13 Questions to Ask When Choosing New Books for Classroom Libraries

Whether you’re freshening up existing classroom libraries or starting a classroom library from scratch, consider how the books you choose will help students develop a lifelong love of reading. Here are some key questions to keep in mind when selecting titles for a classroom library.

1. Are there enough books in this classroom library?

The […]

Booksource’s 2022 Literacy Takeaways

Booksource Banter Blog helps educators select the best classroom library books for their students, manage their classroom libraries and foster engaged reading. Here’s a roundup of the best literacy takeaways of this year!

1. The Lifelong Benefits of Reading

While strong reading skills support academic success, engaged reading benefits students long after they leave the […]

7 Things You Didn’t Know You Could Do in Booksource Classroom

At Booksource, we’re dedicated to helping educators. Not only do we curate amazing book collections designed to meet the needs of all students, we also have a free online tool to organize them. 

5 Steps to Set Up Your Booksource Classroom Account

Whether you’re new to Booksource Classroom or you’ve been using it for years, you’ll want to make sure you use your account to its fullest. That’s why […]

By |December 10th, 2020|Classroom Technology, Teacher Resources|1 Comment

5 Steps to Set Up Your Booksource Classroom Account

You created a Booksource Classroom account to help organize your classroom library. Whether you’re excited about analyzing your books for diversity with the LibraryLens™ feature or you’re just looking for a digital way to facilitate student checkout, there are a few things you’ll have to set up first.  

It can be overwhelming … we understand, and we are here to help! Below, we’ve listed the first five things to do after […]

By |November 25th, 2020|Classroom Library Resources, Classroom Technology|1 Comment

6 Essential Tips for Organizing Your Classroom Library

Each school year, your classroom library helps support a whole new group of kids to develop a deeper love for reading. It’s the heart of your classroom. However, when your students are checking books in and out, disorganization takes over way too easily—paper sign-in sheets aren’t cutting it anymore. 

At Booksource, we’re dedicated to helping educators. Not only do we curate amazing book collections designed to meet the needs of all students, we also have […]

How to Analyze Your Classroom Library for Diversity

All students deserve to see their stories reflected in the books they read. When you fill your classroom library with a rich variety of inclusive titles that represent your students and their experiences, along with books depicting situations that they never see or hear about in their everyday lives, you help every reader feel welcome and accepted. […]

Teaching Media Literacy: 9 Strategies for Integrating Diverse Media Into Balanced Literacy Instruction

With the continuous advancements in technological communications, images and sound are consistently inundating our students. Students today need to be literate in more than reading, writing, speaking and listening. Students need to be taught to critique video, images, graphics and sound delivered through multiple modalities—and teaching media literacy is up to us.  
Teaching Media Literacy Through […]

By |November 10th, 2017|Classroom Technology|0 Comments

Bringing Books to Life: Adventures with Book Trailers

I’m not sure when book trailers started to be recognized as a powerful tool for getting readers excited about books, but it was just a few years ago that I discovered them myself. It was when I started dabbling in Twitter that I came across @MrSchuReads and the amazing book trailers he created and shared […]

By |August 31st, 2016|Classroom Technology|1 Comment

Lessons with Google Docs: 4 Simple Activities to Foster Creative Thinking and Collaboration

Google Drive is the optimum collaborative tool, and because of its ease and accessibility, many schools have gone Google wild. While many students are already using Google Docs to collaboratively work through the components of the writing process, these shared documents can be the platform for many collaborative learning activities too.

I’m an ELA teacher, and […]

By |May 10th, 2016|Classroom Technology|0 Comments

What Keeps Teachers from Implementing Best Practices with Technology Integration?

Over 97% of teachers have one or more computers in their classroom, and over 75% of high school students use personal devices regularly in class. With its abundance, why do teachers who regularly use technology at home hesitate to integrate it into their curricula?

According to the National Center for Education Statistics, over 97% of teachers […]

By |October 9th, 2015|Classroom Technology|0 Comments