Library Checkout

I have tried a few different ways of keeping my classroom library organized in my two years of teaching although I have always had them organized by subject. My first year I taught Kindergarten and had my baskets labeled. The kids used paint sticks to 'mark' the basket they got their book from. The students would then put the book back in the correct basket - theoretically.... It didn't work. The kids would forget to get their stick and move it, the stick would fall between books and the kids couldn't find them - it was just a giant mess.

Last year, my 2nd year - first year in 2nd grade - I talked a lot more about organization. We talked about how to figure out where the book goes based on the topic and genre. It worked for a while but definitely was not a good system... I had some students with 3 or 4 books in their desks and I had nonfiction books about turtles in the 'silly stories' basket - what? They just weren't looking at the labels. Another problem was that I just wasn't knowing what books were and weren't being 'checked out' and what books my individual students were reading - and I wanted to know!

So... here is my solution - my library card board!!

Here is my plan... I will put an index card and a popsicle stick in each students' pocket. The index card will be their reading log - students will write down the book they are reading on the card as they check it out. I also plan on having pockets on/by(?) each of my baskets so students can put their popsicle stick in the pocket on the basket. This will allow them to remember what basket they got it from. (Kind of like my paint sticks my first year but I am hoping 2nd grade can handle it better - and some of them are the same kids so that might help!)

My only issue is that I don't know how to attach the library cards on the baskets. I am in the process of making new labels which will probably get hooked on with the key chain things. (I don't know what they are called - haha) If I cannot figure out where to attach these other library pockets I will just stick with the index cards - I love this idea!

Oh, to make this - if you are interested - it was really easy...

• library cards
• hot glue gun
• sharpie
• ribbon
• foam board

From start to finish it probably took me 30 minutes. The longest/hardest part was trying to even out the spaces between the pockets!

How do you keep your library organized? Do you keep track of what your kids read through the day/week/whatever?