Working with money

Children will learn to make change as they work in small groups. Students will work together in practicing how to count backwards by having to count out change. The students will have to also count forward when the scenario calls for it. This is a fun learning experience for the students as they use play money (visual) to learn money concepts used in their everyday life.

• Students will learn the value of coins and bills
• Students will learn how to count forwards and backwards while working in small groups using scenarios that will lead them to counting out change or buying something and paying for it.

The objective of this lesson is to teach students how to interact with money. Students need to know how to count forward and backwards. This lesson also teaches the student the value of the bills and coins they use when purchasing items. The student also uses their addition and subtraction skills as they work their problems.

Before beginning the small group interaction the teacher will discuss the different bill values and there amounts as well as the coins and there value. Overhead coins and and bills work well for this activity.

Planning - the teacher will make up 5-7 scenarios on notecards. The scenarios will be stories about buying items and the students will then have to count that amount of money out and place on a matt to be checked by their partner. Play money is given to each group of students.

Other stories will be about having to make change for a customer. The students will then have to count the right amount of change back to their partner. There partner will check the amount using a calculator. if the amount is wrong the student can try again. The partner will tell the other the correct amount of change if the second try was incorrect.

The partners change jobs after one round of buying and selling.

• Note cards with different scenarios written on them.
• Sheets of paper for money placemats. It is fun if they are decorated with various money symbols  and items kids might purchase.
• Overhead money and coins or you can get pictures off the web of these.
• play money and coins
• calculators

Assessment is done by watching the students as they are making change or counting out money for something they bought. I use a checkoff list with the students names in one column and Able to count backwards giving change, counting forward buying something in another column and lastly able to recognize bills and coins. This meets the third grade curriculum benchmarks for money.