Ms. Jasztal’s Teaching Resource Index
Some
of these links are incredible “finds”, but several are also my own! They have
been found and developed over the course of my five years of teaching fourth
grade.
I have loads of printables on here, so please make sure
Adobe Acrobat is downloaded on your computer.
Sections With Separate Pages
Affirm and Motivate Your Students
Historic Adventures with Jasztalville
Jasztalville Reading Mini-Lessons and More Calendar
Reading and Writing Workshop [Though I shall admit this page
is also laden with reading and writing resources]
Jasztalville Unit Plan: Encouraging Students to
Embrace Their Inner Author [I used the same format as Scholastic’s unit
plans, though this plan has no affiliation with Scholastic.]
Starting the Year Off Well
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Introducing Me… Jasztalville
Original Resource- A
Jasztalville original resource. I actually use this resource in the middle of
the year for a writing portfolio project, yet it can also be adaptable at the
beginning or end of the year. [Other resources are in there called “The Superhero”
and “Modern Day Heroes”. Pick and choose; maybe use one page in September and
another in January!] "Me Bags"- Traditionally shared in Jasztalville
on the second day of school. With one click on the link above, you can read
instructions in .pdf form that my students receive every year. Jasztalville License- Our classroom theme,
“Life is a Highway”, lends to students filling out an application for a
Jasztalville license ™. "I Am" Poem- The format for writing
an “I Am” poem. |
Scholastic
Unit Plan The New and Improved "What I Did on My Summer
Vacation" More
activities where students have to explain about their lives and interests.
Goes well life my “Life is a Highway” theme. |
Organizational Aspects Jasztalville
Original Resources-
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Jasztalville
PDF Unit Plan: Introducing
Reading at the Beginning of the Year (All .pdf files)
See
my Reading Calendar to see when I use these sheets- Jasztalville Reading Mini-Lessons and More Calendar |
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Big Huge Labs-
Make custom name badges, custom mosaics, movie posters (they look realistic;
I did one for test prep this past year), magazine covers, trading cards, printable
cubes, CD covers, and slideshows. You can make neat beginning of the year
projects with some of these designs. |
Scientific Thinking I do
some interest-provoking science experiments (some very small) in the first
few weeks of school. The files below help you to introduce science. Scientific Method PDF File (Scholastic)- Have
your students fill out a scientific method inquiry sheet from the very
beginning of the year. Complete a small experiment that students need to test
a basic hypothesis. The first time you have your students use this handout,
complete it as a class, and progress to group/partner/individual assignments. Science and Social Studies Journaling Template-
Get your students excited about journaling from the get-go, particularly in
subjects like Science and Social Studies. |
Discovery Quest Topics- Mrs. Renz in Oregon
has some excellent topics for discussion for the beginning of the year: -
Where did your name originate? -
What are your special places to love, and why do you love being there? -
Discover a state symbol. Tell why it was selected and what it stands for. -
Discover a career (grown-up job) that interests you that requires science,
math, or both. |
Introducing Math Magic Teaching K-8- Math Magic Activities- (PDF)
Introduce your students to math magic at the beginning of the school year. Magic Square- (PDF) Whichever way you add the
numbers in the “magic square”, the total is always 15. |
My Original Lesson and Unit Plans [I used the same format as Scholastic for a few
lessons.]
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Jasztalville
Unit Plan: Encouraging Students to Embrace
Their Inner Author- Includes five lesson plans with four
printables. Students learn how to get their stories published within the
classroom community. Developed
using the template from:
(Note- However, no affiliations with Scholastic- I just like the
concise format of their unit and lesson plans) |
Jasztalville
PDF Unit Plan: The Kid Who Ran for President (by Dan Gutman)- A .pdf file
collection for the book by Dan Gutman- |
11-Page PDF File of Reading Projects- Some of these
projects are my very own invention- the Realistic Fiction author study (see
Extra, Extra, Read All About It! on page 2), Making the Genealogical
Connection, Create “Get Caught Reading” Mini-Posters, and (oddly, my personal
favorite) How Can a State Test Reflect My Daily Life? This is a must-see
because I had a great time creating these resources. Famous
Inventors and Making a Game Board are technically from Mrs. Renz, though I
included a few new components on the game board project. |
Jasztalville
PDF Unit Plan: Introducing Reading at the
Beginning of the Year (All .pdf files)
See
my Reading Calendar to see when I use these sheets- Jasztalville Reading Mini-Lessons and More Calendar
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Jasztalville
Printable Mini-Unit: Halloween Excitement from Jasztalville- I love
bringing out the educational value in each holiday. This packet has
activities in vocabulary, writing, math, and science. I highly recommend this
resource! Halloween Math Challenge Packet- Challenging
math problems pertaining to Halloween, using the names of the students in my
2007-2008 class. |
Science
Resources- Jasztalville
Printable Science Concepts Vocabulary Test Fourth Grade Science Vocabulary Test- An
extremely extensive printable I developed in my third year of teaching for my
professional development plan. Jasztalville
Original Resource ENature Field Guide Template- Template where
students create their own field guides using www.enature.com. Websites to Teach About Landforms- Video
clips, reader’s theater, and building your own volcano… this is a short but
sufficient list of websites that can be used with a variety of students. (I
specifically developed this list for ELL students.) |
Jasztalville
Original Resource- United States Math Journey- I developed math problems
that pertained to each of the locations below. |
Jasztalville Original Resource- Plug in to Journalism! ·
Interviewing a Classmate- Interview a
classmate about places he or she has visited and has the desire to visit. ·
The Five W's of Journalism- Choose an article
from the newspaper and fill out the questions about the five W’s- who, what,
when, where, and why. ·
Scavenger Hunt- Practice descriptive writing. ·
Odds and Ends- Find several random objects,
place them in a bag, switch bags with someone else, and write a creative
piece about the “character” who “gathered” those objects. ·
Ideas for Newspapers and Magazines- I am sure
one of these three ideas can come in handy. |
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Jasztalville
Summer Science Unit- All from
different resources DON’T BLINK
AND MISS!
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Jasztalville
History Resources-
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Specific Lesson and Unit Plans I Like from Elsewhere
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Scholastic
Unit Plan Reading Partnerships by Beth Newingham- In her
words- While typical "buddy reading" involves students reading to
younger children or reading aloud the same book in unison, I take an alternative
approach to reading buddies in my classroom. In fact, it is so
different that I call it the "Reading Partnerships." |
Scholastic
Unit Plan Welcome to Bars, Lines, & Pies, a dynamic math program designed to build
graphing skills in students, while showing them the relevance of math in
their lives. Developed by The Actuarial Foundation along with Scholastic, the
graphing lessons and activities inside involve engaging, real-world examples
about the environment and recycling. |
Scholastic
Unit Plan As part of a life science unit, students select and
research an animal of their choice. Using resources such as the Internet,
books, magazines, and encyclopedias, students use a graphic organizer note
the animal’s classification, food, shelter, geographical range, family
members, and interesting facts. Following project guidelines and a rubric,
students then gather a wide assortment of pictures of their animal and its
food, prey, shelter, and homes, presenting all the written information in
first person captions under the photographs. Pictures and captions are
mounted in a binder, folder, or photo album. The completed project is a
scrapbook-style Animal Family Album that students share with their classmates
and display for the school. |
Scholastic
Unit Plan Number Smarts! A Program from Wachovia and Scholastic- A unit about
budgeting and the basics of finance for grades 4-5. |
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Scholastic
Unit Plan Getting the Best Out of Book Buddies- A unit plan
dedicated to helping your students in getting the most out of mentoring
younger students. |
Scholastic
Unit Plan |
Scholastic
Unit Plan Light the Spark- Encourage students who have
learning difficulties. |
PBS
Lessons The Democracy Project- Has several interesting
lessons that teach students about democracy and United States government. |
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Scholastic
Unit Plan The New and Improved "What I Did on My Summer
Vacation" |
Scholastic
Lesson Plan The Interview of a Lifetime- Genia Connell, a
teacher on Scholastic.com, writes of her resource- “In this lesson, students
will learn the different effects of the (Titanic) disaster, engage in
survivor and reporter role play, and learn how to pose open-ended questions
in order to conduct an effective interview.
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Visiting
the Rainforest
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The
activities I have used-
(Both
include lesson plan resources.) |
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Jasztalville
(Partly Original) Resource- Amazing Space! [20-page .pdf packet, put
together by Ms. Jasztal] I
use these lessons in my classroom during my [somewhat short] space unit. -Password
Clues- Space* -Lenses and
Magnification -Crater
Challenge -Your Weight
on Other Planets -Build a
Model of the Wright Brothers Flyer -Newspaper
Report on the Wright Brothers Flyer* -Moon
Archaeology- (Chocolate) Chip Mines *Jasztalville
Original Material Real-Life
Scientists [Videos from Dragonfly TV] Scholastic
Interactive Website Resource- -Challenging
the Space Frontier PowerPoint
Wonders- Geology of Earth and Mars [Jasztal owns the
presentation, but NASA owns the pictures, which are royalty-free.] |
What
I Use From PBS Design Squad- Rubber Band Car (.pdf file)- We started a
class-wide competition one afternoon during FCAT week. It relieved a lot of
test-related stress and got my students excited about force and motion. Dragonfly TV Video- A Real NASCAR Engineer Hidden Alarm (.pdf file)- Students who were successful at
making simple electrical circuits completed this project quite efficiently! Similar
Resource- FMA Live-
An interactive science show for kids in grades 5 and up. |
Other
Science Experiments-
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The Human Body-
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Southwest
Florida Water Management District Education Website- Order free
materials and kits for your classroom (if you are within SWFTMD’s 16-county
radius). Here
is a district map to see if you are served by the
Southwest Florida Water Management District. |
How to Fold Foldables- PDF instructions on how
to make eleven types of foldable books. |
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Lesson Planni