WELCOME TO DAY TWO
OF CAMP CREATIVE
Today we're talking about First Chapter Friday. Or Meet a Book Monday. We love Reading Wednesday. Whatever works for your classroom!
The point is to introduce your class to a new author once a week with a read-aloud of a first chapter of a great book.
Today you'll discover book title options, links to fabulous read-alouds already waiting online, sketchnotes templates for your students to jot their thoughts onto as they listen, and more!
Let's start with the basics. Ideally, you showcase a book you have in your classroom, so a student can check it out after you read it. This is a great time to share the books you KNOW students will love, if they just give them a chance.
Here are some titles worth considering (though you know your students the best):
Long Way Down, by Jason Reynolds
The Poet X, by Elizabeth Acevedo
Ender's Game, by Orson Scott Card
Everything, Everything, by Nicola Yoon
I am not your Perfect Mexican Daughter, by Erika Sanchez
The Hunger Games, by Suzanne Collins
Dear Martin, by Nic Stone
On The Come Up, by Angie Thomas
Now for the actual reading.
There are a few ways to share a book with your students.
#1 You're the Reader
The easiest and most straightforward is to pull a book from your shelf and read it out loud. I hear over and over from teachers that their students love hearing them read aloud once a week, and often beg for a second chapter.
#2 Guest Reader
Another option is to invite a member of the community to come in as a guest reader. This could be a parent, the mayor, your department chair, a senior you had in class last year, etc. Ask your guest to share just for a minute or two about their favorite books and the role reading has played in their lives. If you have a chance, snap a photo of your guest with the book they read, and use it to make a poster for the wall by your library.
#3 Virtual Reader
Worried about your voice? Understandable! In the midst of cold and flu season, it might be tough reading a chapter aloud to four or five sections in a row. You can solve this by recording yourself reading aloud and playing it for the kids in every section, or by tapping a pro as a guest - either through your favorite audiobook player (Libro FM, Audible, and Libby come to mind) or through Youtube. And speaking of Youtube... scroll down a bit!
Today's first resource is a set of six sketchnotes templates students can doodle their takeaways on as they listen to the read-aloud. It always helps to have something to do with your hands as you listen. Encourage kids to jot down quotes they like, doodle characters, share ideas around connections to other works or to the modern world, or whatever else springs to mind. The process will simply help them focus on the text and remember it with more depth.
Because not every student will be able to check out a copy of the book you've just read, it's nice to help students keep track of their To-Be-Read list from your program.
You can print bookmarks like the ones pictured here (click here to make your copy of the template).
You can create a display on one shelf of your library where you always feature FCF books.
You can use Canva to create book posters featuring photos or screenshots of the books you share, or of happy readers with the books. Use the link below to access poster templates.
Now you know how to launch an effective FCF program! Whoo hoo! Now that you have the building blocks of your library and your FCF program, tomorrow we'll be talking about building on this foundation to create a true culture of reading in your classroom. So be sure to watch your inbox!
