Are you trying and struggling to engage your students as enthusiastic readers? One of the surefire ways that I have found to build a reading community classroom is by instituting First Chapter Friday!
What is First Chapter Friday?
Well, it is exactly like it sounds! Every Friday I read aloud a chapter from a book that will pique the interest of my students. The students are very excited for Fridays and cannot wait to hear a new chapter book. I introduce this during read aloud at the beginning of the school year and continue to implement throughout the school year.
How Do I Choose Books for First Chapter Friday?
You may be wondering what books to choose.
I use 3 steps to decide which books to read aloud to my students.
- Find books that they would not necessarily choose on their own. Students judge a book by its cover and genre! I pick books that may have older covers and are less well-known based on the type of genre.
- Choose books that have shorter chapters. Nothing kills a read aloud like a really long, d-r-a-w-n o-u-t chapter! Since I am merely getting them excited about the book, I want it to be quick and to the point.
- Look for a book that has a cliffhanger at the end of the first chapter. Whenever I read a book that ends with some excitement is a perfect choice for First Chapter Friday.
That’s it! Those are the only steps you need in order to decide which books to use.
I’ve Chosen a Book…What Now?
To make an impact with First Chapter Friday, you need a little extra excitement after the read aloud. Any or all of the following ideas will help!
- Make a point of displaying the book in a special location for the students. When you display the book, it reminds the kids of the read aloud and keeps them interested.
- Create a waitlist for students to sign-up to read the book. In my class, the Library Crew takes care of this for me and they post the list above our classroom. When one student finishes,they cross their name off the list and pass the book to the next classmate.
- Give students a fillable bookmark to keep track of the books they are interested in reading. When they write down the titles they are interested in, the students will have a constant reminder of books they can read. No more…”I don’t know what to read!”
Book Recommendation List for First Chapter Friday
You can use the 3 steps listed above to choose the books to read aloud to your students. No time for that? Don’t worry! Check out the suggestion list below! These books are geared toward students in grades 4-6 but may work for other grade levels as well.
- Scary Stories for Young Foxes by Christian McKay Heidicker
- A Long Walk to Water by Linda Sue Park
- Because of Mr. Terupt by Rob Buyea
- Pax by Sara Pennypacker
- Front Desk by Kelly Yang
- The Witches by Roald Dahl
- The Honest Truth by Dan Gemeinhart
- How to Steal a Dog by Barbara O’Connor
- The Candymakers by Wendy Mass
- Number the Stars by Lois Lowry
- The Tiger Rising by Kate DiCamillo
- Island of the Blue Dolphins by Scott O’Dell
- Hatchet by Gary Paulsen
- The Land of Stories: The Wishing Spell by Chris Colfer
- Love That Dog by Sharon Creech
- Shiloh by Phyllis Reynolds Naylor
- The Name of This Book is Secret by Pseudonymous Bosch
- The Lemonade War by Jacqueline Davies
- Hoot by Carl Hiaasen
- Holes by Louis Sachar
- Tuck Everlasting by Natalie Babbit
Looking for more book recommendations? Check out my other read aloud posts!
Happy Reading,
April
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