Author: Julie DannebergType or emotional/crisis issue(s) addressed: First day of school; anxiety
Year of Publication: 2000
Publisher & Location: Charlesbridge Publishing; Watertown, MA
ISBN#: 1-58089-061-X
Target Age Level: Lower Elementary
# of Pages: 30
Quality of Illustrations: Humorous, colorful illustrations.
Brief Summary: Sarah Jane Hartwell is nervous about her first day at her new school. As her dad tries to get her out of bed and off to school, Sarah worries about what the other students will be like. Her head hurts, her hands are cold and clammy, and she feels like she can't breathe, but Sarah makes it to school where the principal takes her to her new class.
Personal Comments/Biases, and/or Things to Consider When Using This Book With Children: This book has a surprise ending, because Sarah Jane Hartwell turns out to be a teacher, not a student. Students I've read this to have loved the ending and it opens up a great discussion about how feeling anxious is something many people feel, including adults.
Activity: Make copies of an outline of a body. Discuss as a class situations that cause students to experience anxiety and how they feel when they are anxious (e.g., heart beating, palms sweating, out of breath, etc.). Then have students label their own picture about what happens to them when they are nervous. Around the body have them list things that help them calm down.
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Additional Activity:
Have students write their own First Day Jitters book. This activity is especially appropriate for kindergartners or first graders, who have limited writing abilities. The teacher should have multiple pages copied for each student. On each page is a sentence with a blank that the student should fill in with his or her own word. Then they can draw a picture to match. When they have filled in their pages they can practice reading to a partner. At the end of the day, each student will have a personalized book to take home and read to his or her parents.
Taken from: http://www.charlesbridge.com/client/client_pdfs/downloadables/FirstDayJitters_ActivityGuide.pdf
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