If you’ve been around awhile, you know I LOVE First Chapter Friday. It is a staple in my classroom and something my students look forward to. On the rare occasion I forget to do it, they remind me immediately. It is a favorite for all.
What is First Chapter Friday?
Every Friday I select a new book and read the first chapter aloud to my class. That is it. I read the back of the book and the first chapter. Most of the time they groan and beg for more.
How Do I Choose Books?
Typically, I start with favorites of mine that are just good books and I have had success with in the past. Then I look at new and upcoming releases. I get student recommendations. This is always a favorite because there is usually automatic buy-in. And I of course share ideas with my teacher friends for ideas that have worked for them
What do kids do during it?
You can have your students just sit and listen. I give my students a recording sheet. They write the title, a 1-2 sentence summary of the book and then make a note if they are interested in reading it.
How do you keep track of First Chapter Friday choices?
I personally keep a virtually book shelf and post it in Google Classroom. This way my students can access it whenever they want all year. Some teachers hang pictures of book covers around their room or on a bulletin board. I also leave the titles from the month on my front board so they are accessible.
Which books should I start with?
Okay, I had trouble choosing. There are so many good ones. I will leave fifteen choices for you.
This is just a starting place. A good beginning. Any book will work, but I recommend skimming the first chapter. In some cases the chapter might be too long to sustain attention so you could stop it midway.
If you are looking for more information about starting First Chapter Friday, I have you covered! My resource includes a list of book suggestions, three different organizer options in paper or digital, as well as monthly trackers.
What is your favorite First Chapter Friday book? I’d love to hear!
2 Comments
Sounds amazing!!! Great idea!! I just have one question-why do you just read one chapter of one book every Friday? And then every Friday,thereafter,the first chapter of a new book? Do the students end up reading each weekly new book completely on their own? I usually read a chapter at the end of the day ,every day,from the same book,not different ones.Did I understand it incorrectly? Looking forward to your response.
Thanks for your question! So I have a chapter book that I read a chapter daily to my students but this is different. The goal of this is not to finish a book with the kids but to expose them to new titles, hook them and engage them. My goal and hope is for them to be interested in a book and begin reading it independently after. Does that make sense? Thank you!