Saturday, March 04, 2006

My "Book Nook"

In my classroom I have an area with a bookshelf/magazine rack (the kind that you'd find in the back of Books-A-Million) filled with all sorts of books, magazines, comic books for my students to read (an idea that I got from my friend across the hall, Jen). I have a rug with a bean bag and floor pillow, a table with two chairs tucked away in a comfortable area of my room--all as an effort to create a mood that subtly encourages my students to WANT to read. (Some days this effort is met with more success than others.) Throughout my teaching career, I have frequented thrift stores, yard sales, and second-hand bookstores to find suitable books of interest for my diverse students. I have become addicted to "Young adult Literature," and I want to provide my students with the opportunity to read ANYTHING. Recently, I've noticed that my book supply is dwindling... We have a check out system similar to the library, but the popular books are being passed around so fast that I'm losing track. I never know whether to be frustrated by my disappearing books or kind of excited that my kids are actually reading them and wanting them.

If you happen to have any extra books lying around, stashed away in trunks or attics, please consider donating them to Lee High School, room 107 (my classroom). Here is a small sampling of my wish list as well as another great place to look for book reviews. Let me know if you are interested! Thanks for the support.

1 comment:

Caanan said...

It's so exciting that your students are so into reading those books! I looked at your wishlist... I read Hatchet a long time ago. :)

Right now I'm reading Nemesis by Isaac Asimov. It's really good. And I had actually done a big report on him and another of his books when I was in 11th grade. If it wasn't for that, I'd have missed out on an excellent author. I loved that teacher, too.