Featured Stories in Jasztalville

MYSTERIES The Mystery of the Missing Lunch Mrs. Newingham's Scholastic Lesson Plan- Ingredients of a Mystery (Includes printables) PBS Zoom- Fingerprints- Are your fingerprints whorls, loops, or arches? CSI Expert- Information about a book The Art of Crime Detection- Interesting crime-solving game for kids where you build a criminal’s “composite” using a PDA. Tools of the Trade- What kinds of tools do detectives need to complete their work? Reading A-Z- Level W- The Mystery of Granville Library ($) Unsolved Mysteries- The Mysteries of Harris Burdick by Chris Van Allsburg. CSI Expert!, on the right, is intended for grades 5 and up, yet has interesting information inside. Art Fraud Detective- Spot the Difference, Solve the Crime! by Anna Nilsen Excerpt Focus: Room One- A Mystery or Two by Andrew Clements	DESERTS/ADAPTING TO SURVIVE A Walk in the Desert Reading A-Z- Level T- Deserts Dry ($) Reading A-Z- Level U- The Mighty Saguarou Cactus ($) MBGNet Desert Ecosystem for Kids Teaching with the novel Holes- You can give your students a chapter preview during centers with an interactive activity or read the entire novel to your class. Interactive Holes Website Holes Educator's Guide
NATIONAL PARKS Animals Come Home to Our Natural Parks (TIME for Kids Article) TIME for Kids- Exploring National Parks Reading A-Z Leveled Reader- Level S- National Parks ($)	ASTRONAUTS The Astronaut and The Onion Celestia- A space simulation you can download Visible Earth- Gather beautiful images and downloads of our planet Living and Working in Space Teaching Poster/Packet (PDF) Exploring the Planets Teaching Poster/Packet (PDF)
WILDLIFE WATCHERS The Raft Jasztalville Original Resource ENature Field Guide Template- Template where students create their own field guides using www.enature.com. Other Resources: · Reading A-Z Leveled Readers- Level X- Wildlife Rescue ($) · (I had to find an excuse to stick this somewhere in my resources) The Dirt on Soil Virtual Tour Recommended novel: My Side of the Mountain by Jean Craighead George Try a one-chapter preview of My Side of the Mountain and an activity in your reading centers while you are reading The Raft.	BASEBALL Mighty Jackie: The Strike Out Queen by Marissa Moss Marissa Moss tells a true story of determination and heroism. April 2, 1931 was an important day in baseball history. On this day the Chattanooga Lookouts, a women’s baseball team, played the New York Yankees in an exhibition game. Thousands packed the stadium to see the Lookouts’ pitcher, seventeen-year-old Jackie Mitchell, pitch against the Yankees using her “lefty pitch with a low dip.” Jackie made baseball history by striking out baseball greats Babe Ruth and Lou Gehrig. Resources: Reading A-Z Leveled Readers- Level V- Female Sports Stars ($) Excerpts from these novels may interest your students. The Boy Who Saved Baseball by John Ritter Heat by Mike Lupica Some Kind of Pride by Maria Testa Short enough to read in one day: Casey at the Bat by Ernest Lawrence Thayer Dirt on Their Skirts by Doreen Rappaport Non-baseball excerpt focus: On Her Way- Stories for Growing Up Girl, edited by Sandy Asher- Margaret Peterson Haddix and Donna Jo Napoli are among the contributors to this collection that examines the perspectives of girls throughout American history. Lizzie encounters a "savage" when her family travels west in a wagon train. Joretta, crippled from polio, is determined to have a summer job. Emily will not let anything keep her from winning the summer reading contest. Includes an introduction and biographies of the authors.
NEW PLACES, NEW FACES My Diary from Here to There · Student Website: Be a Historian! (Immigration) · Ellis Island PDF Packet for Kids from NPS.gov · Interactive Tour of Ellis Island · Reading A-Z Leveled Readers- Level X- The Story of Immigration Try the short book- Journey to Ellis Island.	FOCUS ON CHINA Stealing Beauty (TIME for Kids Article) Websites: TIME for Kids- Go Places- China Books/guides to share with your students: DK Eyewitness Book: China Go 2 Guides for Kids: China (For ages 8-11)
BRIGHT IDEAS How Ben Franklin Stole the Lightning · Printable Board Game- LightQuest TIME for Kids Book- Benjamin Franklin: A Man of Many Talents and John, Paul, George, and Ben by Lane Smith Literature Connection- Excerpt Focus- The City of Ember by Jeanne DuPrau	SNAKES Dear Mr. Winston PBS Nature: The Reptiles: Snakes TIME for Kids Book- Snakes!
PREDATOR vs. PREY Roadrunner’s Dance · Build a Food Chain Activity Fact Book: Who’s For Dinner? Predators and Prey from Animal Planet (Grades 3-5)	PEOPLE WHO MADE A DIFFERENCE My Brother Martin Scholastic- Women Who Changed History- Includes Rosa Parks, Dr. Mae Jemison, Amelia Earhart, Melba Pattillo, and Sally Ride TIME for Kids- Article about Martin Luther King- What He Would Be Doing Now if He Had Lived Watch a Martin Luther King Slideshow Read "I Have a Dream" Excerpt Focus: A Friend Called Anne: One Girl’s Story of War, Peace, and a Unique Friendship with Anne Frank by Jacqueline van Maarsen and Carol Ann Lee Linda Brown, You are Not Alone- Brown vs. Board of Education Decision, edited by Joyce Carol Thomas
KIDS AS ENTREPRENEURS/JOURNALISM Kid Reporters at Work (TIME for Kids) · Scholastic Writing with Writers- News Reporting Workshop · Learn Ways How Kids Can Help Their Communities · Look at Topics You Enjoy to be a Kid Reporter Excerpt Focus: The Landry News by Andrew Clements Video Focus: Kit Kittredge: An American Girl Movie Scholastic Resource- Journalism with a Historical Twist- An impressive Scholastic resource using the new movie Kit Kittredge- An American Girl starring the fabulous Abigail Breslin. Includes numerous printables.	GREAT PLAINS INDIANS (Pawnee) Mystic Horse Scholastic Explorer- Native American Cultures (Interactive map website) Plains Indians Website- Made by upper elementary students with dioramas and costumes Another Plains Indians Website- However, this is about the Plains Indians in Canada. Museum Guide- Learning from Our Ancestors- Colorful PDF packet- intended for students visiting the National Museum of the American Indian, but still worth a look. (Another packet is Beauty Surrounds Us.) A Life in Beads Teaching Poster (PDF; Specifically the Great Plains region)
PRECIPITATION (Snowflakes) Snowflake Bentley · Winter Storm Timeline- Scholastic Resource · BrainPop.com Movie- Snowflakes (Need a one-week free trial in order for your students to view) · Scholastic StudyJams Water Cycle Video · What's the Big Idea About Water? · Animated Water Cycle- Talks immediately, so have headphones handy. · Water Cycle PDF Packet- Colorful and informative from the Southwest Florida Management District. (Includes a Teacher's Guide) (There is also a resource called A Drop in Time from SWFTMD, written on a higher reading level, challenging for advanced students, along with a Teacher's Guide.)	WHALES/OCEAN CREATURES Adelina’s Whales Humpback Whale Fact Card (There are 3 per page, so you can definitely save paper with this resource. Very professional.) Marine Mammal Poster- Though this is for Hawaii, this is such an impressive and gorgeous PDF. Whale Tail Poster Understanding Threats to Humpback Whales Whale Packet (NIE Resource- Page 8- Understanding Humpback Whales, Page 9- Unscramble, Page 11- Photo Identification Game, Pages 12-13- The Migration Board Game, Page 17- Humpback Whale Behaviors, and more) I ordered this St. Petersburg Times NIE supplement for my students. If you are in the Tampa Bay area, you can definitely do this as well. Excerpt Focus: Island of the Blue Dolphins by Scott O’Dell
THE SEA At Home in the Coral Reef · Virtual Dive into Underwater Ecosystems- From AMNH’s OLogy website. · PBS Dragonfly TV Video Clip- ROV's Explore Florida's Coral Reefs · Underwater ROV Photography Game	CREATIVE SOLUTIONS The Blind Hunter From Amazon.com- Chirobo lives a quiet life in an African village where he is respected for his storytelling and renowned for his wisdom. When a young hunter passes through, Chirobo asks if he can join him the next day. Muteye is hesitant to bring along an older, blind man but soon discovers that his companion is able to "see" with his other senses and that this ability helps them avoid a leopard, warthogs, and rhinos. When Muteye tries to trick Chirobo out of his catch, the older man teaches him to "see" with his heart and do the right thing. In an author's note, Rodanas explains that this original story was inspired by an African folktale, and the narrative's pacing, repetition, and moral conclusion attest to its origin. The lush, detailed illustrations, done in oil pastels and watercolor washes, show realistic landscapes and people. Framed by white borders, the richly colored pictures captivate the eye and would work well with groups. Creative Solution Excerpt Focus: She Touched the World: Laura Bridgma: Deaf Blind Pioneer by Sally Hobart Alexander and Robert Alexander No Talking by Andrew Clements
SOURCES OF ENERGY The Power of Oil (TIME for Kids) · Progress Through Petroleum Interactive Website- OUTSTANDING! A very sophisticated site. · Video Clips- Go for “Directional Drilling”. · Reading A-Z Leveled Reader- Alternative Fuel Cars- Level V ($) · Oil Experiment- Making Mousse · Coral Reefs and Oil Spills- Covering two topics we have read about in reading class this year. · Planet Earth from The Discovery Channel	DOGS Dear Mrs. LaRue: Letters from Obedience School The Diary of a Dog vs. The Diary of a Cat- Challenge students to write their own versions. Why does my dog do that?- Why do dogs eat grass, chase their tails, and stick their heads out car windows? Impending questions are answered. You may want to share some of these questions and answers with students. Dog Breeding Interactive Game PBS Dragonfly TV Video Clip- Colorblind Dogs Dog Vision- Educator's Guide from PBS Dragonfly TV Books where you can create center activities: Dog Diaries- Secret Writings of the WOOF Society (Grades 3-4) and My Dog, My Hero (Grades 3-5), both by Betsy Byars.
ARTISTS AT WORK Me and Uncle Romie · The Art Safari- Visit a Virtual Art Museum (New York Museum of Modern Art- MOMA) · Artsonia- The world’s largest kid’s museum (online) · Make Interactive Art Online! Books: The Usborne Art Treasury, Who Can Crack the Leonardo DaVinci Code? Excerpt Focus: From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler by E.L. Konigsburg A second excerpt focus: Chasing Vermeer by Blue Balliett	WILD HORSES Wild Horses OLogy @ the American Museum of Natural History- Horses Excerpt Focus: Paint the Wind by Pam Munoz Ryan
FRIENDSHIP Because of Winn-Dixie · Walden Media Guide- Because of Winn-Dixie · A Dog's Life- The Autobiography of a Stray Get a "Caught Reading" Poster of Annasophia Robb and Winn-Dixie! Excerpt Focus Stories: A Dog’s Life is an outstanding choice for literature circles/center activities. Similar story to Because of Winn-Dixie- Listen! By Stephanie S. Tolan Friendship Story- Phineas L. MacGuire… ERUPTS! Frances O’Roark Dowell An interesting book on friendship for advanced reading students who have the time to check a new novel out- Emma-Jean Lazarus Fell Out Of a Tree by Lauren Tarshis.	PUTTING ON A PLAY Ranita, The Frog Princess Kids Theater Dictionary Audience Critique Sheet for Reader's Theater Voice Inflection Activity Book: The Curtain Went Up, My Pants Fell Down (The Hank Zipzer Collection) by Henry Winkler
UNDERSEA EXPLORATION Exploring the Undersea Territory (TIME for Kids) · Video Clip- Real Life Careers- Marine Geologist · Video Clip- Real Life Careers- Ocean Scientist · Video Clip- Real Life Careers- Marine Biologist · PBS Dragonfly TV Video Clip- Manatees- Filmed in Crystal River, Florida · Reading A-Z Selection- The Amazing Undersea Food Web · Virtual Dive into Underwater Ecosystems- From AMNH’s OLogy website.