Teachable Texts

74. First Day Jitters by Julie Danneberg

September 8, 2009 at 8:33 pm 1 comment

Retell: Sarah Hartwell is nervous about going to her new school.  She hides under the covers while Mr. Hartwell urges her to get out of bed.  Luckily the students, the principal and the staff are friendly to Sarah and she eventually feels ready for the first day of school.  It’s a good thing because Sarah isn’t a kid–she’s the teacher.

Topics: first day of school, nervousness, teachers

Units of Study: Realistic Fiction,

Tribes: mutual respect, personal best, attentive listening

Habits of Mind: perseverance

Reading Skills: making connections, making predictions

Thoughts: I can’t believe tomorrow is the first day of school!   I’m surprised by my own first day jitters.  Last year I looped with my class.  The night before the first day of school I remember feeling more relaxed because I already knew my students.  Tomorrow I will be starting with a new batch of 4th grade learners.  Though I’m not starting at a new school like Sarah Hartwell, I still feel anxious.  I can only imagine how my students feel.  I hope that after reading this book tomorrow my students will think of ways to help each other fight the first day jitters.

Welcome back to school everyone!

Entry filed under: Female Authors, Picture Books, Uncategorized. Tags: attentive listening, first day of school, making connections, mutual respect, nervousness, perseverance, personal best, prediction, realistic fiction, teachers.