LESSON PLAN

Financial Literacy: Coin Combinations to 100 Cents

Apothem Team

Grade 2 · Number

LESSON AT A GLANCE

Warm-up

5 min

Explore

15 min

Consolidate

10 min

Practice

12 min

Exit ticket

3 min

Warm-up

Show a handful of mixed coins. How do we count these efficiently? Students suggest strategies. Introduce sort-then-skip-count: sort by denomination, skip-count each group, add the subtotals. Practice with 2 examples together.

Explore

Coin combination challenge: each pair receives a total (e.g., 65 cents) and must find 3 different coin combinations that make that total. Record each. How many ways did you find? Is there a combination that uses the fewest coins? (Always use the largest coins possible.)

Consolidate

Practice

Students count 6 mixed coin combinations and record the total. Find 2 equivalent combinations for 50 cents and 75 cents. Solve a savings goal problem. Exit ticket: show two different ways to make 60 cents.

Exit ticket

TIP The sort-by-denomination strategy is not arbitrary: it mirrors the place value principle of counting by the largest unit first. Students who internalize this are applying numerical organisation to money.

WORKED EXAMPLES

Count this combination: 2 quarters, 3 dimes, 2 nickels, 4 pennies.

2 quarters = 50 cents. 3 dimes = 30 cents. 2 nickels = 10 cents. 4 pennies = 4 cents. Total: 50 + 30 + 10 + 4 = 94 cents. Sorted by denomination and added subtotals.

A student wants a $3 toy but only has 85 cents saved. How much more do they need?

$3.00 -$ 0.85 = $2.15. They need$ 2.15 more. Or: count up from 85 cents to $3.00: 85 to$ 1.00 is 15 cents; $1.00 to$ 3.00 is $2.00. Total:$ 2.15. The adding-up strategy works for money just as for numbers.

MATERIALS

•Mixed coin sets (quarters, dimes, nickels, pennies)

•Classroom store with price tags 5-100 cents

•Spending/saving scenario cards

•Savings goal recording sheets

•Coin sorting mats

WATCH FOR

!Students may add all coin face numbers without considering value (e.g., 2 quarters + 1 dime counted as 3). Repeatedly emphasize: the number of coins is not the value. Each coin must be counted by its value.

!Students may not recognise that the same total can be made different ways. Explicitly celebrate when students find a new combination for the same total.