Smart money

Students will practice making money trades to equal $.25 kinesthetically and with manipulatives.

A lesson plan for grade 2 Mathematics

By Sherry Griffith

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Related pages

• You're the cashier!: Students will use manipulatives and computers to count back change from amounts up to $5.00.
• Money counts: Lesson introducing counting money and making change.
• Making change to $1.00.: In this lesson students will work in small groups making change to $1.00 using coins and pictures of items priced from Sunday fliers. In advance the teacher will cut out pictures of items costing less than $1.00.

Related topics

• Learn more about arithmetic, hands-on, kinesthetic learners, mathematics, money, and number sense.

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Learning outcomes

Students will learn how to make equivalent trades for coins.

Teacher planning

Time required for lesson

1 hour

Materials/resources

• Large picture of each coin
• Dice for each group of students (2 or 3 students per group)
• Ziploc bags of money for each group of students
• 1 quarter, 2 dimes, 4 nickels, and many pennies

Technology resources

overhead is helpful if you have a large class

Pre-activities

• Teacher prepares bags of money for each group.
• Students have learned coin names and values.
• Students have practiced making combinations for $0.15
• Students have matched coin combinations to cents notation by choosing coins to make amount on coupons.

Activities

1. Review coin names and values.
2. Post large pictures of coins on wall. Explain to the students that they are going to be coins and they will be practicing making trades. Designate a space in the room for “used” coins. Give each student a coin. Roll a die and have that many students holding pennies stand under the large penny. Discuss if a trade can be made. If so, 5 penny students go to “used” coin section and a nickel student stands under the nickel. Roll the die again and repeat with “penny students”. Continue to discuss with the class if trades can be made and why. Continue demonstration until coins have been traded for a quarter. Repeat activity if group needs more practice.
3. Explain that now the students will play a game with partners using coins to see who can make $.25 first. Model the game using a student. (If modeling for a large class, an overhead is convenient.) First, the teacher rolls and takes the appropriate number of coins and makes a trade, if possible. Then the student does the same. Continue until $.25 is made. Divide the group into sets of 2 or 3 students. Advanced groups can play to $.50 or $1.00.
4. Read Shel Silverstein’s poem “Smart” from Where The Sidewalk Ends (pg. 35). In the next lesson, students will work with trades in the poem.

Assessment

Assessment will be made by teacher observing and using checklist:

• Do students take in pennies and wait until they collect $.25, or do they trade as they play?
• Do students trade coins for coins of equal value? (2 nickels for 1 dime)
• Can students tell you how much their coins are worth?
• Are students aware when they have $.25?
• For final assessment, each student will show on paper 3 trades that can be made for $.25.

Supplemental information

Some ideas for the lesson came from Coins, Coupons, and Combinations, by Karen Economopoulos and Susan Jo Russell (p.78).