Types of Story Problems

Hello Families!

We began Unit 3: Addition and Subtraction Story Problems today. I gave students a pre-test and will place them in math groups accordingly. These groups are flexible and as I see quick quizzes and in-class work, I will certainly adjust them. I wanted to give you a little heads up on some lingo that will be used in the homework.

(+)Change Plus Problem: A problem that begins with a given quantity that is then changed by adding more to it.
Example: Al has 4 toy cars. His mom bought him 5 more. How many does he have now? *note, he is adding more to his original quantity

(-)Change Minus Problem: A problem that begins with a given quantity that is then changed by taking some away.
Example: Joy had 12 apples. She ate 4. How many does she have now? *note, 4 are being taken away - they are done, gone, outta here.

(+)Put Together Problem: A problem that involves putting together (joining, combining) different groups of items to form a total.
Example: Anna has 3 oranges. Joel has 4 oranges. How many do they have altogether? *note, there were two separate quantities that are being combinedinto one group - we aren't actually changing the amount of oranges that are present, just combining

(-)Take Apart Problem: A problem that involves separating a group of objects.
Example: There were 12 horses in the field. Then, 4 went in the barn. How many are left in the field?*note, the horses that are being subtracted aren't actually going away, just going somewhere separate.


When tackling story problems in this unit, encourage your child to draw a math mountain! That way, he or she can see what we know, and what we need to figure out.

Happy homeworking!!

Double Checking with Opposite Operations

Hello Families!

We just took the Unit 1 assessment today, and I am SO proud of their work! You can expect a paper coming home with them tomorrow giving their score on the assessment and whether they exceeded, met, or did not meet standards for the unit. I send these home after every unit to keep you in the loop!

One thing I noticed that we need to work on, is double checking! It's natural for third graders to want to just be done with their work, but they need to be double checking! Since our next unit involves addition and subtraction story problems, I thought I would share a quick video showing how we learned to use the opposite operation (+ or -) to double check our answer. Enjoy!!

Ooh - one last thing! The new monthly math challenge is here! It's not on the PTA website quite yet, but I have copies! Please encourage your child to grab a copy and give a few problems a try!

Thanks!

-Mrs. McGaffey

Subtraction with regrouping

Hello Families!

Here is my first video on the blog! This will help you if your child gets stuck with subtraction regrouping. I showed the proof drawing and how that helps them connect what's going on in the equation, to what's actually happening with the hundreds, tens and ones. I forgot to add - Dr. Tens actually has a British accent as well. Mrs. Hundreds is a Jersey girl born and raised so her Jersey accent is pretty thick. This is just a fun little twist to make subtraction and addition a little more enjoyable for them :) Enjoy!!