What is First Chapter Friday? 4 Reasons You Should Give First Chapter Fridays a Try
What is First Chapter Friday?
It’s a reading engagement strategy disguised as a fun weekly activity. In it’s most basic elements, First Chapter Friday is when someone reads aloud the first chapter of a book, in an effort to interest students in a particular story and/or increase enthusiasm for reading.
If you are looking have more students with books in their hands, more readers excited about the selections presented to them, and overall more enthusiasm when it comes to just plain reading, then read on, becuase this blog post is jam-packed not only with 4 reasons why you should give First Chapter Fridays a try, but also tons of ideas for implementation.
If you are more of a video or audio person, you can watch/listen to this same information, right HERE, in this video.
Ready? Set? READ ON!
1. Motivate your students with more than a title and a book cover – Despite the saying, we all judge a book by it’s cover. But is a book cover, or an author’s name or title for that matter, really enough? Sometimes we need to get into a story a little bit before we can decide if it is going to be something we’ll like. First Chapter Friday gives your students the opportunity to “try on” a book in a low stakes, low effort endeavor. All they have to do, is sit back and listen. You can also use this opportunity to “sell” a book. Some sale’s pitch points you might share could include an interesting fact about the author that students might connect with (this author is an immigrant, she grew up in the Midwest, he wanted to be a professional athlete when he was in middle school, etc.) or you can promote the book’s genre, awards, or the fact that it is the first in a series. Anything you can tell students that might pique their interest or curiosity… shout it out, and you might just hook a reader.
2. Educate yourself on the great titles available – We are living in a golden age of kid lit. As a person who has been alternating her reading selections between adult and MG/YA books for years, I can tell you, the quality of the work these authors are producing is grade A, good stuff. And if you haven’t taken the time to browse what current authors have to offer, you are missing out! A couple years ago I taught a foundations of literacy course to students in the education department who would were gearing up for their student teaching experiences. I was shocked when their practice lessons revolved around books like Caps for Sale and authors like Dr. Seuss. Now, there’s nothing wrong with the classics, but seriously… how about engaging kids with books that were written in this century, let alone decade! Especially when there are SO many good ones.
I understand that teachers are busy humans and it’s hard to do ALL the things. If reading multiple middle grade and young adult books isn’t making it to the top of your list, don’t sweat it… I’ve got you covered! I am someone who reads a lot of these books, and I taught middle school for twelve years (not to mention I happen to live with a 9- and 11-year-old). I am in the know and I can help you. All of the books I share on my channel are ones I’d recommend and if there are any triggers warnings you should be aware of before showing them in class (content, swearing, tough topics, etc.) I let you know in the description so you can make a decision about whether or not a video/book is a good fit for your students/reader. Talk to fellow teachers, walk around a bookstore, browse recent award lists… there are many ways you can find GOOD books to share with your students. And by educating yourself, you are educating your students as well.
3. You can get to know the authors – When I was a kid, I wanted to be a writer. BUT, I didn’t know any writers. To me it felt like authors lived in a magical fantasy land far, far away. These storytellers didn’t feel like real humans to me until I became a writer myself and started meeting them at conferences and attending their webinars online. Growing up as a kid in the 80’s and 90’s was great, but I envy the access kids today have to celebrities of all kinds, including authors. Knowing the creator of a story (and knowing they are a real person, and this is really their job) can open up an entirely new experience for readers (of all ages!). Through First Chapter Fridays you can highlight the author of each book and inform your students about them as a person and about their writing process. You’d be surprised how this information can pull a reader in! A quick Google search will provide you with tons of tidbits you can share with your students and YouTube offers a buffet of interviews as well. Here is a list of video interviews I’ve curated for you.
The Word Nerd’s Author Interivews
Christina Soontorvat (coming Friday!)
Don’t see the author you need to match your curriculum! Email me and I’ll see what I can do!
4. They make for a GREAT sub plan. Sub days are hard. And they often end up on Fridays… have you noticed that? As the primary teacher, you want to make it as easy as possible (for both your sub and your students), but also as productive as possible. If you instill the habit of First Chapter Fridays in your classroom, the students can be on autopilot for the sub, and you can leave knowing they are still getting good stuff and are likely behaving because
A) they know exactly what to do
B) they enjoy First Chapter Fridays
If you use one of my videos, you don’t even have to make the sub read aloud! And, if you pick one with an author interview, you can have an extended learning experience. Grab one of these student engagement worksheet packs and you can even check in on which kids you should follow up with if they showed interest in the week’s book.
Are you convinced? Ready to give First Chapter Fridays a try? If it feels like a big undertaking to commit to doing something once a week, for an entire school year, don’t worry. If you aren’t sure which titles to pick or where to start or maybe you are less than confident about your own read aloud abilities… again, I’ve got you covered.
I love reading aloud. Truly, it was one of my favorite parts of each school day. But there were times I wasn’t feeling well, or my voice was shot, and reading aloud to five different classes was just plain painful. Been there? Never fear.
No matter where you find yourself on the read-not ready spectrum, I’ve got almost 40 titles (and by the end of the year the list will include 52 books!) for you to choose from. If you need some initial ideas or find yourself needing a break, just check my playlist, pick one and GO. Or maybe you alternate, letting me read to some classes and you read to others. There’s no shame in taking a little help. And if it’s a book you haven’t read before, you can *cheat* by listening to me book talk it first, so then you can show up looking like a pro.
Here are a few other ideas…
As you read (or listen to the video), allow students to create mini sculptures of playdough in the shapes of symbols and objects related to the story they are listening to.
To prevent unrelated daydreaming and off task behavior, use these worksheets to increase student engagement while listening.
Allow students to submit requests for First Chapter Friday titles, or audition to be a FCF reader!
Try sketch notes. Tell students to draw and doodle while they listen to the story being read aloud. Afterward, ask them to share their results (or just talk about them if they are self-conscious about their drawing skills) as a way to review story elements introduced in the first chapter.
Alrighty, I think you have all you need to start this impactful weekly reading experience in your classroom, but if you have any other questions, drop them in the comments below and I’ll be sure to answer them. If you are already a FCF PRO and you have more implementation ideas for this book-hooking strategy, please share them in the comments as well.
Happy reading!
Amanda Zieba (Your Favorite Word Nerd)
If you liked this post, you might also enjoy…
Great Middle Grade Books List A List of Books with Diverse Characters Newbery Award Activities
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