Previous by Date | Next by Date | Date Index
Previous by Thread | Next by Thread
| Thread Index
| LM_NET
Archive
| |
A few weeks ago I asked for help in deciding how to arrange books at an elem. level. Of course this group responded with many possibilities. Thanks for all your ideas! Monika I would mix my easy and harder nonfiction. With k-4 you will be up and down the levels and checking to collections will make it harder to find appropriate materials. I mark my easier nonfiction so I can find it quicker. -- I was just going thru a back log of messages--deleting indiscriminately--when your subject line caught my eye. I have a K-4 library, and I'm very happy with my shelf arrangement. There is a huge selection of Easy Readers with E and ONE letter (the first letter of the author's last name) on the spine. This is great because it allows the Ks, 1s and 2s to reshelve their own books, since no one is concerned with 3 letter alphabetical at that age. Easy Non-fiction is treated just like Easy Fiction. There is a large Fiction section with F and three letters on the spine. Kids fluent enough to read Fiction are big enough to shelve 3-letter ABC books. There is a large non-fiction section with numbers (only to ONE decimal place) above 3 letters of the author's last name. There is a Reference section and a Professsional Collection. Videos are intershelved with books with appropriate Dewey numbers or Fiction classification. None in Easy Readers. Easy Readers are distinguishable from Fiction or Number books because the pictures in Easy Readers are as important as the text--if not more so. I would be tempted to relabel them all P instead of E if I had a new collection to set up. I was just going thru a back log of messages--deleting indiscriminately--when your subject line caught my eye. I have a K-4 library, and I'm very happy with my shelf arrangement. There is a huge selection of Easy Readers with E and ONE letter (the first letter of the author's last name) on the spine. This is great because it allows the Ks, 1s and 2s to reshelve their own books, since no one is concerned with 3 letter alphabetical at that age. Easy Non-fiction is treated just like Easy Fiction. There is a large Fiction section with F and three letters on the spine. Kids fluent enough to read Fiction are big enough to shelve 3-letter ABC books. There is a large non-fiction section with numbers (only to ONE decimal place) above 3 letters of the author's last name. There is a Reference section and a Professsional Collection. Videos are intershelved with books with appropriate Dewey numbers or Fiction classification. None in Easy Readers. Easy Readers are distinguishable from Fiction or Number books because the pictures in Easy Readers are as important as the text--if not more so. I would be tempted to relabel them all P instead of E if I had a new collection to set up. I don't know if i'm in line with others, but I would intershelve all fiction and have, obviously, the nonfiction shelved together. My reasoning is that it is easier (better?) for the kids to learn how library arrangements work, and they CAN find the books if they are shelved alphabetically by author. I would LOVE to see a hit on this to hear what others do. We have an "E" section and an "F" section. Easy chapter books are in the "E" section and have an extra yellow (any color would do) near the label. The limited vocabulary books have a different color sticker (green in our case). You could however, put those easy chapter books in the "F" section with a colored sticker and maybe some of those good readers would transfer over to the other section faster than that fear of longer books. or maybe a reading level criteria and split them with the same color stickers in bothe sections. We have two elementary libraries in our district. In one we have the Easy non-fiction separate from regular Dewey. this works well because kids can find all age-appropriate material together. We shelve Easy (non-chapter) books in the same area as the easy nonfiction. Then we have the Dewey collection with Fiction on the other side of the seating. this way the lower level kids know exactly which books they can use. We are automated, so it is easy to find the nonfiction although divided. the negative to separating is knowing to look in two places when just browsing the shelves (like for fairy tales). It's easy to learn that habit though. I do not believe in separating my nonfiction into reading levels; merely into subjects by Dewey numbers, as I don't want to discourage students from reading challenging books. I do teach them the "Five Finger Rule" (stick up a finger every time you come across a word you don't know. If you reach five fingers before the end of the page, you might consider getting another book). Of course, I say this hypocritically, since I do separate easy fiction from the harder fiction. But if a child is interested in, say, dogs, if they check out a dog book that is too hard for them, they don't have to read every word to get something out of it. I would be interested in a hit giving other viewpoints. I would probably put the fiction for 3-4 seperate from the Easy fiction for 1-2. I also would proably mark the easy chapter books with a sticker so they are easy to find. I like to keep all of my nonfiction together so that readers of all levels can find something without feeling embarassed by having to go to an easy section. It also makes the younger kids feel more like big kids. As far as fiction goes, I separate E books from chapter books, but once again, all of the chapter books are together, whether they are easier ones or not. I'm sure you'll get many different ideas. Please post a hit as I'm interested in seeing how others organize their collections. I would strongly suggest having your non-fiction collection divided into an easy section and a more advanced section. If philosophically it is "correct" for fiction (easy picture books in one section and chapter books in another) why is it any different for non-fiction? Emergent readers actually prefer informational books many times and with advances in publishing there are many high quality titles to select for this population. I have divided my collection in three different buildings over the past 20 yrs and each time usage increased dramatically both by kids and teachers. I put a small colored dot on the spine label to indicate the item should be shelved in the easy non-fiction section. In my automated card catalog I have entered an * infront of the call number to represent the colored dot. Makes it able to sort non-fiction into easy and more advanced which helps kids searching as well. We have a semi circle of low shelving in the main area of the media center. The picture book stories are in A,B,C order on the outside of the shelving and the non-fiction in Dewey order on the inside of the circle. Even kindergarteners can tell you if they want a story or information when they say, "I want a dog book." They naturally grow into the larger collection. I do not totally limit kids by grade level, but do suggest primary students try the easy section first. As to easy chapter books I would not split them off of Fiction. We introduce our second graders to the fiction collection and give them suggestions of some authors or series books they might like to move into. We focus a lot of instructional effort on exposition which is another reason I offer a large easy non-fiction collection. Splitting the collection also lets one see the breath and depth of what you have for these emergent readers. My library started out as a K-6 years ago. When I walked into it last year, it was K-4, became K-3 and soon it will be a K-2 library. We HAVE E(verybody or Easy), F(iciton) and Non-Fiction sections. But I WISH we had, and am agonizing over switching to, just F(iction) and Non-fiction. We code easier to read books with a green spine tape and call them green readers. I have a problem with E, F because I call them all "stories" when I'm trying to get kids to understand the difference between f and non-f --- and the E(verybody) books aren't Easy as most people like to call them. Most are picture books, some are readers......therefore my green reader coding system. I am in favor of mixing the Easy NF with the regular NF for 2 reasons: 1. Kids will pick what is their ability level. Older child who is slow isn't intimidated by going to the E section and the good young reader can get what he/she needs. 2. It is one less chance for misshelving. The library I inherited has NF, F, B, and E for sections. I am working on eliminating the B section...for reasons mentioned in #2. With a computer to search, they can locate biographies when necessary. HINT: Use FIC for fiction rather than F. When labels get old and worn, sometimes the E is mistaken for the F...Also as your eyes get older, the FIC is easier to read! my collection is divided into "neighborhoods" called "everybody", "fiction", Non-fiction" and "biography" plus "reference and periodicals(they do not circulate)" everybody is picture books and easy fiction books every body in school can enjoy.... fiction are chapter books..... non-fiction is 000 to 999 no matter the reading level i find that the older kids benefit from the easier to read facts and the younger kids benefit from the great books with maybe an index or glossary or illustrations....i'm the one who joined the two non fiction areas that exsisted 13 years ago when i was hired i count the joining of non-fiction as one of my better moves....not to mention when you need a dinosaur book there is only one spot to check.....i have a print collection of around 11,000 books and checking one area instead of two is a plus!!!!.......... biographies was pulled from the rest of non-fiction once again for convenience...but it works great to have the bios after 999....non-fiction but special is how i explain them to the kids..... hope this helps you....maa Make life easy. I kept my easy books separate but mixed my non-fiction. That way if you have a younger child that can read at a higher level it is available. The upper students will stay clear if they decide the book is too young. I'm in two K - 5 buildings: In one school the New True Books are shelved separately and in the other nonfiction is nonfiction. The only advantage is that K - 2 can find their animal books by themselves. Monika Sisbarro, librarian Forked River Elem. School Forked River, NJ 08731 (School) lacey7@injersey.com (Home) monika@vitinc.com =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-==-= To quit LM_NET (or set NOMAIL or DIGEST), Send an email message to listserv@listserv.syr.edu In the message write EITHER: 1) SIGNOFF LM_NET 2) SET LM_NET NOMAIL or 3) SET LM_NET DIGEST * NOTE: Please allow time for confirmation from Listserv. For LM_NET Help & Archives see: http://ericir.syr.edu/lm_net/ =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=--=-=-=