Today's lesson focused on completing addition sentences showing two ways to find the sum. Nicholas worked on the problems with confidence and independent of prompts, demonstrating that he is able to apply properties of operations as strategies when tasked with problems. Example: If 8 + 3 = 11 is known, then 3 + 8 = 11 is also known. (Commutative property of addition.) This is Common Core standard, MAFS.1.OA.2.3 Furthermore, he was able to show that if you add 2 + 6 + 4, the second two numbers can be added to make a ten, so 2 + 6 + 4 = 2 + 10 = 12. (Associative property of addition). Nicholas next worked on a word problem for which he had to choose three numbers from 1 - 6, then write the numbers in an addition sentence and show two ways to find the sum. Not only did he show two ways to arrive at the sum, Nicholas asked to show a third way, demonstrating proactive initiative and an improved ability to apply strategies and properties of operations when tasked with addition problems. We finished the session by first decorating a holiday ornament and then got involved in some imaginative play outdoors.