Properties of Addition

This past week, we learned about the different properties of addition. You might think this would be boring. You are wrong! Mrs. Johnson's class can make anything fun! There are three properties, or rules, of addition we learned: Commutative Property of Addition, Identity (Zero) Property of Addition, and Associative Property of Addition.

We began our study of properties with the Commutative Property. Mrs. Johnson had a great activity planned for us! The Commutative Property of Addition says you can add two or more addends in any order, and the sum will be the same - as long as the numbers are the same. For example, 3+8=8+3 So, Mrs. Johnson gave us colored linking cubes. We modeled the commutative property using these linking cubes. Then, we wrote the number sentences that corresponded to our models. Take a look!

Sherrina and Dwinesha working hard

Tyrell is always so neat and careful with his work!

Good job, Arrion!

We continued our study with fun activities for each property.

The Identity Property of Addition says that if you add zero to any number, the sum will be the same number. For example, 2+0=2. This was the easiest one! Mrs. Johnson told us to think about our "identity." When you look in the mirror, you are looking at your identity - the same person!

The Associative Property of Addition says that you can group addends any way you like, and the sum will be the same. For example, (2+4)+6=2+(4+6). Mrs. Johnson told us to think about who we "associate" with - friends. It doesn't matter who we have our arms around ( ). They are still our friends.

Place Value 101

This week in math, we are continuing our study of place value. Mrs. Johnson uses base ten blocks to teach place value. She lets us work with them too! It's fun and educational!


We did a fun activity today! Mrs. Johnson rolled two huge dice. She recorded the digits on the board. After five rolls, Mrs. Johnson showed us how to create the largest number possible and the smallest number possible with those numbers. She demonstrated several more times, tossing the dice around the room so we would all get a chance to read the numbers. She can be so crazy sometimes! After we got the hang of this skill, Mrs. Johnson gave each of us our own dice. We rolled - just like she did earlier. We had a sheet to record our digits. After rolling, we came up with the largest and smallest numbers possible. What a fun way to learn about comparing numbers!

Markeith is working hard to figure it out!

What is the smallest number you made, Alric?

Good Job, Dwinesha!

Look at Table 1 working so quietly. Wow!

Goldilocks and the Three Bears

This week in reading, we will read Goldilocks and the Three Bears from our Scott Foresman reader. We will draw conclusions, or infer, using clues from our story. In addition to our reading story, we will use "cold reads," short stories we have never seen before, to practice our test-taking skills. On Thursday, we will take the Selection Test on the story. On Friday, we will take a spelling test on our words from the story (found in the back of our reading books) and a reading test. Please be sure to STUDY, STUDY, STUDY! Also, paying attention in class doesn't hurt!Vocabulary Words:

breakfast - the first meal of the day
comfortable - giving comfort; making feel at ease
cozy - snug; warm and comfortable
forest - thick woods
gobbled - ate greedily; gulped down
hungry - feeling a need for food
promise - to give one's word

In language, we will sort sentences and fragments. We will also discuss the different types of sentences: imperative, declarative, question, and exclamatory. We will use our knowledge of sentences and sentence structure to write a letter.

Open House

Open House was great last night! Thank you, for those who braved the rainy weather. I love keeping in touch with parents, and I look forward to seeing you again on Parent/Teacher Conference Day - September 19th. I hope you learned a little about me and our classroom. Remember, if you ever have a question...I will be glad to find an answer. Simply call the school and leave a message. I will get back to you as soon as I'm able.

I would like to recognize the students/parents who were able to attend Open House.

Lyric

Jaylin

Dwinesha

Jendaya

Arrion

How to Post A Comment

I had a few parents and teachers who had trouble commenting on our class blog. I have fixed the problem. If you are interested in posting a comment, simply click on "Comment." Then, choose "Anonymous" user. Be sure to sign your name in your comment! Can't wait to hear from you!!

Our First Days

Our first few days of school were filled with "get-to-know-you" and learning activities. After Mrs. Johnson gave us a Teacher Test as a way of introducing herself, we introduced ourselves. We found letters for our names and came up with adjectives to describe ourselves. It was so fun getting to know everyone!


After introductions were made, Mrs. Johnson read First Day Jitters by Julie Danneberg. This book tells about a girl who was extremely nervous about her first day at a new school. She tried everything to keep from going, but Mr. Hartman made her go. It turned out that she was a TEACHER! Can you believe it? Mrs. Johnson explained to us that even teachers get "First Day Jitters."After reading the book, we created a bubble map. In the middle, we drew a picture of ourselves. In the bubbles, we wrote about our feelings, fears, and excitement about coming to school on the first day.


On our second day, we learned more about our class mascot - FROGS! Mrs. Johnson planned many "froggy" activities for us. First, we read about frogs in our science books. We saw a diagram about the life cycle of a frog. Mrs. Johnson explained that diagrams are pictures that teach you something. (We'll need to know this in third grade.) We made a flip book of the five stages of a frog's changes, or metamorphosis. We also compared and contrasted frogs and tadpoles on chart paper. We learned so much about frogs! After all the fun activities, Mrs. Johnson let us make our own frog from a paper plate! It was so fun!!


During math, Mrs. Johnson read A Quarter From the Tooth Fairy. This book talks about a little boy who received a quarter from the tooth fairy. He kept buying and returning things because he changed his mind so much. But, each time he returned something...he received other coins (not a quarter). We talked about the different ways to make a quarter. Mrs. Johnson even demonstrated using overhead coins.

After the book, we completed a Monkey Math activity. Mrs. Johnson gave us a price list of different letters. We wrote our names, and we computed our total cost. We were able to see who were the most expensive and the cheapest students in the classroom.

We had fun and packed first days of school! We know we have much more to learn, and we can't wait to get started!

Meet Our Class

Back to School Reminders

Welcome to third grade!! I know you are anxious to get this year started! I sure am! I will do all I can to see that we start out this year with our best foot forward.

My students will bring several things home today that must be signed and returned. First, please remember to read the Class Handbook. After reading, sign and return the slip at the end of the document. Second, it is very important that you complete the Student Information Sheet. I will use this information to keep up-to-date information on my students so that I may better serve them. Lastly, please sign and return the internet and movie permission slips.

Don't forget to bring all supplies on the Supply List. If you do not have a copy of that list, you may go to the JPS website to view it. Most importantly, students will need crayons, pencils, glue, folders, and wide-ruled notebook paper.

I look forward to a terrific year!! Please let me know if you have any questions or concerns by clicking on "Comments" and leaving a message. Thanks!!