How to Cure the Classroom Library Blues

Advice from Real Teachers Series

Are you feeling the classroom library blues? Whether you have a huge book collection or you're just getting started, the cure is finding a checkout system that works for you. Otherwise, you'll find your book collection dwindling throughout the year. Wouldn't you love to know how other teachers handle classroom library checkout? Read on to learn some tech-savvy methods as well as some tried-and-true ways to manage a classroom library.

Today's Question
Ally, a fan of the Teaching Resources Facebook page, asked for help with this issue, "I still struggle with my classroom library procedures. Doesn't anyone have a process that has worked well and doesn't result in lost time and lost books?" 

Over 100 teachers responded, so I compiled the best answers and removed duplicates. I organized all of the checkout systems into two categories: technology systems and traditional systems. There's also a third category from teachers who explained why they don't have ANY checkout system. If you would like to read all of the ideas, you'll find Ally's question here on the Teaching Resources Facebook page.

Systems That Require Technology
This category includes recommendations for apps that can be used with a mobile device, as well as hand-held barcode scanners. Several people recommended the Intelliscanner which is a bit pricy, but Elizabeth Odrap said she bought similar scanner that was quite a bit cheaper. I've included links to those two devices so you can read the reviews on Amazon to see what you think. In the image on the right, the Intelliscanner is shown at the top, and the cheaper, generic scanner is shown at the bottom. Neither of them are wireless, and they both have to be connected to a computer to use them.

• Patti Lyn - I use Intelliscanner. It's a library scanner with a computer program to log and check out books. It takes some time to scan them in, but it's well worth it. I have over 1000 books in my classroom library and haven't lost one yet since I started using it.
• Paula Cull - OMG, I have the Intelliscanner and I LOOOOOOVE IT! I have a huge classroom library and instead of putting all the books in at first, put them in as the students check them out. It's so easy and you can print reports of who is overdue and who lost books, etc... Best purchase I have made for my classroom!
• Marcie Stowell - I use Booksource Classroom Organizer. It takes a bit of setup time to get all the books entered but once I show it to the kids it runs itself. They can use the computer or iPhone/iPad app to check books out and there is no limit on the number they can check out. I do get a report every 2 weeks and I can see who has what book and for how long but generally when we check in during reading conference I get all that information too. I have over 1000 books (3rd year teacher in 5th grade) and my kids know that I LOVE books. If they fall in love with one I generally gift it to them (or purchase them a new one for themselves) all they have to do is ask. They are completely in charge of the library, it helps teach them accountability and organization 
• Elizabeth Odrap - I bought a similar scanner for about $20.00. I use Booksource Classroom Organizer and the scanner attached to a tiny netbook computer for my students to scan and check out their books. I have also used an old iPhone to do it as well, but they love using the scanner! It was an excellent purchase! Easy to install and super each for my third graders to use. I have used this scanner with Classroom Organizer for a year and a half....works great!
• Daina Roberts - I let my kiddos "check out" books to take home... They simply hold their book up and I snap their picture with my phone… they bring it back, I delete the photo...I can easily check daily/weekly/monthly to see who never returned their book because their photo with that book will still be on my phone.  Quick and easy and you can even have it be a kid's job! Could easily do the same thing with a class camera! 
• Shelley Rolston - There are apps to help. Check these out: http://appcrawlr.com/ios-apps/best-apps-classroom-library
• Staci Arnold - If you have a smartphone, a way you can check books in and out and make sure you know who has returned books and who hasn't is an app called Book Retriever. I LOVE IT!!!!

Traditional Systems

If you don't have access to the technology needed for the options above, one these tried-and-true methods might work for you.

• Elizabeth Hailey - Each of my kids has a numbered shelf marker (bookmark) that they put where they pulled out the book. It stays there until they put the book back to get a new one. Since their marker is there personal number, I always know who has what.
• John Blake - One of my classroom community jobs is Librarian. At certain times in the day, this student will open the check-in/out book and write down the students' books in a binder. Each child has a page in the binder, so it's easy to see who has books still checked out. My rule is that my students can check a book out as long as they want, but they can only have one out at a time. This is just for books that the children are allowed to bring home. All other books that they read during the day are kept in their book boxes (cardboard magazine files). The only limit is the number of books they can fit in their book boxes. The boxes are kept in a central area in class where they can easily be grabbed for independent reading.
• Susan Ross - My son's kindergarten teacher had an awesome system. She had the old library pockets and cards in all of her books. The kids each had a library card pocket on their cubby. When they borrow a book, they take the card out of the pocket in the book and put it in the pocket on their cubby. As long as they have a card in their pocket, they know they have a book out and can't get another. When they return the book, they take the card out of their pocket, and put it back in the book, and put the book back on the shelf/basket. They can exchange books as often as they want. If they don't want v to borrow a book, they don't have to. I'd love to do this with my books! It would be a very time consuming project.
• Brittany Barlow - I teach first grade. My books are organized by level. Each hook basket has a label on the outside and each book is labeled with a sticker to the corresponding level. Students have 7-10 books in their book baskets. Each student is assigned a day to "book shop" in which they return their old books to the proper baskets and then get new ones. It was a great system that worked well with firsties after training.
• Shelly Worrall - I have a library pocket and index card in each of my 3,000+ books. Each index card has the book title on it. When a child decides on a book, they hand me the card. I have a 3 prong folder with pages inside. Each page has numbered library pockets attached (4 per page). I place the card into their pocket. When they want a new book, they get their card from me. It just takes a second and I always know where my books are. Comes in handy when students are looking for a specific book.
• Trinity Tracy - I have kids write down the title on a clipboard as they take it out. My name and room number are in each book. When they book is returned, the name is crossed out. If someone finds a book, it usually gets back to me because my information's in it. Otherwise, it's basically an honor system because I don't have time to look for lost books. The names are recorded and if a book's popular enough a student will hunt down the last one to have it.
• Patty Baumeister - All of the books in my classroom library have my name written inside the front cover. I also write a number inside each book. At the beginning of each year, I give each student a large index card. The students write their name on the card. That is their "library card". If a student wants to borrow a book, they write the title of the book and the number on the card on the card. They give the card to me. When they return the book, I check that the number on the book matches the number on the card. If they match, the student gets the card back and can borrow another book. I started numbering the books, because I have multiple copies of many books. I know the student actually returned the book they borrowed by checking the numbers. I probably lose 3-5 books a year, but getting students reading at home is more important.
• Eric Meisner - Place in genres. Number basket with the same number on the books. I ask students to write title and their name with current date. They put card in a separate basket. When they return the book they match number with the right basket. They are to remove their card. THIS Works With 4th graders.
• Kristin Slosser - One option is to have two types of books. Have an honor system open section that kids can access easily and on their own with books you got cheap or have multiple copies of. Books that are super popular or special/more expensive/ really new copies that you are more concerned about losing can be on a special access shelf that has to be signed out by you or only read at school or actual due dates or whatever.

Honor Systems - Don't Worry; Be Happy!
What if ALL of these options seem like wayyyyy too much work? Several teachers had a more relaxed view about their classrooms libraries and didn't have any formal checkout system at all.

• Kristen Little - My 5th graders take what they want. Some of my kids have several at a time. I want them to learn to love books, share them, stack them, and hoard them! I don't want to limit reading by being a monitor. Monitoring wastes time in my opinion; if I lose a few so be it. I do have two students that are librarians to keep things in order and re-shelve.
• Laura Grover - Kids are kids, Books get lost or forgotten. My rule is that you are welcome to borrow a book for classroom use only. You may not take them home. It is on the honor system. Sometimes my books show up around the school but they are so well marked with my name that I get them back. If a book disappears, I can only hope it is being well loved somewhere. Too much time, and stress over replaceable items. 

Do you have your own library checkout system that works for you? If so, please share it in a comment. If not, which methods in this post interest you? 

If you would like to submit a teacher question of your own, be sure to watch for the Question Connection announcement every Wednesday on the Teaching Resources Facebook page. Even if you don't have a question, please follow me on Facebook and offer your advice when you see the questions come through! Working together, we can accomplish more!

Celebrate Do Something Nice Day!

Did you know that October 5th is Do Something Nice Day? No, I'm not making that up! Google it and you'll see! What a great way to focus on being a good citizen and thinking of others! If you are reading this after October 5th, why not pick a day this week and call it Do Something Nice Day?

To help your students celebrate, I created this fun printable you can use with your students. Click HERE to download this freebie. You'll notice that I didn't include the date of October 5th anywhere on the page, leaving you free to declare any day you want as Do Something Nice Day!

Before you give the printable to your students, spend a few moments discussing what it means to do something nice for others. It's often the small things mean the most, but these actions may seem so ordinary that your students might not realize that they are "doing something nice" for someone. Work with your students to brainstorm ideas, and create a class list to get them started. How about complimenting someone, sharing something, or offering a word of encouragement to a classmate who is discouraged? What about offering to unload the dishes at home or helping mom or dad prepare dinner?

Then give each student a copy of the Do Something Nice Day printable. Challenge them to do at least 6 nice things for others and write one action on each cloud. Ask them to bring the activity page back to school the next day. You might not want to ask them to share everything they did with the class because some actions may be personal, but you can have them talk about how they felt doing good deeds for the day. You could also ask them to write about their experiences in a journal. Then remind them that every day can be Do Something Nice Day!

$25 TpT Gift Card Giveaway! ( Ends at midnight PT on 10/5/2017)

I wanted to do something nice to celebrate Do Something Nice Day, so I'm giving away a $25 TpT gift card! The giveaway ends at midnight PT on October 5th, and I'll randomly select a winner on October 6th. To enter, share the giveaway with at least one other teacher, subscribe to Candler's Classroom Connections, and fill out the Rafflecopter entry form below. Check your email after the contest ends to find out if you won. Good luck! Have a terrific day, and remember to do something nice for someone today!




a Rafflecopter giveaway

25 Bulletin Boards You Can Keep Up All Year

Advice from Real Teachers Series

Even if you love creating bulletin boards, chances are good that you don't have time to dream up a new bulletin board every month for all of the boards in your room. Wouldn't it be great to have at least one board that you could keep up all year and not have to replace?

Today's Question
April, a fan of the Teaching Resources Facebook page, asked, "What is a good bulletin board to keep up all year?" Over 150 teachers responded to her question with some terrific ideas. I compiled the answers and removed duplicate responses, but I could not narrow the list down to any less than 25! Luckily you'll only need one or two of these ideas if you plan to keep the board up all year.

Bulletin Board Photos Needed!  
The ideas below are terrific, but in this case a picture really is worth a 1000 words! I would love to see some of these ideas in action, and I know my blog followers would, too. If you create a bulletin board from one of these ideas, please take a picture of it. Email it to me at contact@lauracandler.com. If I'm able to use your photo in this post, I'll send you $15 worth of teaching materials from my store - your choice! In order for me to use it, it will need to be clear, sharp, and taken in good lighting, so turn up the lights and keep your hand steady!

25 Bulletin Boards You Can Keep Up All Year
Here are my picks for the top 25 bulletin board ideas in no particular order. If you would like to read all of the ideas, you'll find that question here on the Teaching Resources Facebook page.

1. Debbie Powell - I did a Classroom Timeline last year that the kids and I loved. The timeline is put up at the beginning of the year with the months of the year spaced along it. Each month I put up pictures of students having birthdays and other pictures of classroom activities.
2. Diane Fulp - I just bought some window valances and curtain rods.  I am going to make one of my largest boards a "window".  I'll use sheet protectors for the windowpanes to display student work all year.  I'll cut strips of a darker paper to use as lines to divide the windowpanes.
3. Elizabeth Odrap - I have a giant world map on one of my boards (Under $10.00 on Amazon) Students place a pin on it to mark the setting/ location of the current book their reading. Two years using the same map, and it still looks great!  It was an excellent opportunity to interject geography into every day! 
4. Paula Gentry - My 5th graders created an interactive social media board where the kids posted notes to each other and they used the board to ask questions to the teacher. I also used it to post missed assignments when a student was absent.
5. Stephanie Bradshaw - I have a giving tree and at the end of each day I have the kids post something positive about themselves. As the year moves along, I have them pull a name of a fellow classmate and say something positive about them. They hang all the responses on the tree. 
6. Paula Colvett - I have a board where I put a new random question each week. Students put their answers on a sticky note sometime during the week and stick it on the board. They enjoy looking at all the answers, some funny, some serious.
7. Mischa Yandell - I put up black paper black and white filmstrip border. Red glitter letters saying "NOW SHOWING" and foam stars on clothespins. I hang their work on them each week.
8. Zena Lewis - Google Board: This could be a white board or a bulletin board. When students have a question that needs be researched later this is your spot. The lesson can continue but it is not forgotten.
9. Jan Bryant - I give everyone a piece of paper that has a puzzle piece for them to cut out and decorate. Their assignment is to decorate it in any way that would represent them. Then I put them all together on a bulletin board titled "You Fit Right In."
10. Jenn Davidson - I have always kept our "Writing Wall" up all year. I put a writing sample up for each student each month. The latest is always on top so I can see the progress by lifting the pages. I do one on the first day of school and one every month detailing the student's personal favourite thing they did during the month. The last is done during the final week of school. I bind it nicely and attach a letter to each family telling then the significance of the writing. I do not edit this writing so that it is a true reflection of the students work and progress (both written and artistically). Each year I am brought to tears in June as I take it down when I realize how I have been a small part of a huge journey in the Grade 1 year.
11. Allie Serna - I love the idea of this Facebook bulletin board... It's fun and up with the technical age :-) and it can be used for famous people in history, characters in a book, student of the week, and many more. 
12. Mary Tudor - A birthday chart is a great year long bulletin board. When a student has a birthday have the other students write a positive comment and put it on the board.
13. Tina Thorp - On my large bulletin board outside my classroom in the hall, I have a large world map and heading with "Where in the World is Flat Stanley?"  I use this as my first book club book to introduce the rules and expectation of the book club.  I also use this as a social studies tool for geography, map reading, and cultures. I pose 3 questions for each location while my class and the entire school try to locate Flat Stanley.  After the clues, I write the location and connect red yarn from the location to point on map.  I also include a picture and 3 important cultural facts from that city/country.  All the grades love this!
14. Dan Watt - For the past four years (with this past year being the best year ever) I've created the "We Have Character" board where we share photos of people/pets/ items very important to each of us.  We talk about it and share it with the class.  As the year progressed, we posted pictures of family members who passed away, so the board evolved into a tribute board.  Very touching, and even more difficult to take down for the year.
15. Bobbi Jo - A couple years ago I made the Twitter bird and said, "A Class to Tweet About." Then I laminated conversation bubbles and the kids could tweet questions, comments, and compliments on their conversation bubbles w dry erase markers. The kids loved it.
16. Kelly Shuffield - I have a brag board. Each student has a piece if construction paper with their name at the bottom mounted on the board. Two paper clips are at the top of the paper. Students choose which graded assignments (90+) they want to post.
17. Vikki Grimley - I did a 'Celebrating Success' wall where students were able to display extracurricular achievements or just something they were particularly proud of. It was a mixture of photos, art work, certificates etc. all with captions from the kids.  It worked extremely well, particularly with the less academic children.
18. Kelly Witte - I do one that says, "I am proud..." And then the students can write on a star and put it up that says what they are proud of. It can be from home or at school.
19. Stephanie Borden - Instagram board. Take pictures all year long and post.
20. Mike Allan - I do an "inspirational quotes" bulletin board for middle schoolers!
21. Darby Gerke - Academic language word wall along with high frequency words
22. Heather Smith - I have jungle theme so I do "Spotting Great Work" (little safari guy/binoculars) on leopard print fabric. Just change the work out. Works all year!
23. Nicole MacDonald - "Look Who's Hard at Work" with a construction scene and workers. Or "A Handful of Learners" - trace hands, write 5 qualities(one on each finger). You could even send that home to the parents as homework, then put their picture in the middle
24. Stefanie Geoghegan - I'm going to build a tree outside my classroom and hang up leaves for each book the kids have read. All year I'll be adding leaves, but won't have to cover up anything for testing and I'll never have to take it down.
25. Joan Armstrong - I put up monthly calendars and we put examples of work, notes, birthdays, newsletter articles. Year at a glance, we can see where we've been and where we are going.

Question Connection - Advice from Real Teachers
Do you have an idea for a year-round bulletin board that you would like to share? Please post it in a comment below. If you would like to submit a teacher question of your own, be sure to watch for the Question Connection announcement on Wednesday evenings at 8:30 pm ET on the Teaching Resources Facebook page. Even if you don't have a question, please follow me on Facebook and offer your advice when you see the questions come through!

Great Questions + Advice from Real Teachers = The Question Connection! Enjoy!

4 Square Planning: The Key to Organized Writing

Guest post by Catherine Reed, the Brown Bag Teacher

As a fifth-grade ELA teacher, I spent many hours writing together with my students. We worked on developing ideas, learning writing conventions, giving opinions, and most importantly, organizing our thoughts.

My students were expected to learn three differentiated classes of writing, and my lowest writers really struggled with the execution of ideas.

My students knew what they wanted to say but struggled to write it in a logical, organized manner that allowed others to understand. Throughout our first 9 weeks together, I tried planner after planner including a pyramid planner, a traditional main idea planner, genre-specific planners, etc., and found that these planners did not work for my students.

I was blessed to visit a neighboring school which has shown tremendous growth in their on-demand writing scores and I asked questions. My first question - How do you teach students to plan? The answer - Schoolwide (K-5) we use a 4-Square Planner. So, back to 5th grade I went and introduced the 4-square planner, this time, very successfully.

While my gut feeling was to provide my students with a printed planner that they would 'fill in', I fought it. My 5th graders (even my lowest writers) needed ownership in the process and were very capable of creating the planner themselves. Additionally, on state testing, my students definitely wouldn't be given a pre-printed planner; we needed to practice like we play. The format went like these - a horizontal and vertical line down the middle, a small box in the center of the paper. Below is a typed version of the planner. If you would like like it for your reference, you may grab it below from DropBox.

Below is an example of a template planner for Opinion Writing. The great part of the 4-square planner is that it's not mode-specific. We used this planner for opinion writing, narrative writing, and inform/explain writing. We could meet and teach all components of the Common Core Writing Standards through this one planner.

Some students choose to write a very detailed plan, methodically recording their ideas on the planner and then, on their formal writing piece. While others include a main idea for each paragraph (required by me) and then, a main word/idea for each supporting detail. When students wrote an entire piece, I wanted to see the following things on their planner: a full thesis, 3 main ideas, and at least 2 supporting details/words in each box/paragraph.

Using the 4-square planner, I found many students preferred to fill in the 4th box (the conclusion) only after they had written the bulk of their piece. once their piece has substance, they would then return to the planner to play around with their ideas and anchor their ideas.

Ultimately, we give a planner format to help guide their work and organize their thoughts, but as they grow as writers, students must learn what works best for them (How do I best organize my thoughts? How thoroughly do I need to plan? How long does it take for me to plan vs. write?). After much practice and modeling, students then have ownership over their writing process and know what parts of the planner work for them. It's at this point that we as teachers have to give up control and trust our students.

Catherine Reed is a former-fifth grade ELA teacher in central Kentucky and is now visiting first grade for her second year of teaching. Catherine blogs at The Brown Bag Teacher where she shares ideas for creating learning experiences and integrating technology in the everyday classroom!

What Makes a Parent Love a Teacher

Guest post by Jennifer Gonzalez

The note from Mrs. F. came home two weeks into the school year:
I’d like to talk with you about how we can make reading time more challenging for Ruby. When can we meet?

Although I knew my daughter was an advanced reader, I had accepted that it would always be up to me to ask for this kind of differentiation. The conversation had never been initiated by the teacher.

Thus began my year of absolutely loving Mrs. F.

I know a lot of teachers, and I know that a lot of their energy goes into things like setting up classrooms, finding new materials and activities, learning new technology, and downloading beautifully designed templates and worksheets. All of that is good and important: The more efficiently your class is run, the more hands-on your activities are, the more welcoming your classroom is, the better the year will be.

But all of that pales in comparison to this one thing. The thing you could do in a bare cinderblock room with no electricity and no more technology than a stick for writing in the dirt floor. The one thing a teacher can do that makes a bigger difference than all those other things combined:

Know my child.

That’s it. This knowledge can manifest itself in so many ways: You can know their academic skills, their allergies, their family, their moods, their quirks, any and all of these things. Just know my child, and a lot of other stuff just falls into place.

It Makes a Difference

My kids are currently in grades 2, 3, and 5. As a family, we have experienced a combined total of twenty different teachers, including preschool teachers and those who teach their “specials.” So far, what has made a few stand out far above the others is how well they get to know my child.

Do other parents feel the same way? When I ask my friends with kids what makes them really love certain teachers, their responses vary in some ways, but one element is always present; “know my child” is always at the core. Here are just a few examples:

From a mother of two: Some of my favorite teachers have been those who were interested in my children and made them feel important. The best one made me feel like my kids were the only kids in her class – she knew them so well – but every parent thought that. The kids wrote in journals every day and she'd read them all – every entry – by reading four or five a day – and respond to what the kids had written. To this day, those journals are among my most treasured keepsakes from their elementary years. 

From a mother of four: Over the years the teachers that stood out were the ones that really put forth the effort to get to know not only my kids but all their students. Those are the teachers my kids still talk about.

From a mother of three: I love it when a teacher "gets" my kid.

Putting in extra effort to really know your students also benefits the teacher. When I taught middle school, knowing my students well helped prevent a lot of behavior issues. If Melissa shared her recent family issues with me, I was gentler with her when she got off-task. If I learned that Joseph had a hard time reading in a crowded room, I could let him read in the hall, avoiding the problems that would have come from forcing him to remain in class.

Creating a System for Getting to Know Students 

Knowing your students on a deeper level doesn’t happen quickly, and it takes a bit of work. Many teachers use some kind of questionnaire at the beginning of the school year to help them learn more about students. As a parent, I look forward to completing these, because I assume the teacher will read every word. If the year moves along and I never see any evidence that they have, it’s kind of a letdown.

If you send those questionnaires out, do something with the information. One way to get systematic with this process is to maintain a chart of the “deep data” that makes each kid unique. By keeping everyone’s information in one living document, you’re more likely to learn that information well.

Click here to download a free customizable copy of the Deep Data at a Glance chart.

Once you've filled out the first round of facts, keep going. Put a shortcut to this document on your desktop and update it as you pick up more information about your students, because kids change and grow. Family configurations change. New passions develop. Who they are at the start of the year is not the same as who they are at the end.

Then, use the chart as a reference tool: Before surprising the class with a special treat, check out the “Food & Drink” column to remind yourself of special preferences. When shopping for new books for your class library, scan the “passions” column to remind yourself of the topics students are interested in. And regularly search for holes: With all the data in one place, you can keep students from fading into the woodwork. Using my chart below, I can see that I need to spend a little more time with Tim Christopher. 

Finally, you can use it to reconnect with students. If Jaylen and I haven’t had any non-academic interactions lately, I can study the chart in the morning, then later that day ask him what he’s been building in Minecraft lately, or how his dog Reggie is doing. He’ll probably be shocked that I know these things, but it will mean a whole lot to him. We all want to be seen.

By now it should be clear that this post isn't about getting parents to love you. Building relationships with your students just makes you a better teacher. It helps you meet each child where she is academically. It reduces discipline problems. It makes your work more satisfying. And more than anything, it makes a difference to your students. Having the support of parents is just an added bonus.

So the next time you’re stressed because you haven’t posted to your class blog or changed your bulletin boards lately, choose to put your energy into making personal connections with your students. You will only have these children for this period of time, only this one chance to know them. So make it a priority.

I promise, it will be appreciated.

Jennifer Gonzalez is a National Board Certified Teacher in Early Adolescence/English Language Arts. Before starting her website, Cult of Pedagogy, she taught middle school language arts for eight years and college-level education courses for four. She lives in Bowling Green, Kentucky.