Second Grade · Math · week 20

Counting mixed coins

Count a mixed pile of coins by ordering from largest to smallest value and adding on.

When coins are mixed, always start with the biggest value and work down to the smallest: quarters, then dimes, then nickels, then pennies. Starting big keeps the running total organized.

Count on from the running total as you add each coin's value -- say the growing total out loud after every coin.

📋 For the teacher
Teach it (10–15 min):
  • Physically sort the coins into piles by type before counting -- quarters together, dimes together, and so on -- so the biggest-first order is easy to follow.
  • Say the running total out loud after each coin, not just at the end.
  • If they lose track, stop and recount from the last coin type that was solid rather than starting completely over.
  • Real coins from a coin jar make this far more fun, and real, than pictures.
Talk about it:
  • Why do we sort and count from biggest coin to smallest?
  • What is the running total after just the quarters and dimes in a pile?
  • How is counting mixed coins similar to skip counting?

Mastery looks like: They count a mixed pile of coins accurately by ordering biggest to smallest and counting on.

Common stumbles: Counting coins in a random order and losing the running total; adding pennies before the bigger coins.

See it visually

Interactive, spoken-aloud tools that show this idea in motion.

Counting & Ten-FramesCount objects in ten-frames and base-ten blocks, one tap at a time.try →AdditionSee groups combine — with counters, blocks, and the number line.try →
Homework for this lessonType it, write it with a stylus, or print it for pencil & paper.open →
Records attendance + 15 min of Math for this learner.
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