LEARN NC

K–12 teaching and learning · from the UNC School of Education

Money and More Money

Students will use problem solving skills and knowledge to solve a given problem using money. This activity will help enhance the students' self concept, and understanding the importance of learning basic money skills.

A lesson plan for grade 3 English Language Arts and Mathematics

By Betty Black

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Learning outcomes

Students will:

  • investigate as many ways as they can to make specified amounts of money.
  • solve money problems in a variety of ways.
  • work in pairs finding change, collect money information and then record their work in math learning logs or journals.
  • use Kidspiration software.

Teacher planning

Time required for lesson

60 minutes

Materials/resources

  • Book: Pigs will Be Pigs by: Amy Axelrod ISBN: 002765415X
  • The Coin Counting Book by Rozanne Lanczak ISBN: 0881063266
  • Overhead
  • Transparency/overhead coins
  • Containers of variety of coins
  • notebook paper or math journals
  • pencils
  • Computer with Kidspiration software

Technology resources

  • Computer with Kidspiration software
  • Computer with Internet access
  • Computer that is hooked to a projection device for total class viewing would be helpful when going through the US mint and US Treasury sites.

Pre-activities

Read orally the book Pigs will be Pigs by Amy Axelrod or another money book.Using the coins on the overhead, and the The Coin Counting Book by Rozanne Lanczak, review the names of coins and the value of each coin. Have students determine the coins that will make 10 cents, 15 cents, and 25 cents.
Review the ways to write money amounts using the cent mark, the dollar mark, and the decimal.
Write all possible ways to make the above money amount on the overhead. Remind students that there might be more than one way to solve a problem.

Activities

  1. Explain to students that they are going to use a variety of coins to make a certain amount of money.
  2. Teacher will call out a money amount and student will use their coins to make that amount of money. There might be several ways to do this task. (ex: How many ways can you find to make 30 cents, 50 cents, and etc.)
  3. Using the overhead, display how each student made the specified amount of money.
  4. Continue finding different ways to create that amount until all ways have been created.
  5. Create several different problems and work through this activity until students are easily grasping this concept.

Move into making Change:

  1. Get students to find a numberous of ways to figure change, using coin manipulatives.
  2. Repeat this several more times and record amounts of money that was given for change.
  3. Allow students time to share their solutions using the overhead. Dicuss the smallest and largest amount of money used and any pattern found while working.
  4. Then allow time for them to work in pairs to count change back to one another. Teacher will monitor as students are performing this activity.
  5. Finally have students write what they discovered about money and making change with money, on a piece of paper or in their math learning logs. Students can draw a picture to help them elaborate on what they learned.

Technology Integration Activity:

  1. Use Kidspiration software and have students stamp the different ways money amounts can be made using the coins provided on the symbol palette of this program: Moneyways
  2. Take students on a virtual field trip to the United States Mint in Washington, D.C. at site http://www.usmint.gov/kids/. Students can enjoy the various activities found at this site. Viewing this site works best first if explained to the total group by using a projector hooked to a computer for total class viewing.
  3. Visit sections of site: http://www.ustreas.gov/kids/ This site will provide students with many opportunities to explore all aspects of money. It is also helpful to use the LCD projector or computer hooked to a TV to view this site as a total group activity.

Assessment

Teacher will assess student’s techniques for the following:

  • Counting a variety of coins for accuracy in determining the correct amount.
  • Recording the amount correctly using decimals, dollar marks, and cents according to the amount.
  • Keeping a record of what they have done in their math learning logs or journals

Printing the Kidspiration document illustrating ways to make money amount will also be used for assessment: Moneyways

Supplemental information

None

Related websites

Both of these sites are wonderful for reinforcing money concepts.
http://www.aaamath.com
http://www.aplusmath.com

This site is great for teachers. It gives information about the mints in the United States and other pertinent information.
http://www.usmint.gov/index.cfm?flash=yes

Another good site for teachers:
http://www.ustreas.gov/education/index.html

Both of these sites have kid’s page that is used in this lesson plan.

Comments

I think this lesson is a great way to show students the importance of math in real life situations. It gives students an opportunity to see that they are learning math for a reason and that math can be fun.

North Carolina Curriculum Alignment

Computer Technology Skills (2005)

Grade 3

  • Goal 2: The learner will demonstrate knowledge and skills in the use of computer and other technologies.
    • Objective 2.01: Select and use appropriate features and functions of hardware and software for class assignments. Strand - Societal/Ethical Issues
    • Objective 2.11: Investigate teacher-selected Internet resources about communities; discuss and compare findings for usefulness as a class. Strand - Telecommunications/Internet

English Language Arts (2004)

Grade 3

  • Goal 2: The learner will apply strategies and skills to comprehend text that is read, heard, and viewed.
    • Objective 2.02: Interact with the text before, during, and after reading, listening, or viewing by:
      • setting a purpose.
      • previewing the text.
      • making predictions.
      • asking questions.
      • locating information for specific purposes.
      • making connections.
      • using story structure and text organization to comprehend.
  • Goal 4: The learner will apply strategies and skills to create oral, written, and visual texts.
    • Objective 4.04: Use planning strategies (with assistance) to generate topics and to organize ideas (e.g., drawing, mapping, discussing, listing).

Mathematics (2004)

Grade 3

  • Goal 1: Number and Operations - The learner will model, identify, and compute with whole numbers through 9,999.
    • Objective 1.01: Develop number sense for whole numbers through 9,999.
      • Connect model, number word, and number using a variety of representations.
      • Build understanding of place value (ones through thousands).
      • Compare and order.
    • Objective 1.06: Develop flexibility in solving problems by selecting strategies and using mental computation, estimation, calculators or computers, and paper and pencil.