First Chapter Fridays: What You Need to Know

Starting First Chapter Friday in your middle school or high school language arts classroom? You won’t regret it! Starting First Chapter Friday requires no special tools, only students and a high-interest book with a dynamic first chapter. Implementing First Chapter Friday is simple. You have a few decisions to make concerning how you will implement the process in your classroom, but the actual activity is simple.

Before Starting
First, choose a book that students will want to borrow. (If you are looking for a First Chapter Friday book, I have ten listed below.) Then, advertise the book to students before Friday. This can be a pretty note on your board, a posting in your digital classroom or the title on your letter board.

Research the book and the author. You will not only want to decide if the book will fit your community, but you will also want to find tidbits about the author that will interest students. Find the author’s social media channels or a clip from an interview. One of the beautiful benefits of First Chapter Friday is to connect literature to students’ lives.

You can check out Follett’s #FirstChapterFriday video list where the authors read the first chapter of their book!

Titlewave is also a great place to get more insight into a book you are considering. With professional reviews and Follett Tags to use, you’ll be able to determine if it’s a good fit.

Before Friday, decide when you would like to read to students. I read at the start of class so that our discussions don’t get cut short. Finally, decide what procedures you expect of your students. I simply tell students that they will need to listen without their iPads or phones. I allow students to doodle if that helps them to focus.

On Friday
Start with running the procedures by students. I rarely explain procedures more than once or twice!

Then, introduce the book, almost like a book talk. I often show screenshots of Instagram or Twitter posts from my research about the author. Some teachers put a crackling fire on the overhead to set the mood. 

Read the first chapter to students. Reading aloud with secondary students might seem odd if you’ve never done so, but students will enjoy it. As you finish, tell students they may borrow the book if they like it. Sometimes a conversation will start about the author or part of the first chapter. I place the book up front so students can see it, and then I start class. Simple!

Whether you're just starting First Chapter Friday, or have already done a few, you might still have questions. Below, I’ve included four benefits of reading aloud with secondary students.

• Expose students to new genres, authors, and books. Not every book will fit in our language arts curriculum. To get students interested in a variety of literature, we must purposefully show them what literature is available to them. First Chapter Friday allows a short snippet of a book, like an advertisement, to permeate. Often, older students read alone and flock to their comfort zones. By reading aloud to secondary students, you can introduce genres, authors, and books to expand students’ repertoires.
• Help students explore themselves. Secondary students are still growing, and they are shaping their likes and dislikes with literature. For instance, most people probably know about romance and mystery novels. Do they also know about psychological thrillers, fiction novels in verse, humor, and magical realism? Are they aware their favorite musician and or comedian might have a memoir? These subgenres might reach more students.
• Build relationships with students. Reading aloud with secondary students will build authentic relationships. For instance, I have a huge set of students who adore Pendragon. I tried to read the first book, and I finished about half. But, I now possess an understanding of the book, can recommend the book, and can talk with students about the book! Because I listened to my students and experimented with what I read, I now have a tool for building relationships with students.
• Gain common prior knowledge. By starting First Chapter Friday, you and your students will have a communal baseline of prior knowledge. When writing literary analysis or studying a time period, your entire class now owns a starting point for discussion. Books do open new worlds, and after you read a few First Chapter Friday books, students will possess a starting point for discussions about other stories.

You’ll find your own benefits of First Chapter Friday and your own routines. 

LAURALEE MOSS

Lauralee Moss has taught high school English in Illinois for over ten years. She holds a BS in English Education from Southern Illinois University and an MA in Teaching and Leadership. She blogs at LanguageArtsClassroom.com. You can find her on Instagram and at home with her husband, three kids, and crazy dog.