There’s something incredibly special about reading First Day Jitters by Julie Danneberg on the first day of school. This back to school read aloud has become one of those books I reach for year after year. It’s engaging, it’s memorable, and it opens the door to building relationships, establishing routines, and introducing real literacy skills, all before lunch.

Instead of just reading the story and moving on, you can turn it into a full set of First Day Jitters activities that carry through the whole day.

Start with a First Day Feelings Graph

Before you even crack open the book, start the day by talking about first day feelings as a class. That first morning brings a whole range of emotions, and kids need to know every single one of them is welcome in your room.

Create a simple class graph where students share how they’re feeling, excited, nervous, upset, unsure, whatever it is. As you build it together, talk through the results and point out how differently everyone experiences day one. This is also your chance to be honest about your own feelings. 

Letting students see that teachers get nervous too? That’s how trust starts.

Create an Emoji to Show Feelings

Once feelings have been talked through, hand it over to the kids: let them draw and color an emoji that matches how they’re feeling. It’s a low-pressure way to acknowledge and name emotions, and it gives them the words to go with what they’re feeling. 

Want to stretch it further? Have them write about why they picked that emoji or what they’re hoping for this school year.

Use First Day Jitters Activities to Introduce Making Predictions

When it’s finally time to read, slow down. First Day Jitters is genuinely one of the best mentor texts out there for introducing predictions, but the real magic happens when you pause and think out loud with your students. 

Before you start reading, have them predict based on the cover and title. Then stop at key moments to check in: were they right? Do they want to change their thinking?

A prediction recording page or a simple anchor chart with built-in stopping points makes this so much easier to guide. Even if this is students’ very first time making predictions, these small conversations are planting seeds for comprehension work you’ll build on all year.

| Grab this exact anchor chart inside the First Day Jitters Bundle!

Extend Learning with a Creative Book Cover Activity

Once you’ve finished the story and talked through whether predictions held up, keep the momentum going with a creative extension. Have students design a new book cover based on their own first day experience, First Day Fears, First Day Fun, First Day Joy, First Day Blues, whatever fits.

They write the title, illustrate the cover, and in the process, reflect on their own day while connecting it back to the story. You could even replicate this process with another favorite back-to-school read aloud.

With a little intentional planning, First Day Jitters becomes so much more than a read-aloud. One book gives you a way into emotions, classroom community, prediction skills, and creative extension, all in a single day. And most importantly, it helps every student feel seen, understood, and excited for the year ahead.

| Grab the full bundle— or gain access to the GYTO Library for the First Day Jitters resource and other back to school read aloud activities.