Jasztalville Weblog

What can you do at home to reinforce reading skills covered in class? Since we read twenty minutes a day in class, it is important to promote reading at home. Your child’s homework requires at least twenty minutes of reading a night, but you can vary the way your child reads. Reading does not necessarily need to be with chapter books. It can also be with non-fiction books filled with science experiments, magazines and newspapers.

-Visit bookstores. I know we do not have one in our county, and the closest one is the Books A Million store in Port Richey. Yet if you are out of town for the day and see a bookstore, it can be an exciting visit. Sunshine State Reader books are on display in all Borders bookstores in Florida, and the variety in the stores can help your child to branch out in his or her reading. Additionally, there is a used bookstore in Brooksville called the Bide a Wee bookstore (http://www.brooksvillebusiness.com/bide_a_wee_bookstore.html).

-Ask your child what he or she is reading, and encourage discussion.

Reads for boys- There are many humorous books out there and books that revolve around sports. Mysteries also intrigue boy readers at this age.

• Magazines- Boys Life, National Geographic for Kids, OWL
• Excellent Authors- Dan Gutman (sports and humor related books), Andrew Clements, Mike Lupica (Heat), Jeff Kinney (Diary of a Wimpy Kid), Gary Paulsen (Hatchet), Jean Craighead George (My Side of the Mountain), Gordon Korman (Kidnapped), Thomas Rockwell (How to Eat Fried Worms), Louis Sachar (Holes, Sideways Stories from Wayside School), Cornelia Funke (Dragon Rider),

Reads for Girls-

• Magazines- Girls Life, New Moon Girls, National Geographic for Kids, OWL
• Book Recommendations- Any books recommended for the boys are awesome, especially Dragon Rider. I have had a number of students read that book! I am going to suggest ones just for girls, though- the Vet Volunteers series by Laurie Halse Anderson, Princess Academy by Shannon Hale, Kate DiCamillo (The Mysterious Journey of Edward Tulane, Because of Winn-Dixie), Pam Munoz Ryan (Paint the Wind, Esperanza Ryan, Becoming Naomi Leon), Emma-Jean Lazarus Fell Out of a Tree by Lauren Tarshis, Ramona books by Beverly Cleary, books by Sharon Creech

Reads that are favorites of boys and girls-

• C.S. Lewis (Narnia series)
• The Ghost’s Grave by Peg Kehret
• The Westing Game by Ellen Raskin
• Most mysteries and fantasy stories

Boys and girls, back up what we cover in class-

• Science topics we cover in class- Environmental science, geology, matter, electricity, force and motion, simple machines, space, human body
• Math topics we cover- Measurement, multiplication and division, geometry, graphs and probability, real-life connections (sports, filmmaking, budgeting, camping)
• History topics we cover- Florida geography, St. Augustine, explorers and native Americans in Florida, the American Revolution, the Civil War, World War I/II, the Industrial Revolution, Thomas Alva Edison, government, presidents, United States geography/knowledge, This Day in History

This entry is to introduce you to the 2009-2010 school year.

My expectations of you-

• Treat people equally and with kindness.
• Be honest. Honest people are respected, and even if you are in the wrong, you will be respected a lot more for your honesty.
• Do your job and have supplies on hand. Pencils and paper are the most important supplies to have every day without question.
• Try your hardest. Give 100% and try to earn Honor Roll or Principal’s List. Let me know if you are feeling confused or behind. Don’t leave me in the dark. My job is to guide and strengthen you.
• Conduct yourself respectfully when you are out of my classroom. The last thing a teacher wants to hear is that a class did not behave well at lunch/specials.

When you do not meet expectations-On the board, your name will be written as well as the number rule in which you did not comply. Your name will be in the spot on the board all week. Three numbers or more for the week, and you will lose a privilege. At times, I give choices when it comes to which privilege you lose.

What will be important this year?

• You will have two composition books, one for Glue It and Do It in math class and the other for Writer’s Workshop. You will be decorating the one for Writer’s Workshop with pictures of yourself, family, friends, animals, travel experiences, etc.
• You will have two spiral-bound notebooks for Reading, the first for your Reader’s Response Journal and the other for your Independent Reading Journal. You will have to write in the response journal 1 or more times a week. The Independent Reading Journal entries will be required at least three times a week.
• You will have a jPod binder where your agenda, papers distributed by me, papers that are due, and reading log will be organized.
• Your homework every night is simple- one assignment for math and the other assignment being thirty minutes of silent reading. Your parents will have to initial a sheet that is due daily. Sometimes you will also receive an interactive reading assignment where you and your family will have to work together on specific skills.
• Not turning in homework merits a penalty- you will miss weekly recess as well as not be able to participate in a quarterly ice cream party. To participate, you will have to turn in your homework every day each quarter.

Some reasons to look forward to fourth grade-

• St. Augustine, Florida Field Trip- tentative date- May 2010
• Springs Coast Environmental Center field trip
• Feed and Read read-a-thon at night once a month
• Rocket launching experiment with Mr. Jasztal
• Book Publishing Projects
• Podcasting and digital videos for Scholastic.com and our classroom website at http://www.teachingvision.org
• Several chapter book read alouds
• Class Play for St. Augustine held in our school cafeteria in the evening- May 2010
• Possible class community service projects, some in our class and possibly a few on weekends/evenings

Hello, my name is Ms. Jasztal, and I am honored to be your fourth grade teacher. We have a classroom website at Teachingvision.org. Here is some information about myself. In the comments section, answer the same five questions as well.

• Birthday: May 24th
• Favorite place(s) to travel: St. Augustine, Florida; Wisconsin; New York.
• Favorite animal(s): Dogs, giraffes, and rabbits. My favorite marine mammal would have to be a dolphin.
• Favorite food(s): Italian food like lasagna and manicotti, pizza, tacos, salad, pancakes, strawberries, and raspberries. I also love Greek food.
• Favorite book or type of book: I love realistic fiction and historical fiction books. My favorite book from when I was your age is The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe by C.S. Lewis.