First Day Jitters

by Sophie Bloom

Daniel was ready for his first day. Or was he?

Grade 1: Early readers10 pages

A child is terrified of starting at a new school and imagines everything that could go wrong, only to discover it's better than expected

Characters

Daniel

Ms. Garcia

+1 more

Geometric Urban

Story Arc

Daniel stood by his window. The new school looked very big. He felt a funny squeeze inside.

“What if the halls are too long?” Daniel thought. He imagined a never-ending maze. His hands gripped his backpack straps tight.

Soon, Daniel walked to school. The doors looked like giant mouths. What if they gobbled him up?

He stepped inside the school. Many kids rushed all around. Daniel worried about finding his room.

Then a kind voice called, “Daniel!” Ms. Garcia stood by a door. Her smile was very friendly.

“Welcome to our classroom!” Ms. Garcia said. Daniel slowly walked inside. He saw many happy faces.

Ms. Garcia showed Daniel his desk. He saw a basket of colorful blocks. Building a tower seemed like fun.

Daniel picked up a blue block. He stacked it on a yellow one. It was not scary at all.

Later, they went to the playground. Daniel ran and laughed with new friends. The sun felt warm on his face.

School was not a scary maze. It was a place for fun! Daniel smiled his biggest smile.

Make one of your own next.

squeeze: This is when you feel a tight feeling in your body, like when you are a little nervous.; He felt a funny squeeze inside.
imagined: This is when you think about something that is not real in your head.; He imagined a never-ending maze.
maze: A maze is like a puzzle with paths that can be tricky to get through.; He imagined a never-ending maze.
gripped: This is when you hold onto something very tightly.; His hands gripped his backpack straps tight.
giant: Giant means something is very, very big.; The doors looked like giant mouths.
gobbled: This is when something eats food very fast and in big bites.; What if they gobbled him up?
rushed: This is when people move very quickly from one place to another.; Many kids rushed all around.
worried: This is when you feel a little sad or scared about something that might happen.; Daniel worried about finding his room.
friendly: Friendly means someone is nice and easy to talk to.; Her smile was very friendly.
colorful: Colorful means something has many bright colors.; He saw a basket of colorful blocks.
stacked: Stacked means placing one thing on top of another.; He stacked it on a yellow one.
playground: A playground is a place outside where kids can play and have fun.; Later, they went to the playground.