Setting Up an Elementary Bilingual Library

I have a library in my classroom that students can always go visit when they have finished their independent practice. I try to make it an inviting place so that students choose to go here versus doing another early finisher activity. In the past, I have written about building up your library, which can be difficult knowing where to start (you can find that post here.) Because of the nature of the ages and frequency I see my students, I have bilingual, Spanish and English books all in my library. They all serve a different purpose. This post is dedicated to how I organize all those books and a few other resources.

Easy Access to Books
There are two different ways I display books. The first way (similar to this option) is on a mobile library that shows the book's cover. This way is limited to about 24 books, however it is by far the most popular way students access books in my classroom. I make a color copy of each book cover and tape that behind the book on the shelf. This makes it easier for students to know where the book belongs. I also rotate the books seasonally.

I also keep books in bins separated by the following: books in Spanish, bilingual books, books about culture, emergent reader books, board books (for Pre K students) and my favorite books. The different categories are up to you, the demographics of your audience and how you want to scale things for your students. 

Once I created categories, these books all are sorted by colored bins. I label each book using a piece of colored paper and tape so that students know when they take a book out, where to put the book after they have finished.

Other Components of the Library

I try to make the library comfortable and inviting to students by including a separate carpet and pillows for them to use while reading. I also encourage the use of hear myself phones while students read to themselves. It keeps the library quieter while other students are still working.

NOTE: The Guess Who and Puzzle are centers that are not directly used in the library

The last component of the library is one that essentially could be a center and does not really need to be in the library. I keep my globe there with maps on the walls of Spanish speaking countries. Students rarely get to spend time looking at a globe and you'd be surprised how much time they can spend looking at one. I have them try and find the countries located on the map on the globe.

If you have any other suggestions or tips for setting up an elementary Spanish library please let me know!