Before students begin Read to Self, they need to know how to independently access and care for their reading materials. Use this Foundation Lesson to introduce your classroom library and anything students need to know about how it works. Then introduce students' individual book containers: what belongs inside, where they are kept, and how students get and return them.

Take time to model what this routine looks and sounds like. When students can manage their own reading materials smoothly, they are ready to get settled with a book and begin Read to Self with greater independence.