Reading Corner in the Resource Room: Part 1 Leveling & Labeling

I'm sure every teacher has their classroom library labeled  or leveled in some way. In the early years, I leveled them by Lexile then I switched to DRA and now F&P. I may have some labeled with the grade equivalent, too.  Either way you name it, my classroom books are labeled with every system you can imagine. A few years ago, I really started use mostly DRA and F&P.  It made things more useful since I was using Reading A-Z materials for my guided reading groups.

My go to resource was, and still is, the Scholastic Book Wizard. Hopefully, you've heard of it, but if not, it is certainly a great tool for leveling books.  Recently, I downloaded the app on my iPad. It was FREE, you can download it HERE. The best part is that you can scan the book's UPC/ISBN  and it gives you the most of the levels (guided reading level, DRA, Grade leve, and lexile)  so you can use which ever suites your classroom needs.   I was able to create save library lists. This feature was great to have handy during planning especially if you wanted to use a book a lesson.  Here are a few screen shots so you can have a quick look. I absolutely love this app!

I was decided that I wanted to use a library check out scanner system to keep track of all my books and materials. I did some research and discovered The Book Retriever app.  I was able to scan books and it had some books on file but I mostly had to input all the titles and authors as well as book levels. It was a bit time consuming but I will be able to create student accounts so students check out materials. It did allow me to create labels for books and materials. I would be a great way to keep track of teacher materials too. I'm always lending books and materials to others and often forget who I lent what to. You can see some of the features below.

When labeling my books I just used a permanent marker and wrote on the back of the book. For a while I've used some color coding that didn't last too long. But you will see how I organize my library in my next post.  Reading Corner in the Resource Room: Part 2 Organization