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Activity
3 ~~ Creating a Book-rich Classroom Environment (1 hour)
Objective: Develop a foundation of knowledge related to book-rich
classrooms, and then develop a written plan for creating such an environment
in your own classroom.
Context: Creating a book-rich classroom environment requires more
than simply obtaining a number of books and putting them in your classroom,
unless you believe in the theory of, "Build it and they will come." Many
of your more reluctant readers will be no more motivated to read by the
presence of books than a reluctant young musician would be motivated to
play because a piano is nearby. Creating a book-rich classroom environment
involves the following four variables.
- Knowing your students' interests and
abilities
- Selecting high quality children's books
that account for their interests and abilities
- Knowing how to optimize the placement
of the books
- Knowing how to promote the books
Activity A: Read the following information
about each of the variables mentioned above:
Knowing your students interests and abilities
Teachers know their students are all unique individuals. They know young
children vary greatly in their interests and abilities. Creating a book-rich
environment that motivates children to read, then, depends on learning
as much as you can about your students and then using that information
to select appropriate books. Getting to know more about your students
can be accomplished by referring back to the techniques listed in Activity
3: observation, interviews, interest inventories, parent interviews, and
questionnaires.
Selecting high quality books that account
for students' interests and abilities
Once you have learned about your student's interests and abilities you
can begin to build a collection of books that will be of interest to them.
As you develop your "wish" list of books to obtain, don't forget
the following variables.
- Different reading levels
- Non-fiction books
- Different literary genres
- Pop-up books
- Magazines
- Poetry
- Joke books
- ABC books
Knowing how to optimize the placement
of the books
Where should the books be located? Think about the following:
- Accessibility (easy to get to)
- Storage (bookcases, bins, cupboards,
trays)
- Positioning (eye-level, covers out, high
traffic area in room)
Knowing how to promote the books
How do you promote the books in your classroom? Some methods include:
Activity B: Now that you have read
about creating a book-rich classroom environment (including the links),
you are ready to develop your plan. Print this
document and answer the questions to create your plan for a book-rich
classroom environment.
When you're finished, please proceed to
Activity 4
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