First Day Jitters by Julie Danneberg Teaching Tips

It is the first day of school and Sarah really does not want to go! She has come up with many excuses why she shouldn't go to school on the first day, but Mr. Hartwell won't let her miss. He demands that she get out of bed and get dressed and then he drives her to school. Once Sarah gets to school she is greeted by the principal and taken to her classroom.

I wonder how Sarah's first day of school will turn out?

This is obviously a great book for the first day of school, students will identify and connect with so many parts of it. Use the below ideas, examples and sample questions to help create a meaningful lesson for this wonderful story.

Reading level: 2.6

Theme/subject: School, confronting fears,

Genre: Humorous fiction

Suggested vocabulary/phrases: jitters, snapped up, trudged, cold and clammy

Reading skills and strategies:

• Asking questions – these are just possible questions or wondering from either the student or teacher
• Before  

1. I wonder what jitters means.
2. I wonder why she is so afraid.
3. I wonder if she will go to school.

• During

1. I wonder if she will get out of bed.
2. I wonder what grade she is in.
3. I wonder if her teacher will make her feel better.
4. I wonder why she has that kind of lunch box.

• After

1. I wonder why the author made us think the character was a child.
2. I wonder how she will be as a teacher.

  **Remember to have your students answer/reflect their questions.

• Author's point of view – third person – she, her
• Author's purpose – to entertain
• Evidence
1. The author made us think it was a child afraid to go to school.
2. The teacher had a funny lunch box.
3. The illustrations were silly when they were “looking for her”.
• Beginning, middle, end – the most important event from each
• Beginning – Sarah wouldn’t get out of bed to go to school.
• Middle – Sarah finally got ready for and went to school.
• End – Sarah was introduced to her new class.
• Cause and effect  

1.Why did Sarah have the jitters?

Because it was the first day of school

2.Why did Sarah hate her new school?

Because she was starting a new school all over again.

3.Why did Sarah think it was going to be hard at her new school?

Because she wasn’t going to know anyone.

4.Why did Sarah think everyone would think she was lucky?

Because was at home in bed and not at school.

5.Why did Mr. Hartwell have to be stern with Sarah?

Because she wouldn’t get ready for school.

6.Why did Sarah slump down in the car?

Because the principal was coming over to the car.

• Character analysis - describe character {looks like, feelings, thoughts, character, how others think/see the character}
• Character changes –
• In the beginning – Sarah didn’t want to go to school because she thought it was going to be hard. Sarah was not happy.
• In the end – Sarah finally made it to school and she looks like she might be happy.
• Classify & categorize
• Classify – Different feelings on the first day of school.
• Categorize – Positive feeling, Negative feelings. Nervous and Excited, Happy and sad, etc.
• Compare & contrast
1. Your morning the first day of school and Sarah’s morning the first day of school.
2. Your teacher’s morning to Sarah’s morning.
• Connections
• Text-to-self   
1. Feeling jittery on the first day.
2. Not wanting to get out of bed.
• Text-to-text – anything about starting school and feelings
1. The Black Lagoon books – class or teacher
2. The New Bear at School
3. Don’t Eat the Teacher
4. Little Cliffs First Day of School
• Drawing conclusions & inferencing –
• As you read the story who do you think the story is about?
1. Text clues – the illustrator draws the picture so we can’t see Sarah. Sarah doesn’t want to get out of bed. Someone that looks like a dad demands that she gets out of bed. The “dad” makes her lunch and breakfast. The dad drives her to school.
2. What I know – All the things that Sarah did in the story are more like what a child would do then an adult or a teacher.
3. My conclusion – I thought that Sarah was a student.
• Fact & opinion – about or within the story
• Facts  
1. Sarah’s hands were cold and clammy.
2. Sarah felt sick.
3. Sarah had a bus on her lunch box.
4. The principal introduces Sarah to her class.
5. Sarah was the new teacher.
• Opinions
1. The first day of school is scary for everyone.
2. Teachers aren’t supposed to be nervous.
3. Sarah’s students looked like they were going to give her trouble.
4. The principal looked friendly.
5. Sarah looked like she was going to be a good teacher.
• Main idea & details
• Main idea – The story is mostly about Sarah being nervous about starting a new school.
• Details
1. Sarah wouldn’t get out of bed.
2. Sarah felt sick.
3. Sarah ducked down when the principal came up to the car.
• Plot - the turning point or climax in the story was at the very end when we get to finally see who Sarah is.
• Predict            
1. What is the story going to be about?
2. Who do you think Sarah is?
3. Do you think Sarah will make it through the day?
4. Do you think the students will like Sarah?
5. Do you think Sarah will be a good teacher?
6. Do you think Sarah will be as nervous on day 2?
• Problem & solution
• Problem – Sarah is so nervous for the first day of school.
• Solution – Her husband makes her get up and go to school.
• Sequencing
1. Sarah wouldn’t get out of bed.
2. Sarah thinks her new school is going to be hard.
3. Mr. Hartwell got stern with Sarah.
4. Sarah got out of bed and got dressed.
5. Sarah was handed her lunch and a piece of toast.
6. Sarah was driven to school.
7. The principal greeted Sarah at the car.
8. The principals led Sarah to her classroom.
9. The principal introduced Sarah to her class.
• Story elements - list title, author, characters, setting, beginning, middle, end, or problem & solution.
• Strong thought – someplace in the story that the reader has a strong reaction for example an “I knew it”, or “Don’t do it” type of moment while reading.
• At the very end we finally figure out that Sarah is not a student but the teacher.
1. If you were Sarah’s student what would you do or say to her so she wouldn’t be so nervous?
• Summarize – try to summarize without giving the surprise away.
• Someone - Sarah
• Wanted – didn’t want to go to school on the first day
• But – but she finally got out of bed and got ready
• So – so that she could be driven to school.
• Then – Then the principal took her to her new class and she
• Finally – finally meets all the students.
• Theme – the lesson, message or moral of the story
• Don’t think you are the only one that feels the same way you do.
• It is important to face your fears.
• Visualize – what do YOU picture…
• Sarah didn’t have a very good morning getting ready for her first day of school. Visualize what your teacher’s morning was like on the first day of school.

I have created a reading skills and strategies pack to go with this book.

 

Happy reading!

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The Principal from the Black Lagoon by Mike Thaler - Teaching Ideas

The little boy gets sent to the principal's office. On the way there, he thinks about all the horrible things that he has been told about the mean monster principal. He thinks about the evil spells she casts on the the kids and is scared he is going to end up with rabbit ears! As he sits outside her door anxiously waiting, he is shocked at what he sees when she opens the door.

Use the following list of reading skill and strategies to create a meaningful lesson for this book.

If your students need inferencing practice, use the packet I created to go along with this book and The Teacher from the Black Lagoon as well as The Class from the Black Lagoon.

Reading level: 2.3

Theme/subject: school, confronting fears, imagination

Genre: humorous

Suggested vocabulary/phrases: ahead in the polls, headlines, jaws of fate, master of disguise

Reading skills and strategies:

• Asking questions – these are just possible questions or wondering from either the student or teacher
• Before – I wonder why teacher is crossed off and Principal is written over it. I wonder why the boy has to go to the principal’s office. I wonder if he is going to get punished.
• During – I wonder who told him all these things about the principal. I wonder if any of these things are true.
• After – I wonder if still thinks she is a green monster.

  **Remember to have your students answer/reflect their questions.

• Author's point of view – First person
• Author's purpose – entertain
• Evidence
1. The principal can’t really be a monster.
2. The illustrator and the author show the kids with animal body parts.
3. It’s pretty silly when it shows the thin kids as bookmarks.
• Beginning, middle, end – the most important event from each
• Beginning – The boy gets sent to the principal’s office.
• Middle – The boy sits outside the principal’s office thinking about all the awful things he has heard about going there.
• End – The boy is really excited that the visit to the principal’s office was not as horrible as he thought it was going to be.
• Cause and effect  
1. Why did the boy think the principal was a real monster? Because that is what he heard.
2. Why was Doris Foodle sent to the principal’s office? Because she was chewing gum.
3. Why does the boy say the rug is red? So it won’t show the blood.
4. Why was the boy sent to the principal’s office? Because he snatched Mrs. Jones’s wig.
5. Why did the boy think he was lucky? Because he thought the flowers on the principal’s desk were poisonous and he held his breath so he didn’t turn purple and die.
• Character analysis - describe the boy or Mrs. Green {looks like, feelings, thoughts, character, how others think/see the character}
• Classify & categorize
• Classify – Reasons for being called to the principal’s office
1. Doing something good
2. Doing something bad
• Compare & contrast
• A time when you got called to the principal’s office
• Your principal to Mrs. Green
• This book to any other Black Lagoon book
• Connections
• Text-to-self  
1. Getting sent to the principal’s office
2. Being afraid of the principal
3. Hearing untrue stories about what the principal does
• Text-to-text  
1. Any of the Black Lagoon books
• Drawing conclusions & inferencing – Why would being sent to the principal’s office be bad if he runs for president?
• Text clues – The picture in the newspaper shows him covering his eyes and people pointing at him.
• What I know – I know that presidents are supposed to be good.
• My conclusion – I think that being sent to the principal’s office would be bad if he ran for president because it shows that he was a bad kid and might not be a good president.
• Main idea & details
• Main idea – The story is mostly about all the bad things that the boys has heard about the principal and going to her office.
• Details
1. She uses tall kids as coat racks.
2. The waiting room is filled with bones and skeletons.
3. She has a 12 foot paddle that has poisoned spikes on it.
• Plot - the turning point or climax in the story is when the principal opens the door and he sees a pretty woman standing there.
• Predict
1. What do you think the story is going to be about?
2. What do you think the principal is going to be like?
3. What kind of horrible things do you think the boy has heard?
• Problem & solution
• Problem – the boy is sent to the principal’s office and he is afraid he is going to come out with the ears of a rabbit.
• Solution – his fear was subsided when he left the principal’s office with only having to apologize and not getting rabbit ears from the evil Mrs. Green.
• Sequencing
1. On the third day of school the boy was sent to the principal’s office.
2. The boy thinks about all the bad things he has been told about Mrs. Green the monster principal.
3. He thinks about the bones and skeletons that are supposed to be in the waiting room.
4. He thinks about the short kids that she feeds to her alligator and the fat ones she uses as paper weights.
5. He thinks about the kids that she keeps for her experiments.
6. He is hoping that he doesn’t come out of her office with rabbit ears.
7. The principal’s office door opens and out walks a beautiful woman.
8. The boy looks around and doesn’t see anything like he was told.
9. Mrs. Green tells him he must apologize.
10. The boy is happy he didn’t die in the principal’s office.
• Story elements - list title, author, characters, setting, beginning, middle, end, or problem & solution.
• Strong thought – someplace in the story that the reader has a strong reaction for example an “I knew it”, or  “Don’t do it” type of moment while reading.
• Theme – the lesson, message or moral of the story
1. Don’t always believe everything you hear.
2. Rumors can make you think the worst about someone.
3. Going to the principal’s office probably won’t be as scary as you think it will be.
• Visualize – what do YOU picture…
• The boy pictures some awful things that the principal might be like. What is something you would picture the principal to be like?

Happy Reading!

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The Teacher from the Black Lagoon by Mike Thaler - Teaching Ideas

On the first day of school the little boy is terrified that he is going to get Mrs. Green the mean monster teacher! Unfortunately for the boy he got Mrs. Green for his teacher. As he sits in class and waits for school to begin he sees his monster of a teacher do all sorts of terrible things to the students in his class...but does he really?

Listed below are possible reading skill and strategy questions and ideas to help you create a meaningful lesson for this book.

If your students need inferencing practice you can grab the little I packet I made. This packet was made to use with this book as well as The Teacher from the Black Lagoon and The Principal from the Black Lagoon.

Reading level: 2.1

Theme/subject: school, confronting fears, imagination

Genre: humorous

Suggested vocabulary/phrases: dandruff, warts, slithers, fraction problems, beckons, smirks, cackles, wriggles

Reading skills and strategies:

• Asking questions – these are just possible questions or wonderings from either the student or teacher
• Before – I wonder what the story is going to be about. I wonder why the boy looks so scared. I wonder what a teacher from the black lagoon looks like.
• During – I wonder if Mrs. Green really is green. I wonder why Freddy Jones thinks it’s a good idea to throw a spitball. I wonder why the principal doesn’t do anything about what is happening I wonder if this is really happening.
• After – I wonder if he will enjoy the rest of his school year. I wonder if the other kids had the same bad dream about the first day of school as he did.

  **Remember to have your students answer/reflect their questions.

• Author's point of view – First person  
• Author's purpose – entertaining
• Evidence
1. A teacher can’t be a real monster.
2. The illustrator and the author show kids turning into frogs and being eaten in half, that can’t really happen.
3. The head as a globe it pretty silly.
• Beginning, middle, end – the most important event from each
• Beginning – The boy gets into class, sits at his desk, folds his hands, closes his eyes and thinks to himself that he is too young to die.
• Middle – Mrs. Green bites Derek in half to demonstrate how to do their fraction homework.
• End – The boy wakes up from his nap and sees the real Mrs. Green.
• Cause and effect  
1. Why does the boy look so sad walking to school? Because he is wondering who his teacher might be.
2. Why does the boy sit at his desk and think that he is too young to die? Because his teacher Mrs. Green is supposed to be a real monster.
3. Why does Mrs. Green breathe fire at Freddy Jones? Because he throws a spitball in the classroom.
4. Why does Eric Porter’s head get put on the globe stand? Because he said, “Talk about bad breath”, and then he giggled.
5. Why did Mrs. Green bite Derek Bloom in half? Because she was showing a fraction lesson.
6. Why does Mrs. Green swallow Doris Foodle in one gulp? Because she cracked her gum in class.
7. Why does Penny Weber’s head turn into the size of a pin? Because Mrs. Green is trying to help her headache go away.
8. Why does the boy see a pretty woman and not scary Mrs. Green when the bell rings? Because he was dreaming.
• Character analysis - describe Mrs. Green and the boy {looks like, feelings, thoughts, character, how others think/see the character}
• Character changes – The boy starts the story afraid of his teacher and by the end he hugs her because she is not what she thought she would be like.
• Classify & categorize
• Classify your first day of school
1. Things that were true
2. Things that were rumors
• Classify your teacher/classroom
1. Things you like
2. Things you don’t
• Compare & contrast
• Your first day of school to the boy’s
• Your teacher to his
• This Black Lagoon book to another Black Lagoon book
• Connections
• Text-to-self
1. Being afraid on your first day of school.
2. Hearing bad things about your teacher and then finding out he/she is not that way at all.
3. Loving your teacher.
• Text-to-text
1. Connect to any of the Black Lagoon books.
• Drawing conclusions & inferencing – Why does the boy see Mrs. Green as a big green monster?
• Text clues – at the beginning of the story the boy walks into the classroom, sits down, folds his hands and closes his eyes.
• What I know – I know that when someone keeps telling you something you can sometimes have dreams about it.
• My conclusion – I think the boy sees Mrs. Green as a big green monster because he fell asleep at the beginning of the story and dreamed about Mrs. Green and all the things that he was told about her.
• Main idea & details
• Main idea – The story is mostly about Mrs. Green being a big scary monster teacher.
• Details
1. Mrs. Green puts Eric Porter’s head in the globe stand for commenting on her bad breath.
2. Mrs. Green turns Randy Potts into a frog for asking about spelling.
3. Doris Foodle gets swallowed up by Mrs. Green for cracking her gum in class.
• Plot - the turning point or climax in the story was when Mrs. Green told the students to lay their head down and take a nap.
• Predict
1. What do you think the story is going to be about?
2. What do you think his teacher is going to be like?
3. What do you think is going to happen to the boy in class?
4. How do you think Mrs. Green is going to show what fractions are?
5. What do you think Mrs. Green is going to do with Doris Foodle for cracking her gum?
6. What do you think the boy will dream about when he falls asleep at nap time?
7. What do you think the boy will find when he wakes up from his nap?
• Problem & solution
• Problem – The problem in the story is that the boy sees Mrs. Green as a real monster doing terrible things to her students.
• Solution – Mrs. Green had the kids put their heads down for a nap, when the boy woke he found that Mrs. Green was not mean and green but a beautiful nice teacher.
• Sequencing
1. It is the first day of school and the boy wonders who his teacher will be.
2. The boy finds out his teacher is Mrs. Green.
3. Mrs. Green walks into the classroom and scratches her name on the board.
4. Freddy Jones throws a spitball and gets burned to a pile of ashes.
5. Mrs. Green put Eric Porter’s head in the globe stand.
6. Derek Bloom is used as an example for fractions.
7. Mrs. Green swallows Doris Foodle for cracking her gum.
8. Mrs. Green takes roll.
9. Randy Potts is turned into a frog.
10. Penny Weber wants to go to the nurse’s office for her headache.
11. It is nap time.
12. The boy hears the bell ring and wakes from his nap.
13. The boy runs and gives Mrs. Green a hug when he sees she is not really a big green monster.
• Story elements - list title, author, characters, setting, beginning, middle, end, or problem & solution.
• Strong thought – someplace in the story that the reader has a strong reaction for example an “I knew it”, or  “Don’t do it” type of moment while reading.
• The class just watched Freddy Jones get burned to ashes but the other kids still act up in class. What would you say to the other kids that continue to ask questions or act up?
• Summarize
• Someone The boy didn’t
• Wanted want the mean green monster, Mrs. Green for a teacher
• But but he got her
• So so he closed his eyes and said, “I’m too young to die.”
• Then Then he wakes from his dream and
• Finally finally realizes that his teacher Mrs. Green is not a green monster.
• Theme – the lesson, message or moral of the story
1. Don’t always believe everything you hear.
2. Rumors can make you think the worst about someone.
3. The first day of school probably won’t be as scary as you think it will be.
• Visualize – what do YOU picture…
• Mrs. Green did many things to punish many of the students. What is something else you visualize her doing as a punishment?

Happy reading!

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The Class from the Black Lagoon by Mike Thaler - Teaching Ideas

The Class from the Black Lagoon is about a teacher that thinks that her new group of kids are going to be little monsters. She has heard nothing but terrible, awful things about what they look like, how they behave and what kind of students they are. As she sits and waits for her students to arrive, she is getting more and more nervous! The students finally arrive and Mrs. Green is completely amazed at what she see!

You can use the below list of possible reading skill and strategy questions and ideas to create a fun and meaningful lesson for this book.

If your students are needing inferencing practice I have created a little packet of inferencing pages to use with this book and The Principal from the Black Lagoon and The Teacher from the Black Lagoon. Click the link below to see how this will help your students with inferencing.

Reading level: 4.3

Theme/subject: School, confronting fears, imagination

Genre: Humorous

Suggested vocabulary/phrases: early retirement, ghouls, emit, scratch and sniff, pried off with crowbars, safety precaution, virtuosos, Velcro, symphony orchestra, expertise, highly contagious diseases, pestering teachers, poking peers, survival kit

Reading skills and strategies:

• Asking questions – these are just possible questions or wondering from either the student or teacher
• Before – I wonder what the story is going to be about. I wonder what the class is going to be like. I wonder if the class really will be from the black lagoon.
• During – I wonder if the kids really will be as bad as described. I wonder what the kids will really be like.
• After – I wonder why the other teachers told Mrs. Green such bad things about the kids.

  **Remember to have your students answer/reflect their questions.

• Author's point of view – first person
• Author's purpose – entertaining
• Evidence
1. The kids can’t really be monsters.
2. The illustrator and the author show kids as weird looking monsters.
3. Mrs. Green looks pretty silly wearing all that safety equipment.
• Beginning, middle, end – the most important event from each
• Beginning – It is the first day of school and Mrs. Green is sitting at her desk worried about what her class will be like this year.
• Middle – Mrs. Green pictures her class as monsters and thinks about all the excuses that they will tell her when they don’t do what they are supposed to.
• End – Mrs. Green’s class comes in the class carrying flowers and an apple and not looking anything like monsters.
• Cause and effect  
1. Why was Mrs. Green so worried about her class? Because she had heard that the kids were weird and that the other teachers went into early retirement because of them.
2. Why did some of the children monsters have to be pried off their chairs with crowbars? Because they wrapped their bodies around their chairs really tight.
3. Why do the children monsters wave their hands in the air? Because they either have to go to the bathroom or have a silly answer to a question.
4. Why do the monster children love school? Because they love pestering teachers, poking peers and using the pencil sharpener.
5. Why does Mrs. Green check her survival kit? Because it is almost 8 o’clock and the kids are about to come in.
6. Why does Mrs. Green say that she is going to love this class? Because they were cheery and clean and had one nose and they brought her flowers and an apple.
• Character analysis - describe Mrs. Green {looks like, feelings, thoughts, character, how others think/see the character}
• Character changes – In the beginning Mrs. Green is very nervous about the first day of school and what the kids might be like. By the end she is happy and relieved that her class is so sweet.
• Compare & contrast
• Your teacher to Mrs. Green
• Your class to the class in the story
• This book to any other Black Lagoon book
• Connections
• Text-to-self  
1. Being worried about something you were told.
2. Believing stories you were told even though they sounded like they couldn’t be real.
3. Bringing your teacher flowers or an apple on the first day of school.
• Text-to-text
1. Any of the Black Lagoon books.
• Drawing conclusions & inferencing – Why does Mrs. Green think she is going to love the class?
• Text clues – When the kids actually get to school and enter the class they are all smiling and bring her an apple and some flowers.
• What I know – I know that when things turn out to be better than what you expected you will always like it.
• My conclusion – I think Mrs. Green is going to love her class because she had such terrible thoughts about them and what they were going to be like but when they actually got there they were completely the opposite.
• Main idea & details
• Main idea – The story is mostly about Mrs. Green and the thoughts she has about her new class.
• Details
1. As soon as the children walk through the school doors they turn in to monsters.
2. They write on everything but the paper.
3. They come to school when they are sick and stay home when they are well.
• Plot - the turning point or climax in the story was when the kids finally enter the classroom.
• Predict
1. What do you think the story is going to be about?
2. What do you think the teacher thinks the class is going to be like?
3. What are some things you think the monsters are going to do in class?
4. What do you think the kids are really going to be like?
• Problem & solution
• Problem – The problem in the story is that Mrs. Green was told some horrible things about the students in her class.
• Solution – Mrs. Green thinks the most awful things about her class until they actually come in and then she sees that they are nothing like they were described.
• Sequencing
1. It’s the first day of school and Mrs. Green is thinking about all the terrible things she was told about the kids in her class.
2. She thinks about them turning into monsters as they enter the school.
3. She thinks about the kids getting stuck in their chairs and having to be pried out with crowbars.
4. She hears all the noises they will make with their bodies.
5. She thinks about all the excuses they will use.
6. She will see them writing on everything except the paper they are supposed to write on.
7. Mrs. Green thinks about the monster class using the pencil sharpener and all the noise and problems that will be.
8. Mrs. Green checks her survival kit as the kids start to come to her room.
9. The kids come to class with flowers and an apple for Mrs. Green
10. Mrs. Green decides that she is going to love her class.
• Story elements - list title, author, characters, setting, beginning, middle, end, or problem & solution.
• Summarize
• Someone Mrs. Green
• Wanted wanted a good class
• But but she was told that the kids were real monsters
• So so she got her survival kit ready.
• Then Then the kids came into the class and she
• Finally finally saw that she is going to love her class.
• Theme – the lesson, message or moral of the story
1. Don’t always believe everything you hear.
2. Rumors can make you think the worst about someone.
3. The first day of school probably won’t be as scary as you think it will be.
• Visualize – what do YOU picture…
• Mrs. Green pictures some awful things that her class might be like. What is something you would picture the class to be like?

Happy Reading!

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David Goes to School - Game

I have just finished up the True False Comprehension Game for David Goes to School by David Shannon. I did the book review quite a while ago, click HERE to take you to the teaching tips/ reading skills and strategies for the book.

If you are familiar with my other True False Games, it is just like those :)

Enjoy!!

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