Blog Hop and SWAP *UPDATED* Read it Again! :)

Below are Two Posts for the Blog Hop and Swap!
The first one is mine that was supposed to be on Leanne's blog-
but the HTML was wonky and you couldn't see the pics

So this is mine, be sure to keep reading to see Tammy's



I have so many ideas of new procedures and systems  that I want to try in the classroom-
and I have gotten them from these lovely ladies I follow:)

I have made many changes to the way I set my classroom library up- so many in fact,
that I think I have changed it more times than the total amount of years  I have been teaching!

There have been so many wonderful ways to organize and label and distribute and store the books that the children use in the classroom. Today I would like to talk to you about how I organize, store, and FIND the books that I use for instruction.

My second year of teaching, our academic coach gave us a little snippet about
Library Thing. com.
Have you ever heard of it?
OH.MY.GOODNESS!

Library Thing is a way for you to "inventory" what you have, tag it, share it, review it, and most importantly- FIND it!

When I log in, this is what I see:

I can choose to see my books by author, title, genre or other tags that I can create. I can also see them as book covers or just listed titles.
This page happens to be by author and cover.

If you will notice, up there in the corner it shows that I have over 800 books listed in there.

How did I get them in there?

Easy.

I can either click on ADD BOOKS and type in the title or the ISBN number.


I will use this new book I got from CBMC-
C.R.Mudgeon to take you through the process-
First I type in the name of the book I am trying to add.

Next I click on Quick Edit.

Then I want to type in some tags so that I can find this book later. I will most likely use this for some type of feelings, friendship type lesson.

Now, let's pretend (I love to pretend)
that we are in the school year and I am planning and I need to find my books about friendship, emotions, feelings- etc.
So  I go to Library Thing, type in feelings- and VIOLA!!!

There it is, along with 14 other books that I might want to use this week.

Now, where do I physically find the book?


I have my books (the ones that are for instruction) organized in bankers boxes, alphabetically.

Don't worry- I am not "cray-cray" !
They are not in the boxes alphabetically- just by title.
So when I look for those books about emotions/feelings, I see the title on the screen
and I know which box to look in and which title I am looking for in there!
I have to tell you.
I LOVE IT!
Not to mention- every book that I own (for school) is in there.
So if I am planning from home, I have all of my resources right there!

I know what the next question is-
How much?
Well.....Free- if you have 200 books or less listed.
They have different rates- but I paid $20 for a LIFETIME membership!!!
LIFETIME! and UNLIMITED amount of books!
I also invested in the little CatScanner that they sell to scan bar codes-
I don't think that really makes it too much faster because you still have to go in and
type in your tags.

There are resources on Library Thing that I don't use that often, but you can explore!!!

As soon as I purchase a new book, I add it to my library and put it in the correct box- Easy Peezy!!

Keep Reading!
This is Tammy's Post :

Hi.  My name's Tammy from Forever in First.  I'd like to thank Staci for handing over her blog today (to practically a complete stranger, no less).  I promise to take really good care of things while she's away.  

My library, like most classroom libraries, exposes my readers to several different genres, even magazines.  My young readers really enjoy them, but unfortunately there's a problem.  Where are the magazines that are actually readable for your average developing reader?  A few years ago, I tracked one down.

  

My kids love Chirp. They love it, because they can read it.   Finally a magazine that's accessible to my readers.

This shows an example of the text at its easiest level. 

It's got a comic book kind of feel to it.  The stories are fun and kid-friendly. 

Here's an example of a non-fiction section.  (Common Core would be happy.)  There's a little something for everyone.  

I've saved the best for last, at least that's what my kids would say.  There are four jokes on the back of each edition, and my readers will read them over and over and over to anyone who'll listen.

If you've been looking for a great classroom magazine, look no further.  Chirp comes highly recommended.  My kids would give it two thumbs up!  

(Click on the picture to visit the site and its three available magazines.)

Thanks again Staci.  It's been a pleasure to be part of your little world today.

Thanks Tammy!