says

      January 11, 2014 at 12:53 am

      Hi, Joanne! Thank you so much. Your words are so encouraging. It's funny to think a few months ago I was terrified of 5th grade, and now, I am completely in love. We can do SO many cool things with our 'BIG' kids. 🙂 And yay for large classroom libraries. #nevertoomanybooks

      -Catherine

      Reply
  10. Molly says

    January 9, 2014 at 5:22 am

    Catherine! I love your display and your book blurbs!! Such a great idea and I love good quotes! Hope you're having a wonderful week!

    Molly
    Lessons with Laughter

    Reply
    • Kate says

      January 11, 2014 at 12:56 am

      Hi Molly! It's Friday which means we made it – woohoo! 🙂 I hope you are alive and kicking.

      -Catherine

      Reply
  11. Rachel Vincent says

    January 11, 2014 at 5:21 am

    I love how you always use literature to tackle different topics! It looks great!! Can't wait to see what you come up with next!
    A Tall Drink of Water

    Reply
  12. Courtney says

    January 15, 2014 at 5:52 am

    So AWESOME!!! I love how you love books as much as me! As I read this post, I was smiling ear to ear. Thank you for sharing!

    Reply
  13. Meka says

    September 18, 2015 at 4:22 pm

    I absolutely love this! I'm doing something similar for our Banned Books Week display in my library!

    Reply
  14. Kimberly Hoy says

    November 14, 2015 at 2:42 pm

    So I tried to trace on my SMART board but the image would move the moment my pencil touched the paper so it was difficult.. How do I freeze the board so that I can trace and the image does not move ?

    Reply

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My name is Catherine Reed, and I am in my 8th year in elementary life, residing in small-town, Kentucky.  I student taught in 1st grade and never ...

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