Isaac Fox Elementary s
THE MATRAS
December 4, 2015 s
Ph: (847)540-2815 s
kerri.matras@lz95.org s
MINUTE
A Summary of Third Grade Happenings
Reading/Language Arts
Reading
We continue to explore nonfiction text structures.
Understanding these structures help us as
readers determine important information and
deepen our understanding of a topic or subject.
We have also been learning how nonfiction
writers use a lot of very specific vocabulary words
in order to teach their readers important
information about their topic. Often times, these
words may be unfamiliar to us. We discussed
how important it is for us to monitor our reading
and we discussed strategies we can use when
what we are reading doesn’t make sense.
Homerun Reading Logs for second trimester
were sent home earlier this week. I shared with
the third graders the new reading requirements.
700 minutes is the new benchmark for a
homerun. Please remember that it is your child’s
responsibility to fill out their logs and complete
the back page activity.
Writing
The third graders are in the drafting stage of the
writing process. Drafting is the time in the writing
process when we think about how we are going
to organize our piece and how we can make it
sensible for our readers. To help us to do this we
are working on how to balance out the beginning,
middle, and end of our writing, to ensure that we
have just the right amount of information in each
part to make sure our message is clear and well
thought out.
Mathematics
All classes tested on Module three. Our next
module focuses on building from the third graders
prior experience in Module one with 2 and 3 digit
numbers and extending to 4-digit numbers. They
will be reading, writing, locating numbers on a
number line & comparing and ordering numbers.
Social Studies
This week, we packed our suitcases and headed
off on an adventure to travel the globe and learn
how different countries celebrate the holiday
season. Our first stop was Australia! The third
graders loved learning about the six white boomers.
We also made a stop in Holland. Next week, our
travels will continue to Israel, France, Italy and
Germany!
Science
We have started our new science unit, “States of
Matter”! Our first activities have focused on
recognizing that all objects are made of matter. We
also have worked on classifying various examples
of matter as a solid, liquid, or gas.
Growth Mindset
Teaching and modeling a growth mindset is one of
our goals at Isaac Fox. Last week, we spent time
reviewing the difference between a fixed and
growth mindset. The third graders worked on how
they can change their words to change their
mindset. I am sending home today a resource you
can use at home to help reinforce what we have
been discussing at school.
Quick Tidbits
December 19th–January 3rd: Winter Break!