Second Grade · Math · week 21

Making the same amount different ways

Show a given money amount using different combinations of coins.

There is more than one way to make the same amount of money. 25 cents can be one quarter, or two dimes and a nickel, or twenty-five pennies -- they are all equal in value.

This is a great way to check your coin counting skills backward: start with a target amount and build it, instead of counting coins you already have.

📋 For the teacher
Teach it (10–15 min):
  • Give them a target amount and a coin jar, and let them experiment freely before checking -- this is playful, not just procedural.
  • Challenge them to find the way that uses the FEWEST coins for a given amount -- a nice bonus challenge, not a requirement.
  • Praise any correct combination equally; there is no single right way to make an amount.
  • Connect back to adding practice -- building an amount with coins is really just addition with a money story.
Talk about it:
  • What are two different ways to make 20 cents?
  • Why can the same amount of money look like different coins?
  • What is the fewest coins you can use to make 35 cents?

Mastery looks like: They build a target money amount using at least two different coin combinations.

Common stumbles: Assuming there is only one correct combination; miscounting the running total while experimenting.

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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