Classroom Library Re-Organization

Today I actually finished my re-organizing and tearing down my classroom.  Every cupboard, drawer, shelf, and closet was purged and organized.  The only cupboard I left untouched was my bulletin board cupboard.  Why do that one when I will only drag everything out, and stare at it for 2 days trying to decide what to put up when I come back in late July?  And please tell me that other teachers do that too?

You have seen pictures of the walk-in closet, the audio book and lit circle sets cupboard, the manipulative cupboard, and the paper cupboard.  Taking and posting a picture of the textbook cupboard seemed ridiculous (stacking  textbooks in a cupboard!  She's a genius!:).  The only things left are the library shelves and my desk area.  Since my desk area had to be cleared and packed, a picture of an empty desk seemed silly too.  So, onto the library shelves...

This is one of my original Read 180 Library crates.  They send about 10 of them with the series.  They worked really well for about five years, but last year they started to fall apart.  This year, I moved them twice to different locations in the room to make them more accessible and alleviate the traffic jams.  Neither place worked, and I kept getting crankier with the students because the books were in the wrong place.   

Eventually, I realized that they really couldn't find titles easily because the majority of the books are thin, and the titles are difficult to read.  And the System 44 books are even smaller, so they were swallowed up in the sea of books.  The blue divider kept the books from sliding to the back when they were in place, but not if a student just tossed the book in the crate.  They would slide back behind it, never to be seen again.  So this is what I did:)
On the bottom two shelves, the white Ikea magazine holders contain 1/2 of the audio books.  The turquoise blue folders are the CDs.  I taped two of the magazine holders together to act as a set - one for the CDs and one for the books.
The clear shoe boxes on the top shelf are housing the System 44 books.  They are numbered 1-36 to match the lessons/sounds.  There are two of each title with a CD.  The CDs are in folders in groups of six.  Each shoe box holds eighteen titles and CDs.  The blue dividers are cannibalized from the Read 180 crates.  They fit perfectly in the shoe boxes and I am using them to divide up the storybooks.

The other two boxes on the top shelf are the Level One books.  The books are broken down into four Lexile levels.  Level One and Two books are on the System 44 end of things.
The other paired bookcase holds the remaining audio books, and Level One and Two books (bottom two shelves).  My organization was hampered by the reality of my bookcases only being able to adjust to hold just 2 shelves of magazine holders.  The top shelf holds storybooks and the "Return" basket.
This is an authentic picture of a classroom being torn down - note the dirty rag and trash on the floor:)
These are my fiction shelves.  The middle shelves are the rest of the Read 180 Library.  Level 3 on the left, and Level 4 on the right.  When school starts, I think that I am going to put them on top of the bookcase.  One of the problems this last year was the crowd of students on the floor looking for a book.  I am thinking that if they are up higher, the students might be able to move out faster.  It is also the reason I split them up on to different bookcases.

The clear shoe boxes contain my "other" fiction books.  They are (roughly) grouped alphabetically by the boxes.  Originally, I was going to sort them by Lexile, but that was before I realized how long that task would take me.  So, I have re-evaluated that goal:)  By putting them in alphabetical boxes, it will be easier to keep them organized on the shelf and easier for me to take one or two boxes home to look up the Lexiles and word counts.  Yep, I am always thinking!

Across the room are two smaller bookcases with a similar set up for the non-fiction books.  They are grouped by category.  No pictures because...well, it was more bookcases with clear shoe boxes filled with books, and figured you all got the point:)  I will take detailed pictures after the classroom is set up for the first day of school.

Over the summer I will make labels for the magazine boxes and shoe boxes and I have decide which system I am going to use to keep track of my book, but I decided enough was enough and I had to turn in my keys for now.  Now onto the backyard!  By the way, I admitted defeat and hired a Prince Charming Gardener to help me attack the slope - he starts tomorrow:)




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