Money for starters

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Purpose

In this unit students become familiar with currency in New Zealand and learn to identify and compare the values of different units of currency. As part of this, students will recognise note and coin values, and know the number of 10c in amounts that are multiples of 10.

Achievement Objectives
NA1-1: Use a range of counting, grouping, and equal-sharing strategies with whole numbers and fractions.
Specific Learning Outcomes
  • Recognise NZ notes and coins.
  • Compare values of NZ coins.
  • Skip count in 10s.
  • Use coins to make totals.
Description of Mathematics

Operating with money allows for practise in addition (with or without materials as required) as well as development of skip counting in 5s and 10s.

Opportunities for Adaptation and Differentiation

The learning opportunities in this unit can be differentiated by providing or removing support to students and by varying the task requirements. Ways to differentiate include:

  • modelling skip counting and using materials to develop this skill (e.g. number strips, Slavonic abacus)
  • encouraging students to image the coins, or allowing them to continue to use materials, as appropriate
  • allowing students to continue to use a hundreds chart if required
  • extending and supporting students' use of different addition and counting strategies
  • strategically organising students into pairs and small groups in order to encourage peer learning, scaffolding, and extension
  • working alongside individual students (or groups of students) who require further support with specific area of knowledge or activities.

The activities in this can be adapted to make them more interesting by adding contexts that are familiar to them, for example, use problems that involve buying things that are of particular interest to your students (e.g. new sports gear, art supplies, poi, kapahaka uniforms). 

Te reo Māori kupu such as moni (money) could be introduced in this unit and used throughout other mathematical learning. You could also encourage students, who speak a language other than English at home, to share the words related to money they use at home, and to show examples of this money.

Required Resource Materials
Activity

Getting started

  1. Introduce the topic of money – possibly read a story featuring money or shopping, or make a link to a relevant context (e.g. we need to buy some new toys for the classroom, let's figure out what we could buy for X amount of money).
  2. Brainstorm – what do you know about money?
    What types of money are there? (accept different currencies, credit cards, cheques etc, as well as different denominations of coins and notes).
  3. Show students the notes and coins copymasters, as well as any other examples of money you have to share with the class. Get students to describe the different coins/notes –
    What colour is...?
    What is there a picture of on...?
    What shape is the money?
  4. Give each student a copy of the New Zealand Money Copymaster.
  5. Students can colour notes and coins appropriate colours – if you can print a copy in colour for them to refer to it would be helpful or show images of notes on a whiteboard/screen from the internet.

Exploring

  1. One of the first things students need to understand about money is the relative values of the coins.  This can be emphasised through a series of questions about ‘how many?’  It is best if students can use materials to support them if possible – either real coins, play money, or photocopied and cut out coins (Coins Copymaster).
    How many 10 cent coins make 20 cents?
    How many 10 cent coins make 50 cents?
    How many 10 cent coins make a dollar?  (Students need also to understand that there are 100 cents in a dollar.)
    How many 20 cent coins make a dollar?
    How many 50 cent coins make a dollar?
    To answer these questions easily, students will need to be able to skip count in 10s. Practise with small denominations of coins to help students develop their skip counting. Support students with the 100s board if needed, by putting a 10 cent coin at the end of each row of 10 until they get to 100.
     
  2. Once students have had practise making totals with coins of one denomination, they should move on to combining denominations. Start with an easy question like:
    How many ways can I have coins that add up to 20 cents? (2 ways – 1x20c or 2x10c).
    Move on to questions with more combinations possible:
    How many ways can you make 50 cents?
    I have three coins that total 40 cents – what are they?
    I have 5 coins that make a dollar – what could they be?
    These ideas can be reinforced by using a shop scenario. Allocate prices to a collection of items and let students make combinations of coins to total the same amount as the prices.
     
  3. Another important money idea is understanding that when we are buying items, we have to give at least enough money.  More often than not, we give more money than is required and receive change. As a class, explore what one coin could be used to buy items of various prices. You might present the class with a range of items (e.g. from play equipment or pictures - make links to your chosen relevant context) and use the following types of questions to do this:  
    What coin could you use to buy a colouring pencil that costs 40 cents?
    What coin could you use to buy a colouring pencil that costs 70 cents?
    What coin could you use to buy a bundle of colouring pencils that cost $1.50
    At Level 1 most students will probably not be able to work out correct change for this type of question but more able students may be extended in this area.
Further Ideas

As money is a mathematics topic in which students at this level have varied experiences, it is wise to work with small groups on revising key ideas. You might implement the Exploring section in small groups, and have students work on some of the following tasks. Alternatively, you might use the above task as a whole-class revision, before introducing one or more of the remaining tasks to the class. Provide modelling to ensure students are able to participate in all of these tasks effectively. You might also consider pairing or grouping students to ensure they feel supported and have someone to discuss their ideas with.

  1. Practise skip counting in tens by making up totals by cutting out paper coins and pasting them on paper to make 40c, 50c, etc
  2. Make combinations of coins that total to 50c, $1 or $2. Cut out paper coins and paste on paper to show their work.
  3. Play shops with other students.
  4. Play detective and use a magnifying glass to examine a collection of real (and foreign) coins stored in a cloth bag or change purse. Draw or describe what they see, differences, similarities etc.
  5. Invite a coin collector to visit the class and discuss their hobby.
  6. Do rubbings of various coins using coloured chalk or crayons.  These can also be enlarged on the photocopier for an interesting display.
  7. Make links back to your original chosen context. You might present students with a variety of different coloured pencils costing between 10c and $2, and ask them to figure out how many pencils they could buy as a class. Do this as a whole class. You will probably need to model the addition of different cent and dollar amounts.

Reflecting

Make a class display by having students cut and paste coins onto a piece of paper and then write a sentence under them.  You could ask students to make coins total a given amount (alter the amount according to individual students’ ability) and then write a sentence in the form "Five 20 cent pieces and two 10 cent pieces makes one dollar and 20 cents."

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Level One