Wednesday, April 20, 2011
Book Leveling Labels
There has been a lot of talk lately on LM-Net listserv about leveling books, and how to label the books with their level. Many of the libraries that I have been in label these books using dots on the side. I do not like this method. Using Destiny at the high school, I added Lexile level as a search category, but added nothing to the books. This allows the student or the teacher to look for a book with the appropriate level using the online catalog. This means that the student or teacher has time to practice their search skill, and the pretty spines of our books are not covered with stickers. We already have the call number on our spines. I think it is unnecessary to cover the spines any further. I also think that labeling the spines of books will limit what students choose to read. Students will immediately search out a book at a certain level rather than browsing and finding a book they might enjoy. One solution that a fellow listserv member pointed out is that we place level and AR quiz information on the inside cover or first page of the book. I think this is a much better solution than filling the spines with stickers. In my future library, I believe that I will have the levels as searchable fields in the library catalog, and include this information on the inside cover of the book. How do you handle leveling in your library? What do you think about the solution I have chosen?
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HI Lisa! I agree with your thinking about keeping the exterior of the book free of stickers that identify the reading level of the book. I think you're right to observe that students would use that labeling to select their books rather than making a choice based on interest. Even worse, the exterior labeling could inhibit choice -- i.e. students may be reluctant to choose something that is appropriate for them, but clearly labeled (for all to see) as below grade level.
ReplyDeleteThe more important skill for students to learn is how to choose the right book .... one that meets their interests and reading level. As adult readers, we don't rely on reading level stickers to tell us if a book is right for us. We use a different strategy for making our reading choices. If we really believe in cultivating lifelong learners and a love of literacy, that we need to help students learn authentic strategies for choosing reading materials.