Our classrooms are filled with diverse learners. Children come to us with very different experiences and abilities. As a first grader teacher, one of the easiest differences to spot at the beginning of the year is the range of reading levels. Some "firsties" walk into my classroom as emergent readers who are still mastering their letter sounds, and others are fluent readers with a passion for books. Meeting the needs of every reader can be challenging! The best way to ensure that ALL students feel successful and continue to learn and grow as readers is to set up a leveled library. A leveled library is a place where students can "shop" for books that fit their reading needs. They may read their books during independent reading time, when they finish a task early, or if you have extra reading time built into your day. Setting up a successful leveled library does not need to be difficult, and it does not take a lot of maintenance. I have had the same library system in my classroom for 10 years, and I have never had to spend time reorganizing it
Of course, you will also need books! I built up my library by going to yard sales, used book sales at our local library, and other discount stores. You can often get a whole pile of used books for the price one new book! You can also try posting on Facebook. Write a post that says you are looking for used children's books for your classroom library. You will probably be surprised at how many parents have books that they will happily donate! 
I used the bright, colorful Neon Classroom Storage Tubs as my book tubs. I attached a label to the front of the tub that has the reading level and a colored star. The stars match the basic star stickers that I will put on the books. My Level A tub has a pink star so all of my Level A books will have a pink star in the corner. I know some teachers do not like to put stickers or labels on the front of their books, but it really does keep everything organized! Little ones know that all books need to be facing forward so everyone can see the stars! If you need more levels, use a different style of sticker on those tubs and books. 
Once your tubs are ready, it's time to level your books! Leveling your library does take a little time, but you will never have to do it again! I use the website Book Wizard from Scholastic. You type in the title of the book and it gives you the different levels, including Guided Reading Level, DRA, Lexile, and grade level equivalent. I use Guided Reading Levels in my classroom. After you know the levels of each book, just place a sticker on the front and put it in the matching tub! 
In my classroom, every student has a clear classroom book organizer to hold his or her books. I attached labels to the front of every book organizer with the children's names. I left space on the labels to add stickers. The stickers remind students what tubs to use when they "shop" for books. Throughout the year, you can put new stickers on top of the old ones or add them beside the old ones. You can decide if students may only pick books from one tub, or if they may pick from multiple tubs. For example, if I have a kiddo who is reading on a level E, I may let him pick books from C, D, and E. My students "shop" for new books once each week and pick 5-6 new books. 
The book organizers hold all of the supplies we may need during independent reading. Every child has a bookmark to mark their pages and a pencil for annotated reading and responding on sticky notes. Of course, the most popular reading tools are the Plush I Love to Read Puppies! The children keep these pups in their book organizers and hold them when they are reading. They may whisper read to their pups to develop fluency or practice finding sight words by having their pups touch the words in the books! 
Creating a leveled library in your classroom makes EVERY reader feel confident and successful! Adding chairs and pillows makes the space even more inviting for little readers! Your students will love shopping for new books each week and reading with their pups. You will love how easy it is for them to find and return books and materials independently. There is very little maintenance throughout the year. Sometimes I pick one student to be "the librarian" and check the bins to make sure everything is neat, but I never need to spend time organizing the area! Setting up a successful leveled library will be rewarding for you and your students!
