Do You Want More Coins or More Money?

In this lesson, you will teach your students how to count money to buy small items! Show students which coins they can use to buy their lunch and other small items in the classroom.

Learning Objectives

Students will be able to identify the names and values of coins. Students will be able to count money. Students will be able to identify how much money they need to buy small items. Students will be able to write the cent and dollar signs appropriately.

Introduction

(20 minutes)

Begin the lesson by asking your students what they use to purchase items. Tell students that they will be learning about money today.
Take out plastic coins, and ask students the values and names of coins.
Show them 5 pennies and a nickel, and ask which they would rather have. Explain that more coins doesn't necessarily equal more money!
Write the value of each coin on the board.
Have students skip count by 1's, 5's, 10's, and 25's. Write this on board, and repeat multiple times if students are having trouble with fluency.
Ask a student about an item that he plans to purchase at lunch, and ask for the price.
Model the dollar and cent signs when you write the price, and explain that the dollar sign comes in front of the numbers, and the cent sign comes at the end if the dollar sign is not already there.
Have the rest of the class come up with the appropriate coins to purchase that item.
Repeat these steps multiple times.