As part of their author/illustrator inquiry around Allen Say (in case you missed the first post, click here), our fourth graders are revisiting material arrangement, how books in our library are organized. Like the majority of school libraries (and many public libraries) around the world, we are following the Dewey Decimal Classification system. Melvil Dewey, a librarian who lived over one hundred years ago, came up with this system in which books are grouped by topic, with each topic represented by a specific number.
This past week, our fourth graders were given a scavenger/call number hunt to complete to help them better understand this organization and what it looks like specifically in our library. The ultimate goal is of course for students to further develop their independence and efficiency while looking for books, for recreational reading as well as for inquiry projects.
From the comments students shared after the treasure hunt, it was obvious that it was a helpful exercise for both new and returning students. Here is some of the learning fourth graders mentioned:
The same call number can be found on several books – for example when authors’ last names begin with the same three letters. It is therefore important to closely look at the books.
All fiction books (picture books and chapter books) are organized in alphabetical order by the author’s last name.
All nonfiction books are organized by their topic.
The orange chart shows the main Dewey categories and numbers as well as the numbers of some popular topics.
The numbers always continue on the next shelf, even if there is a gap in between shelves.
All graphic novels have the Dewey number 741.5.
It is easy to tell the difference between fiction and nonfiction books by just looking at the call numbers (fiction call numbers consist only of letters, nonfiction call numbers are a combination of numbers and letters).
The Dewey numbers can continue after the dot (the more specific the topic the longer the number).
Several students also mentioned that they now better understand the course the shelves run within the individual areas.
The same call number can be found on several books – for example when authors’ last names begin with the same three letters. It is therefore important to closely look at the books.
All fiction books (picture books and chapter books) are organized in alphabetical order by the author’s last name.
All nonfiction books are organized by their topic.
The orange chart shows the main Dewey categories and numbers as well as the numbers of some popular topics.
The numbers always continue on the next shelf, even if there is a gap in between shelves.
All graphic novels have the Dewey number 741.5.
It is easy to tell the difference between fiction and nonfiction books by just looking at the call numbers (fiction call numbers consist only of letters, nonfiction call numbers are a combination of numbers and letters).
The Dewey numbers can continue after the dot (the more specific the topic the longer the number).
Several students also mentioned that they now better understand the course the shelves run within the individual areas.
Have a look at this virtual tour with your fourth grader and let them share some of their learning around the set up and material arrangement in our library.
While we continue exploring the creative work and life of Allen Say, we will also revisit our library’s online resources over the next couple of weeks.
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