“Go Fish Pond” Class Library Idea

I love getting elementary students excited about reading! I know with our standard reading curriculum it’s just not that easy to do, but that’s where the magic of our classroom library comes in!

I want to share with you a fun idea to help spark some reading excitement in your own classroom library. You do not need to have a large selection of books either, so this is great for first year teachers just starting out too.

This idea is simple and you can put it into action with just a few items.

Introducing the “GO FISH POND”

Place a bin (pond) in your classroom library that is labeled “Go Fish.” When students finish reading a book that they enjoyed, they take a paper fish and write the book title and author on the back. They place the fish into in the “pond” (a.k.a. my blue Dollar Store bin).

When other students come to the library to look for a book, they can “Go Fish” and pull out a book recommendation from a classmate! This definitely makes a trip into the class library more exciting and students can’t wait to leave their recommendations for others!

The hype this creates for students around reading and recommending books is contagious.

You can grab my “Go Fish” book recommendation cards below. Simply print them, cut apart and place in your class library.

I would love to hear how your students enjoy their new “Go Fish Pond.” As always, feel free to tag me on Instagram with your pictures @InspiredElementary.

Here are the GO FISH CARDS!