Middle Grade Monday – June 2, 2014

How is it already June?

My students’ last day was Friday and I am now preparing for the summer (I have to be here for a couple of days to complete reports, etc.) One of the things I need to do is take down the covers of all of the books I read this school year so that my door will be ready for next year. I’m still contemplating how to display the books I will read over our summer break…

So, several years ago I volunteered to be on the school’s Data Team, since the focus was going to be on literacy. My takeaway from one of the meetings was an idea for visually displaying what teachers were reading. Now, all of the adults in the building have one of these on their door. Well, they have one with their own name.

Fairly often, I am reading books that haven’t come out yet (ARCs, usually electronic ones) which has sparked a number of conversations with students. I love explaining the perks of being a librarian. I also usually have 3 or 4 up there at the same time.

In past years, I’ve just taken down the book covers when I finished and placed them in an envelope so I could remember what I’d read. This year, however, I decided to take them off the library door and put them on the door to my office/workroom. This way, the students can see what I’ve read as the year has progressed. I did run into some trouble deciding how to indicate rereads (yes, I’ve already reread some of them.) I decided to indicate it by adding a sticker to the book cover.

It was also good for me to see that I’ve done a better job of balancing YA and MG titles this year than in the past.
My hope is that students will see this and realize that reading isn’t just for kids – that we hope they’ll enjoy reading for the rest of their lives. I worry that some (too many) of them come from environments where reading isn’t valued or appreciated. Do any of you do something similar for your students?

Filed under: Middle Grade Monday