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: