If students have little or no experience improvising but read music well, I often begin with this chapter.  We start with the hymnbook harmonies and revise the spacings/voicings on the page.  First we use three note chords in the right hand and one bass note in the left.  Then we play four note chords in the right hand and single bass notes or octaves in the left hand. This results in more idiomatic keyboard stylings as well as keyboard textures that are more light or heavy.