How to Get Class Novels Cheap
5 Ways to Get the Books You Need Without Breaking the Bank
The thing about teaching novels is that it is an investment. It is an investment of your time in planning and the students’ time in the classroom. It also can literally be an investment: novel sets are not just delivered fresh to schools each year. When multiplying by 10, 20, or 30 students, the cost of a class set of books quickly grows. I do not know a single teacher that can really afford to spend the hundreds of dollars it requires to purchase a single class set of books at full price. Trust me, I know. I did spend this much when I first started teaching because I didn’t know of any other way.
When the price tag became a burden I could no longer bear, I sought to find other avenues. My goal was to eliminate access to books as the barrier to teaching the books. I found ways to get the novels I wanted to teach in the hands of each one of my students. Now, with document cameras, screenshare, and other snazzy technology, you may get by with one book. Still, I always liked to loan each student a copy because there’s just something magical about reading and holding the physical pages of a book. Since a school budget that sets aside money specifically for your class set of novels is a rarity, here are the top ways you can still get class sets of books for your students.