Lesson Plans and Teaching Resources for First Day Jitters

Use First Day Jitters by Julie Danneberg to strengthen your students' comprehension skills, build their vocabulary, and help them understand how words work.

Everyone knows that ache in your stomach when you're nervous about starting something new. Students will easily relate to Sarah Jane Hartwell's feelings before her first day of school, helping them practice comprehension strategies like retelling and summarizing, and making inferences. And don't forget the extra special lesson on making predictions thanks to the delightful surprise ending.  

Explore lesson plans and activities to help you teach with First Day Jitters in the drop down below.

Making Connections with First Day Jitters

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Making Connections with First Day Jitters

First Day Jitters is a great match for a lesson on making connections, because most readers will easily be able to connect with the nervousness the main character feels on her first day of school.
Common Core State Standards Alignment
TEKS Alignment

Making Inferences with First Day Jitters

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Making Inferences with First Day Jitters

We can all relate to the jitters. That's what makes this the perfect book for a lesson on making inferences. Readers can draw on their own experiences from the first day of school to infer how the main character feels and what she might be thinking.
Common Core State Standards Alignment
TEKS Alignment

Making Predictions with First Day Jitters

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Making Predictions with First Day Jitters

If you're working on making predictions in your classroom, First Day Jitters is a must-read. Students will have the opportunity to anticipate what Sarah Jane's solution will be to her problem, how her peers will react to her decisions, and what the surprise twist at the end might be!
Common Core State Standards Alignment
TEKS Alignment

Retelling & Summarizing with First Day Jitters

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Retelling & Summarizing with First Day Jitters

First Day Jitters sets up really well for readers who are learning to enhance their comprehension through retelling and summarizing. The author uses a limited number of characters, and it's simple to identify the beginning, the problem in the middle and the solution at the end.
Common Core State Standards Alignment
TEKS Alignment

Suffixes with First Day Jitters

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Suffixes with First Day Jitters

This word work lesson plan and set of teaching resources use First Day Jitters by Julie Danneberg as a springboard for instruction focused on suffixes.

By anchoring word study to the text, students will benefit from seeing how suffix ed is used inside of the text before engaging in both guided and independent practice with suffixes.

Common Core State Standards Alignment
TEKS Alignment

Vocabulary Connections with First Day Jitters

The first page of Vocabulary Connections with First Day Jitters

Vocabulary Connections with First Day Jitters

This set of vocabulary development resources for First Day Jitter highlights the words that are most important for students to know and understand while reading the book. Through engaging in fun word games, matching words to definitions and pictures, and practicing how to categorize words, students will develop the vocabulary necessary to comprehend this story and many others.

Common Core State Standards Alignment
TEKS Alignment

Running Record with First Day Jitters

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Running Record with First Day Jitters

Use this Running Record to assess oral reading fluency with First Day Jitter. Track meaning, structure, and visual accuracy using the first 100 words of the text to determine whether or not this book is a good fit for the readers in your classroom.

Cause and Effect Matching with First Day Jitters

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Cause and Effect Matching with First Day Jitters

Read First Day Jitters then have some fun matching cause and effect sentences from the book. By using these cause and effect cards, students will demonstrate both their comprehension of the text and their understanding of cause and effect relationships in hands-on and interactive way.

This resource includes matching/sorting cards and a sorting mat for four cause and effect sentences in First Day Jitters. Each cause card is marked with a square and each effect card is marked with a circle, making it easy to support students who struggle with matching cause and effect relationships.

Cause and Effect Sentence Stems with First Day Jitters

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Cause and Effect Sentence Stems with First Day Jitters

Understanding cause and effect is a key comprehension and language skill. The text structure of First Day Jitters includes several examples of cause and effect relationships, making it easy to use as a springboard for modeling or independent practice.

This simple resource includes four sentence stems. Each sentence stem presents an effect. Students will use what they know about the book to fill in the cause of the effect.

Writing with First Day Jitters

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Writing with First Day Jitters

The BookPagez extension activities are a great way to push student engagement beyond the pages of the text. Try using this activity with early finishers, with students who show a deeper connection with the text, or as a center activity.

Making Connections with First Day Jitters (Spanish)

  • Student Practice Page and Answer Key
  • Reader's Notebook Prompt
  • Graphic Organizer

Making Inferences with First Day Jitters (Spanish)

  • Student Practice Page and Answer Key
  • Reader's Notebook Prompt
  • Graphic Organizer

Making Predictions with First Day Jitters (Spanish)

  • Student Practice Page and Answer Key
  • Reader's Notebook Prompt
  • Graphic Organizer

Retelling & Summarizing with First Day Jitters (Spanish)

  • Student Practice Page and Answer Key
  • Reader's Notebook Prompt
  • Graphic Organizer

Writing with First Day Jitters (Spanish)

Worksheet

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About the Book

The cover for the book First Day Jitters
Title: First Day Jitters
Author: Julie Danneberg
Genre: Realistic Fiction
Themes: Back to School, Laugh Out Loud
ISBN: 9781607345497
Publisher's Summary:
Everyone knows that sinking feeling in the pit of the stomach just before diving into a new situation. Sarah Jane Hartwell is scared and doesn't want to start over at a new school. She doesn't know anybody, and nobody knows her. It will be awful. She just knows it. With much prodding from Mr. Hartwell, Sarah Jane reluctantly pulls herself together and goes to school. She is quickly befriended by Mrs. Burton, who helps smooth her jittery transition. This charming and familiar story will delight readers with its surprise ending. Fun, energetic illustrations brighten page after page with the busy antics surrounding Sarah Jane. FIRST DAY JITTERS is an enchanting story that is sure to be treasured by anyone who has ever anticipated a first day of school.
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