As adults how do we find books?
For students, what draws interest to books?
As educators, how do we deal with providing books to students and allowing them to use them the best way possible?
Our school is on a limited space budget. It has always been the case with storage and supplies. When I came here we often looked under-resourced in the book category because the books were hidden everywhere. Each grade level had a supply of books that were ordered and then stuffed away in hallway cabinets. There were 20 copies of this here and maybe another 5 of something similar over there. Teachers selected sets based on a very general estimate of what a grade 2,3,4, etc. student might be able to read or what might interest them, not knowing the students or where inquiries are going. Among some teachers there was a feeling of “those are our books and no one else should use them.” Books were in cupboards and if they were used that year, it was for a few weeks.
In reality, most books relate to many units. A book about London over time might work well with an inquiry into how we are ruled by time or an inquiry into people of the past or an inquiry into architecture or many other interests and units. A student in grade 5 might be at a point in thinking or development for a certain book at the same time as another student in grade 3. In an effort to truly individualize learning we must have books and materials available to a great many students. Not to mention, sharing resources just a smarter use of materials and space. As an adult, I go back to an article or book more than once and get something different at different times based on needs, perspective, interest or other factors. Let’s try for students to be allowed and able to do this too.
So, over the last 3-4 years, myself, some teachers and school administration have made an effort to collect and organize a resource room of fiction and nonfiction book sets. This included collating, labeling and organizing the school’s guided reading books labeled at reading levels. It also included collecting book sets that are useful for literature circles, book clubs, independent reading, novel studies, and more. There are also a number of nonfiction sets that were ordered for individual units and grade levels (even as the units have shifted.)
After a few years, the small room where we have collected the books is a hardy collection and bursting at the seams. The truth is that many of the units that teachers ordered books for have evolved and changed. In the evolution of concept based learning, we have moved to units about protecting people and the world instead of units about natural disasters affecting people OR units about making choices instead of a balance life-style.
I find that we have bought many books that truly work with many units, but we are also left with many books that seem thematic or outdated. In a non-English speaking country, it is hard to imagine getting rid of any book. We have donated and stored some, and I continue to do that. I also am struggling in organizing books so that they get where they need to… into students’ hands.
As I look at the new and old… The new being books that are very concept driven and universal, like a kid’s guide to protecting oceans, lakes, river and wetlands or books about using resources or researching safely compared to a book about water or a volcano… what is the best way to present and organize them. Our beautiful fiction and literature: novels, poetry, graphic novels and biographies are organized by author and genre/subject. Now what about non-fiction and fact-based books? Previously they were in general headings: earth science, social sciences, life science, etc. and sometimes under sub-headings like animals or people and places. This worked some, but I’m thinking we can shift to be more trans-disciplinary.
My plan is to experiment with using PYP’s trans-disciplinary themes (Who we are, Where we are in place and time, How we organize ourselves, etc.) There will continue to be some cross-over and need to use more than one area to find books, but the hope is that we will continue to understand how resources can be shared and used in many different ways.
Let’s get the books and the thinking about the way they can be used into the student’s hands. Our job is provide the resources and opportunities to enjoy, contemplate and digest the books. The more we are open to using many books in many units, the more that can happen.
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