First Grade Blue Skies

Now soaring in Kindergarten

  • Home
  • About
  • Contact Me
  • Freebies
  • Reading
    • Math
    • Science
  • Blog
  • SHOP

March 14, 2012 by: Jennifer

Best thing I have ever done! ~Helpful Hint~

Well, one of the best things I have ever done maybe…

Last year I got so frustrated when I tried to find a book I was looking for -and couldn’t remember where it was.  So I decided to fix that problem once and for all.  
Here’s what I did:

Little by little, I would take a group of books from a location in my room and type the titles in a word document. At the top of the list, I would type the location of the book- which most times also serves as the subject of the group (like: Science bucket, or my library, or red dot books, or listening station, etc)  Then I would get another group of books and do the same thing.  By the end of it, I had a list compiled of every book in my classroom, listed under where it was located.
I thought it was going to take forever, but honestly it didn’t take that long.

Has it made life easier?? YES!

This is what the document looks like in reference to the subjects:

 Here are the 5 gallon bags and baskets where those books are found:

Not only can I find books, but I can use the search function in Word to search for a
specific letter or sound…or word.
Here is a picture of the “search” in a document

 For instance, last week I needed a book that had an r controlled vowel in it.  I decided my best bet was the word “more”…so I type it in the search function box and in the document it found “Bear wants More” and “Always Room for One More.”  

A few days later, one of the other teachers in first grade came over and asked if I had a certain Frog and Toad book…of course, I couldn’t be 100% sure…so quickly I typed in “frog” in the document’s search box and although I have several of them, I didn’t have that specific one, but I knew immediately.
 Easy enough, right? 
Much better than running around, poking through baskets or shelves!!

Here is a picture of what one of the pages in the document looks like for authors
which are organized in the bags on the shelf:

 
 This is where you woudl find the levelized “dot” and thematic books listed in the document:

Now, keep in mind, the spelling/capitalization isn’t always perfect in  the document…I was in a hurry and I keep meaning to go back through it and fix things.  It will happen…eventually!

Of course, I also have all my books in the listening center listed, the books
in my non-fiction baskets listed…everything!
Oh, and I am sure to add all titles that I purchase or order from Scholastic as I get them!

Hope this gives someone out there some useful ideas. 
You may not like doing it, but you will be SO happy if you do!

You May Also Like

  • Question of the Day for KindergartenQuestion of the Day for Kindergarten
  • Super ‘Wh’?Super ‘Wh’?
  • Hi Everybody!!Hi Everybody!!
  • My teacher Always Says… Linky PartyMy teacher Always Says… Linky Party

Filed Under: Ideas, Organization, Uncategorized

Follow Us

Want More?

Sign up for updates!

I {heart} Teaching Blog Addict!
Spring Giveaway Winner!!!

Comments

  1. Mrs. Hodson says

    March 14, 2012 at 12:43 am

    great idea! a summer must do!

    Reply
  2. Courtney Bartlett says

    March 14, 2012 at 12:49 am

    Great idea. I was just thinking about how to keep track of my books the other day. Thanks for sharing!

    Swimming into Second

    Reply
  3. applesandabcs says

    March 14, 2012 at 12:59 am

    Wow, this is a great idea….what are the big plastic bags for? What books go in those?

    Michelle
    Apples and ABC's

    Reply
  4. Sarah says

    March 14, 2012 at 1:05 am

    This is a GREAT idea!! Thank you for sharing. This is why I love blogging!!!

    The Eager Teacher Blog
    Facebook
    Twitter
    Pinterest

    Reply
  5. Jennifer says

    March 14, 2012 at 1:11 am

    @ Michelle~ Those are the 5 gallon bags that are mostly books by author (each bag is an author)…or subjects that I don't have a huge number of books for… I will pull from these for author studies or for my seasonal book basket.
    =)Jennifer

    Reply
  6. Kelly says

    March 14, 2012 at 1:32 am

    I have heard of an app for that, too. I pinned it to one of my pinterest boards but haven't tried it yet. It looks like you have an awesome system already though!

    Kelly
    Kindergarten Kel

    Reply
  7. Brittney Canzaro says

    March 14, 2012 at 1:44 am

    Great, great idea! I had started a bucket of all books in my classroom that I needed to teach with but had no idea you could do that in MSWord! Also, my system was not as good as this one! Thanks for the idea Jennifer!

    Brittney
    http://www.thefirstgradebuzzbc.blogspot.com

    Reply
  8. Ashley says

    March 14, 2012 at 2:00 am

    I started this recently. As a laid off teacher, I figured I had time to organize and get a list in my computer. I say start. I am doing it in Excel and sorting it by subject. But I like the tools you used in Word. I wonder if Excel has that too? Now I want to check out the app too. So many ways! Thanks for sharing!

    Ashley
    Live2Learn

    Reply
  9. June says

    March 14, 2012 at 2:10 am

    I have been looking for a good filing system. I have TONS of books that others come to borrow. I can list the teacher that has borrowed my books next to the book and do a quick search at the end of the school year for any 'missing' books. Thanks for the greatness!!

    Reply
  10. Ashlee says

    March 14, 2012 at 2:24 am

    I love that idea! I'll be doing that soon! Thanks for sharing! 🙂

    Reply
  11. Miss DeCarbo says

    March 14, 2012 at 2:55 am

    Wow! Great Idea!! 🙂

    Second Grade Sugar and Spice

    Reply
  12. Erika says

    March 14, 2012 at 3:39 am

    I've always wanted to do this but it seems like too big of a job. Thanks for the inspiration!

    Reply
  13. Mrs. Tolbert says

    March 14, 2012 at 4:26 am

    Genius! I will definately have to do this over the summer! Thanks for the idea! =)
    ~Jada
    Daisy Days for Learning

    Reply
  14. Barbara says

    March 14, 2012 at 4:46 am

    That's a GREAT idea!!

    ❀Barbara❀
    Grade ONEderful

    Reply
  15. meadowt says

    March 14, 2012 at 7:47 am

    This is a wonderful idea! New Spring Break project!! Thanks for sharing.
    Barbara
    happyteachingfirst.blogspot.com

    Reply
  16. Edana says

    March 14, 2012 at 8:05 am

    Love this idea!!! Thanks a million for sharing 🙂

    Color Me Kinder

    Reply
  17. Mrs. Nunley says

    March 14, 2012 at 9:58 am

    Such a great idea! Thank you for sharing. I'm going to start on it soon!
    -Megan

    First Grade Magic

    Reply
  18. Elyse says

    March 14, 2012 at 12:41 pm

    This is great! I have been wanting to find a way to catalog all my books for a while now. I just couldn't figure out how I wanted to do it! Now I know! Thanks a bunch!

    Elyse @ My Life With a Cherry on Top

    Reply
  19. Lou says

    March 14, 2012 at 2:05 pm

    Genius!

    Lou Pencils with Pizzazz

    Reply
  20. Jennifer says

    March 14, 2012 at 4:23 pm

    So clever!
    Rowdy in First Grade

    Reply
  21. Angela says

    March 14, 2012 at 10:03 pm

    Wow, that's a great idea! I really should do it this summer, especially since most of my books are at my house now! Thanks!

    Angela
    The Daily Alphabet

    Reply
  22. Anna says

    March 14, 2012 at 11:15 pm

    Genius! I will definitely have to start this! I don't have a ton of books yet, so it would be a good time to start.

    Reply
  23. Mrs. Cupcake says

    March 15, 2012 at 12:46 am

    You're so organized!!
    ❤Teri
    A Cupcake for the Teacher

    Reply
  24. Peterson's Primary Peeps says

    March 15, 2012 at 1:18 am

    Check out my blog for a St. Patrick’s Day necklace craft http://petersonsprimarypeeps.blogspot.com/

    Michelle

    Reply
  25. Christie says

    March 15, 2012 at 2:47 am

    Omigosh! I know exactly what you mean! I have been soooo frustrated when I know I have a book, but can't find it!!! Thanks for the tip!
    Christie 🙂
    First Grade Fever

    Reply
  26. Busy Bees says

    March 15, 2012 at 3:44 am

    What a great idea…you are wonderful.
    I am going to have to use this tip REAL soon. Sounds like a spring break project to me!
    Robynn
    BusyBees

    Reply
  27. Miss Kristan King says

    March 15, 2012 at 3:45 am

    Jennifer,
    I did it one summer – a teacher friend retired & left her library to me!!
    I had no idea what books she owned, so I did exactly what you did – I labeled it Book Inventory & instead of MS Word I used MS Excel. I liked the look of the columns/rows…plus added bonus: I can look by author not just title.

    Reply
  28. Ms. Kerri says

    March 17, 2012 at 12:20 pm

    what a great idea! One of my summer projects is to organize my classroom library. I love that I'm gathering all these ideas for the summer.
    Thanks for sharing.
    Ms. Kerri and her Krazy Kindergarten

    Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

  • Bloglovin
  • Email
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • RSS

Guess what? I am just like you! If you are a busy teacher looking for a way to make your life easier, search no further! Believe me, I understand your struggle. I've spent the last 25 years teaching and acquiring my best practices and strategies to help young learners grow. I firmly believe my … [read more]

Subscribe via Email

Sign up and receive the latest posts and news straight to your inbox!

Directed Drawing

Follow me on Instagram

Affiliates

First Grade Blue Skies is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to amazon.com.

Find our Privacy Policy HERE

1st grade tools

Pre-Kindergarten - 1st Grade Classroom Tools

Free Shipping on orders over $49

My Classroom on Scholastic

Grab a Button

First Grade Blue Skies
  • Women’s History Month Activities for Elementary
  • St Patrick’s Day Simple Leprechaun Craft
  • Valentine’s Day Simple Craft
  • Snowman Craft
  • Christmas Directed Drawings are Easy and Fun

Follow me on Pinterest

Let’s Connect

  • Bloglovin
  • Email
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • RSS

Search

Categories

Archives

Privacy Policy & Terms

Privacy Policy & Terms

Disclaimer

Disclaimer

Terms of Use

Terms of Use

Privacy & Cookies: This site uses cookies. By continuing to use this website, you agree to their use.
To find out more, including how to control cookies, see here: Cookie Policy

First Grade Blue Skies © 2022Built with and Genesis Framework by Bellano Web Studio