Math Lesson: Coins Grade Level: 1

Lesson Summary: Students will learn a song to help them remember the value of the penny, nickel, dime, and quarter. Students will create index cards showing the pictures of each coin. Students will learn the symbol for cents so that they can include the value of each coin on the index cards. Students will then complete an activity in which they identify the value of each coin and compare the values of two coins. Advanced learners will practice, first in a group and then as individuals, finding the values of combinations of coins. Struggling learners will use manipulatives to work with the teacher to match plastic coins to their values.

Lesson Understandings:

The students will know…  The value of the penny, nickel, dime, and quarter.

The students will be able to…  Identify the value of the penny, nickel, dime, and quarter.  Compare the values of two coins.

Learning Styles Targeted:

Visual Auditory Kinesthetic/Tactile

Pre-Assessment: Give each student a set of 4 plastic coins (1 penny, 1 nickel, 1 dime, and 1 quarter). Ask students to hold up the coin that is worth 1 cent. Observe what students already know and what they don’t know. If you see that students already know the value of one of the coins, you can spend less time teaching that coin and more time teaching the other coins.

Whole-Class Instruction

Materials Needed: song video www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wk_6-pFkugU or chart paper with the coin song* printed on it, 1 set of plastic manipulative coins per student, 4 large index cards per student, 1 set of coin pictures per student*, 1 independent practice sheet per student*, writing utensils, scissors and glue for each student, yarn, hole puncher

Procedure:

1) Tell students that today they are going to learn the value of 4 coins: the penny, the nickel, the dime, and the quarter. Students should still have the 4 plastic coins on their desks from the pre-assessment. Allow students to keep them on their desks to refer to throughout the lesson. Tell students that some coins are bigger than other coins, but that doesn’t mean the big ones are worth more money than the little ones. Tell students that their goal for the day is to be able to tell how much each coin is worth and to compare the values of different coins.

2) Tell students they are going to learn a song to help them remember how much each coin is worth. There are two songs that you can choose from. The video link is www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wk_6- pFkugU for the first one. If you choose the second song, you will need to write the following lyrics on a piece of chart paper so students can follow along. It is sung to the tune of Farmer in the Dell.

A penny is worth 1. A nickel is worth 5. A dime is 10. And a quarter, 25.

Copyright © 2009 Study Island - All rights reserved. If you choose the second song, copy an extra set of the coin pictures so that you can glue a picture of the coins next to each line of the song. Keep the chart up after the lesson so that students can refer to it.

3) Have students practice singing the song a few times. After they have practiced it a few times, cover up the values of the coins on the chart paper or on the screen and see if students can sing the values without seeing them.

4) Have students look at the 4 plastic coins on their desks. You may want to have students sing the song as they pick up the specific coin the song mentions. Have students practice picking up each coin as you ask which coin has the smallest value, which coin has the largest value, which coin is worth more —the nickel or the dime, etc. Keep practicing the different values of the coins until students have mastered the concept.

5) Pass out a set of coin pictures, 4 large index cards, scissors, and glue to each student. Tell students to cut out the two pictures of the penny, the front and the back of the coin. Tell students that the picture of the front of the penny should be glued on the front of the card, and the picture of the back of the penny should be glued on the back of the card. Do the same with the nickel, dime, and quarter pictures. Carefully monitor that students are gluing the pictures correctly.

6) After students have finished gluing each set of pictures onto index cards, teach them the symbol used to show cents (¢). Lead them through labeling each picture on the front and back with the correct value and cents symbol. After students have labeled each card with the value and symbol, punch a hole in the index cards and tie them together with a piece of yarn.

Note: In the future, you can put the coin song on chart paper and the index cards into a math center for students to review. You could use small index cards to cover up the values of the coins from the song on chart paper so students could practice remembering the values on their own.

7) Pass out one independent practice page to each student. Read aloud the directions to students, check for understanding, and allow students to work. You may choose to allow students to use their coin index cards or not.

Note: This activity can also be done as a performance assessment in small groups. Instead of giving the independent practice page to students, provide them with 4 plastic coins. Ask the questions on the independent practice page and have students identify the coin. To have them compare the values, give them a choice of two coins and have students point out the coin with the larger value.

Advanced Learner

Materials Needed: Advanced Learner coin pictures* pre-glued on chart paper, writing utensils, 1 Advanced Learner coin combination page per student*

Procedure:

1) Gather advanced learners together around the pieces of chart paper with pictures of coins glued on them. Show them the chart paper with the 6 pennies glued on it. Have a student record the value of each penny underneath each picture. Practice counting by ones through all 6 pennies. Record the value of all 6 pennies above the penny pictures. Be sure to use the cents symbol with the value.

2) Show students the chart paper with 4 nickel pictures glued on it. Have a student record the value of each nickel underneath each picture. Practice counting by fives for all 4 nickels. Record the value of all 4 nickels above the nickel pictures. Be sure to use the cents symbol with the value.

3) Show students the chart paper with 5 dime pictures glued on it. Have a student record the value of

Copyright © 2009 Study Island - All rights reserved. each dime underneath each picture. Practice counting by tens for all 5 dimes. Record the value of all 5 dimes above the dime pictures. Be sure to use the cents symbol with the value.

4) Show students the chart paper with 2 quarter pictures glued on it. Have a student record the value of each quarter underneath each picture. Practice counting by twenty-fives for both quarters. Record the value of both quarters above the quarter pictures. Be sure to use the cents symbol with the value.

5) Pass out one Advanced Learner coin combination page per student. Read aloud the directions. Depending on your advanced learners, allow students to work individually or in partners.

Struggling Learner

Materials Needed: 1 set of 4 plastic coins (penny, nickel, dime, and quarter) per student, 1 set of 4 index cards per student, writing utensils, 1 copy of the coin song per student* (optional)

Procedure:

1) Gather struggling learners in an area of the room where they can sit in a circle. Practice singing the coin song together a few times. If using the coin song on chart paper, point out the pictures as they sing the value of each coin.

2) Give each student a set of 4 plastic coins and 4 index cards. Have the students write 1¢ on one index card, 5¢ on another, 10¢ on another, and 25¢ on the final index card. Direct students to lay each coin under the matching value. Have students practice a few times touching each coin and saying its name and its value.

3) Have students take away the plastic coins from the index cards and mix them up. Give a coin name and then have students look for it in their pile and lay it with the index card showing the correct value. Repeat this sorting activity until students have mastered the concept.

Note: You may want to make copies of the coin song for struggling students to take home and sing. *see supplemental resources

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