Kindergarten Kindergarten

Organizing my Classroom Library

Here are the labels that I use to organize my classroom library. I'm a little wacky in the way I sort my books--some are done by general categories (Animal Books, Class Favorites); some are done by genres (Fairy Tales); some are by character (Maisy Books, Clifford Books) and some are done by author (Mo Willems, Kevin Henkes, etc.) It works for us. I want the kids to be able to easily find books and then put them away when they're finished!

Download Book Labels_Fiction

I use the tried and true colored dot sticker system to label the books. When I run out of colors, I add a colored star to the middle. For example, all Mo Willems books have a black circle with a green star in the middle. Between that and the labels on the bins, the kids do a pretty awesome job of keeping the library neat.

You can also see I have leveled books. Those are die-cut numbers on the blue and green tubs. I use Scholastic Book Wizard to help me level books. I do a lot of "educated guessing" on books that aren't in their system.

I put themed books on the leaning book stand. It's where I put most of my non-fiction books--but I only pull them for specific units (i.e. these are "Back to School" books). This year, I plan on having a more permenant expository book section. I just have to find a place to put it! So, stay tuned...

Happy Reading!

Sight Word Readers

Sight words...High Frequency Words...Pop Corn Words...Heart Words...

Whatever you call them...they make up a big part of our language arts instruction. And don't you just love them? Don't you love trying to explain why was is w-a-s and not w-u-z. And that the o in of makes a short u sound, but if you add another f--well then it makes a short o sound again. Sigh.

Although I love matching games and rainbow words and flashcards and all those other nifty ways we teach sight words, the best way to teach them is, of course, in context. So over the years, I have made a bunch of sight word books. So here are the first set. I have the kids read them to themselves, and then read them to 3 friends (and the friends sign the back). I also have them highlight the new word.

Book: I Like Parties     

Sight Words: I, like

 
 

Download Book_I like Parties

 

Book: Bounce, Bounce, Bounce     

Sight Words: I, see, color words

The kids like to make their own "bounce" lines. I also have them underline the color words with the corresponding color of crayon.

 
 

Download Book_Bounce (I see) 

Book: Animal School   

Sight Words: I, see

This books forces the kids to look at both picture clues and letter clues (initial consonants).

This could say I see a  rabbit or I see an elephant. They have to look at the r at the beginning of rabbit to figure out what the word is.
 

Download Book_Animal School

 

Book: I am..

Sight Words: I, am, like

 

Download Book_I am

Book: I Can

Sight Words: I, am, can

 
Download Book_I can[1]

 

Book: I am an Artist!

Sight Words: I, like, to

 
 
The kids can color their own picture here...

Download Book_I am an artist (like to) 

Book: I Go, Go, Go!

Sight Words: I, go,to 

 
This book features environmental print. I print these in color, but they also work in plain old black and white.
 

Download Book_I Go, Go, Go!

  

Book: We Like School

Sight Words: we, like, can

 

This book is a little challenging as it does not follow a repeating pattern. 

Download Book_We Like School 

 

I will add my next set of books over the next week or so. I will also put these in the printables section on the right sidebar. Enjoy!



My Favorite Books for Teaching Classroom Expectations

Here's a post from my old blog:

I love books! I spend WAY too much money buying books. I went a little crazy this summer, and bought some new books to introduce routines and procedures. Here are some of my favorites:

Manners at School by Carrie Finn. Beautiful illustrations and a great all-around book. Talks about raising your hand, quiet voices and paying attention.

Respect and Take Care of Things by Cheri J. Meiners. Really good! Great for reminding children how to take care of classroom materials.

Be Polite and Kind by Cheri J. Meiners. (She actually has a whole series. I want them all). Goes over please, thank-you, excuse me, kind words, etc.

Words Are Not for Hurting by Elizabeth Verdick. Powerful book that kinders will understand. Also has good discussion points in back.

Hands Are Not for Hitting by Elizabeth Verdick. Another great one in her series.

Germs Are Not for Sharing by Elizabeth Verdick. Great for introducing bathroom/sink procedures. I got the board book version of this. It's a little simpler and makes a good, quick read.

Please Play Safe: A Penguins Guide to Playground Safety by Margery Cuyler. I lucked into this one! I found it at Half-Price Books! It's perfect to read before your first recess and talks about slide, monkey bar and even general playround safety. Very cute, too!

The Recess Queen by Alexis O'Neill and Laura Huliska-Beith. A classic--another one to read before recess (addresses bullying). Kids love it.

I Ain't Gonna Paint No More by Karen Beaumont. BRILLIANT book! Great to read before you introduce paint--where it goes and where it doesn't go. Illustrations are wonderful, it rhymes, and it almost has the word "butt" in it. One of my all-time favorites!

Little Tiger is Loud: A Book About Using Your Inside Voice by Susan Hood and Barbara Nascimbeni. I just got this last night at Barnes and Noble. It's a pop-up--usually a no-no in my room, but it was too cute to pass up, and does address an issue that's always a problem in my room--loud voices!

Hmmm...I wonder why I'm so broke?