This lesson plan is for teaching the book "First Day Jitters" by Julie Danneberg during the first week of school. It involves discussing feelings about the first day, reading the story of a nervous boy and girl, and doing comprehension activities. Students brainstorm what they like about school and make a list. Vocabulary words from the story are provided on word wall strips. The lesson encourages connecting to characters' feelings, questioning strategies, visualizing, comparing teacher and student preparations, and writing advice about overcoming first day nerves.

1. BOOKS: First Day Jitters by Julie Danneberg
Chalkboard
Pencils and Paper
DISCUSSION: This lesson should be done the first week of school.
• Ask children how they felt on the
morning of their first day of third grade
• Have children express the different
feelings/ Does everyone feel this way?
• Tell children they are going to listen
to a story about a boy and girl that may
feel just like them
READ: FIRST DAY JITTERS
• Have you ever felt like Sarah during the
first week of school?
• What did the author want us to believe
about Sarah until the end of the book?
• What was the surprise ending?
• Did you know that teachers can be
nervous too?
ACTIVITY:
 Have children brain storm the things
they like so far about third grade
 Have students create their own personal
lists on a sheet of paper to hang up
Vocabulary:

2. jitters clammy crowded nervous
principal teacher trudged moaned
gushed fumbled nonsense nervous
school building toast covers
Vocabulary
Word Wall Strips
from
abcteach.com
Activities:

3. Themes:
• new
beginning
s
• feelings/e
motions
• dealing
with new
situations
Reader's
Response:
• Why does
the first
day of
school
make us
feel
nervous
and
excited?
• Why do
you think
Sarah was
afraid to
go to
school?
• How did
you feel
when you
realized
Sarah was
the
teacher?
Comprehension
Strategies:
• Making
Connectio

4. ns - Model
through
think-
alouds
any text-
self, text-
text, and
text-word
connectio
ns you
had with
the story
(example:
This
reminds
me of the
first year I
began
teaching..
..)
• Questionin
g-
Questionin
g Strategy
Lesson
• Visualizing
- Have
students
make a
picture in
their
minds of
Mr. trying
to get
Sarah to
go to
school.
Compare &
Contrast: Use this
Venn Diagram
to show how

5. teachers and
students get
ready for the first
day of school.
Dear Sarah -
Have students
write a letter to
Sarah
persuading or
encouraging her
for the first day
of school.
Advice Column:
Students write
an advice
column that
answers the
questions "How
to Overcome
First Day Jitters".
This activity can
be turned into a
bulletin board.
More
Resources:
How to Soothe Your
First Day Jitters Back to School
Activity Guide Students' First Day
Slideshow Resources
Jitters
Books: