Classroom Library Tour - What is it and Why Do You Need It?
I can not believe I am writing this, because July has only just begun…but I am thinking about back to school.
I feel like I have done a decent job of resting this summer, while also slowly chipping away at school things. Typically, I advise that teachers stay in ‘summer mode’ for as long as they can, and then when they turn on ‘school mode’ they go all in.
But this year, I moved classrooms. And the new classroom had a TON of stuff left in it. Every cabinet, shelf, drawer, and cubby is full. And I had an entire classroom worth of stuff to move over. I feel super fortunate to have so many supplies now (because I was starting over last year and didn’t have much, at all.) But it has been a J-O-B to go through it all and try to find where my stuff should go, and what stuff should/shouldn’t stay.
Also, I’m departmentalizing and have a new math curriculum to learn after the room is set up. So, waiting until the last week of July just felt irresponsible and was giving me some anxiety.
Anyways, I’m here to talk to y’all today about my CLASSROOM LIBRARY. More specifically, the classroom library tour that I’m planning to give my students during the first week of school.
What is a classroom library tour?
A classroom library tour is what it sounds like. It is a tour you take your students on through your library. Show them what kinds of books you have, how you keep them organized, what titles they may be interested in checking out, etc. It’s a time for students to learn all of your expectations for how to treat your books, how to borrow books, where to store book boxes, etc. Also, it’s a great time to share your love of reading with your students and get them excited about reading in the new year!
Why do you need a classroom library tour?
I believe that a classroom library tour at the beginning of the year does three big things for our students:
A tour gives them ownership of your library. Yes, I said your library. Of course, while your students are in your room, it is their library, too. They should have full access to it and feel welcomed to read as much as they want. But, when this school year is over, those books will still be yours. And they need to last long enough for many classes to enjoy them. So, teaching your students to care about your library, put things away, etc. will help you maintain a quality library year after year.
Your students will see what books you really have. My favorite part of the tour is when I highlight some of my favorite books in different genres. It can take your students months to uncover all of the different titles you have. And, for a reluctant reader, we really don’t have that kind of time. If there is a book title in your library that will spark interest in a kid who doesn’t typically read much, we want them to know about it early in the year so we can find more books to inspire them to read!
You have an engaging way to teach your students routines and procedures. All of those little lessons that come along with your library are covered in this one tour. How do we borrow books? How are the books organized, so I know where to put them when I’m done? How do I store books that I borrow? How often do I come to the library to swap books out? Is there ever a time in the school day where I’m free to come to the library and browse? All of those questions are answered!
How to Host a Library Tour
They way that I have designed my tour is primarily through a slideshow, to keep the conversation structured, while also walking through my library and showing my students different books. So, I plan to bring my students to my carpet. My Smart Board is right next to my classroom library, so if students are seated on the carpet, they will be close enough to the library to see things, while also being able to follow along on the slides.
Some of the slides look like this:
The structure of the tour will be this:
Show students pictures of the library at it’s neatest, and let them look at how neat and tidy the library is that day, so they know how it should look after they are done using it.
Go over rules for treating books respectfully.
Show them what the different genres and baskets are filled with, and how chapter books are organized.
Highlight some of my favorite books in the library and where to find them.
Review book box rules and give students time to browse and fill their book boxes.
Play a slideshow review game going over everything we learned that day!
Do you want to do a library tour this year?
You can grab your copy of the editable slides on TPT HERE. You can insert your own text, your own images, and even create your own slides to go along with the original ones!
