Hello Everyone,

When my grades 3-5 classes were discussing New Year’s Resolutions, I shared mine: to read 10 non-fiction books from our library media center.

So, I thought students needed an introduction/refresher (depended on their background knowledge) to/of how non-fiction books are organized.

Hence, the “Dewey Book Tasting” Exploration!

After a student read our session’s “I Can” statement, I explained that non-fiction books have three-digit numbers that group them into large categories. It is important to know what numbers go with which topics, so you can find things in different libraries (like in middle school/high school or when you visit the public library).

Using my previously-assigned table groups, I had each table of students rotate to different tables to explore different broad groupings of non-fiction topics Each table was asked to list the topics they had in their book stacks and come up with a large topic name that each book topic could fit into. I chose books from the 500s, 600s, 700s, 900s, since students are mostly interested in science, technology, domesticated animals, activities, the arts, history and geography, and biographies.

Throughout the activity, students charted their findings and their rotations on one page; they were experiencing the Dewey Decimal System in action without the categorization being called that. For example, some groups came up with the large topic for a handful of 700s books being about “things to do,” while others mentioned “nature” as the topic for the 500 level books they had, mostly plant and wild animal books.

Adiós,

Ms. Tyler