As the semester wrapped up this week I wanted to send my middle schoolers off to their next elective with more than just a free day. My goal was simple. I wanted to get them into the stacks, get them reading, and get them talking.
I decided to try an activity I called the Best First Sentence Challenge.
The Mission
Students had exactly 15 minutes to scour the library shelves. Their goal was to find one opening sentence so gripping or hilarious that it would beat out every other book in the room.
The Process
- The Search: Armed with shelf markers to keep our stacks tidy, students dove into different genres.
- The Tech: Once they found the one they liked, they posted it to a shared Padlet through Google Classroom.
- The Format: I had them put the Book Title as the header and the Sentence in the body. This turned our Padlet into a great recommendation list for the rest of the class to see.
The Showdown
After the timer buzzed I projected the Padlet onto the whiteboard. We read them aloud and voted by eliminating choices until only one winner remained. It went so well that we actually had time for two rounds.
Why It Worked
As a librarian there is nothing better than seeing a room full of students pulling books and actually talking about them. They were not just staring at covers. They were evaluating the writing.
If you need a quick and fun activity to keep students engaged give this a try. It reminded my kids that a great adventure is often just one sentence away.
Tech Fun In The Library 