The Classroom Library: A Catalyst for Literacy Instruction(Kids Like Us)

The Classroom Library: A Catalyst for Literacy Instruction serves two purposes by first providing classroom teachers with a how-to guide in setting up and using the classroom library to support literacy. Next, it provides teachers with excerpts and stories of practicing teachers who have successfully used their classroom library to teach literacy. A wide array of photos, documents, tips, ideas, and descriptions lead teachers to create a classroom library that will scaffold students in the classroom library to establish and extend their literacy development. Several chapters specifically focus on working with under-served students, including students in urban settings, those who are learning English as a second language, and students without access to other libraries. Content in this book is easy to use to help teachers establish a library oasis in their classroom to support learners in preschool through grade eight classrooms. This book is a companion book to More Mirrors in the Classroom:Using Urban Children’s Literature to Increase Literacy. Both volumes cover the selection of culturally responsive children’s literature.

Table of Contents:
Acknowledgments Introduction Part I. The Classroom Library by Susan Catapano Chapter 1. The Role of the Classroom Library Chapter 2. Building and Managing the Classroom Library: Considering Issues of Equity and Empathy Chapter 3. Establishing and Organizing the Classroom Library Chapter 4. Making the Classroom Library the Center of the Language Arts Program Chapter 5. Advocating for Each Other: Connecting the Classroom Library with the School Librarian Part II. Voices from the Field: Using the Classroom Library Chapter 6. From Culturally Colonizing to Culturally Responsive: Using a Classroom Library to Shift the Curriculum Michelle Falter Chapter 7. Using the Project Approach as a Vehicle for Culturally Relevant Teaching in the Early Years Meredith Jones and Jordan Bohannon Chapter 8. My Teaching Comes from Them: Mediating Guided Reading in a Bilingual Classroom Kindel Turner Nash, Alicia Arce-Boardman, Christina Luna, Leah Panther, Rhianna Thomas, and Hilary McNeil Chapter 9. Using Culturally Relevant “Mirror” Books: Teachers Can Benefit, Too! Laura Szech Chapter 10. Supporting Students Through Re-Imagined Libraries Tracy Reynolds Chapter 11. We Stories: Educators Finding the Language to Talk About Race and Inequity Through Culturally Relevant Texts Sarah Huismann References About the Editors About the Contributors

About the Author :
Susan Catapano, EdD, is an elementary school librarian and retired teacher educator with more than 25 years of experience working with early childhood and elementary school teachers. She still teaches part-time for several universities. Candace M. Thompson, PhD, is chair and associate professor in the Department of Instructional Technology, Foundations, and Secondary Education at the University of North Carolina, Wilmington. She focuses on critical multicultural and antiracist education in teacher education in her research.

Review :
This book is essential for teachers who have, or plan to have, a classroom library. Topics range from practical library management best practices to developing a culture of diversity supported by the classroom collection. This text makes clear the importance of an under-explored topic: the classroom library. From setting up a culturally responsive environment of texts to lessons on working with school media specialists, this book offers something for both beginning teachers as they plan and build their libraries and those teachers looking for new ways to encourage literacy within their established classrooms. Based on extensive research and the collaboration of practitioners across the field, The Classroom Library: A Catalyst for Literacy Instruction is a practical guide for establishing and using the classroom library as an integral part of the LA program to engage, validate, and develop EVERY child as lifelong readers.