Wow!! Summer is over and we are back in the classroom.....but before we get into the work I want to share what I did to label my library books. Yes, that's right I labeled all of the books in my library. It only took me three days and 3 helpers (aka. my honey and children). Not only did they help me label but level them as well. I used /http://www.scholastic.com/teachers/ to identify the guided reading level of each of my books. Then I used these great labels I got from http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Classroom-Library-Book-Bins-by-Reading-Level which I mounted on some black card stock and yellow print scrapbook paper. I used some rubber cement to glue them onto my book bins.
The red book bins house our Spanish books and the blue book bins house our English books. The color coding helps the students differentiate for language. The label says "Just Right Level". I took this labeling a little further by also making an Avery label to add to each book. This helps my non-readers match the label on the book with the label on the bin.
Once I started labeling I must admit I went a little crazy. I organized some of my books by author study and so of course I had to have labels for my authors. Both for the book and the bin. The pictures for the authors I got off Google and used Avery labels for the books. Not only is this helpful to my students so that they are reading just right books at their independent level but it also helps me select books for my teaching. I have baskets full of animal books, insects, people etc.
Not every book is found on the scholastic website so I used the leveling book list by Fountas and Pinnel. It has every book published up to 2011.
I grab about 10 books and send it home with a parent to identify the level for me. When they come back I just add the label and drop it in the right basket.
