March Madness is around the corner! Here’s how to bring a little friendly bracket competition to your library…
Are you looking for a way to:
Get students excited about book selection?
Introduce students to books they might not otherwise pick up?
Implement authentic active learning?
Deliver a mini-lesson on author’s craft?
Well, then: 3…2…1… FACE OFF!
My English teacher colleagues and I love to collaborate on fun activities to get kids excited about choosing and reading independent books. We designed “First Line Face-off” to harness March Madness energy in the library.
Want to host your own First Line Face-off? Here’s what to do:
*Grab the lesson plan/materials from my TpT store here. Includes:
- lesson slides w/ printable bracket
- lesson plan
- rubric
- team signs for tables
- certificate for winning team!
Before the class comes:
Persuade your English teacher colleagues to bring their classes to the library.
Set up a station for each group (I recommend using eight stations if possible because it makes bracket creation easier–more on this later)
Label each station with a number or team name
Choose books that have intriguing opening lines, and put 5-7 of them at each station
Draw a bracket on the board
Once the class arrives
Hold a quick mini-lesson or discussion on what makes a great first line. This is a good opportunity to discuss author’s craft!
Remind students that readers react to first lines differently; what appeals to one person might not be the same thing that grabs the attention of the person sitting next to them!
Instruct students that their mission in their group is to read all the first lines in their pile of books and choose their favorite.
Once they make their selection, have them choose one group member to read the line aloud. This person should practice reading the line a few times, and should check with group members, classroom teacher, or librarian if they are not sure how to pronounce something.
Explain that groups will be “facing off” two at a time. The class will vote for their favorite first line by a show of hands, and the winning line advances to the next round.
Fill out the bracket as you go, until one first line emerges as the class champion!
Here are a few of the winners from our freshmen and sophomore classes:
Final Four 😄 Thoughts
1. Ideally, follow up First Line Face-off with some time for browsing and book selection. We encouraged students to check out books they encountered during the activity, and many did!
2. Having exactly eight groups made bracket creation easy for a single-elimination tournament. I consulted with a P.E. teacher about strategy!
3. For a few small classes, we got creative to create all eight groups. Once, a para-educator took a station. Another time, we asked for volunteers from the group of study hall students in the library.
4. Some classroom teachers gave tangible prizes to the winning groups. Others simply offered glory/ bragging rights.
