Distribute plastic bags containing 24 pennies and 3 dimes to each child. To begin this unit, read Alexander Who Used to Be Rich Last Sunday. Then reread the book and ask the children to work with a friend to model the amounts he spends, starting with page 12 where he buys some bubble gum. [There will be enough money if children combine their bags of money.]
Hold up a penny and ask the children to find a penny in their bag. Ask them to describe the penny, and record their descriptions on chart paper. Now ask the children to place a piece of paper over one penny and to rub the paper with a
crayon to make impressions of both sides of the coin. Ask them to record the coin’s value in both words (1 cent) and using the cent sign (¢). Then repeat the procedure with a dime.
Next ask the children what similarities and differences they notice about the coins. Then ask what words they used when they were talking about the money. As children name them, create a word wall by writing the words on a poster or on sticky notes and post them in a prominent place in the classroom.
Next give each child a copy of the Ten Frame activity sheet. Ask them to use it to find out how to trade the pennies in their bags for dimes. Model this by placing 1 penny in each cell of the ten frame, and when the frame is full, exchanging the 10 pennies for 1 dime. Then ask them to find out how many dimes’ worth of pennies they have in their bag. [You may wish to remind the children that both a number (such as 4) and a unit (such as dimes or cents) must be given to express a quantity.]
Write in a prominent place and call children’s attention to the cents sign (¢) and the word "cents". Now put the children into pairs, and give each pair a number cube and a paper bag. Ask the children to dump the coins from both their plastic bags onto a piece of paper. Then have the children take turns rolling the number cube, with one child rolling to tell how many dimes will be put into the paper bag, and the other child rolling to determine the number of pennies. After both children have rolled the number cube, ask them to record the amount they have in the bag in both formats and then to verify their prediction. Ask them to repeat the activity several times. Students should record the results on the Paper Bag activity sheet.
When the children are ready, ask for volunteers to choose one of the amounts they modeled and show it in coins to the other children. Then for a first entry for their portfolio, ask the children to write one amount and draw the coins which show that amount.
