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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.”
photo 3 3
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.
photo 2 5
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.
photo 4 5
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!
photo 3 2 1
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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22 Responses

  1. 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

    1. 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! 🙂

  2. 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!

    1. 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.

    1. 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. 🙂

    1. 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.

  9. 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

    1. 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

  14. 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 ?

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