It does not matter whether or not you are a language arts teacher, every teacher can have a classroom library because in all other subjects reading is important. However, books are expensive and it can be hard to build a library from scratch. As they say Rome wasn’t built in a day.
There are a couple easy ways to begin and continue to build your classroom library.
To begin if you have any books at home that you would be willing to partially part with and wouldn’t mind your students borrowing then you can start your library with those.
Next you can scour the reading lists for your grade level and make sure to also include a reading level up and a reading level below to accommodate all students. From there look at Half Price Books or other book sales that your near by library may be having. You can also look at Scholastic or if your school has a Scholastic Book Fair.
You can also ask family members and friends if they have any books they are looking to get rid of.
Finally, you can ask your students’ parents if they have any books they would like to donate at the end of the year.