Show Me the Money: Understanding Value

In this lesson, your students will learn how to buy items and use money to purchase items in the real world. You will set up a store for the students to learn about money.

Need extra help for EL students? Try the Purchasing Items and Making Change pre-lesson.

Need extra help for EL students? Try the Purchasing Items and Making Change pre-lesson.

Learning Objectives

Students will be able to identify the values of coins and dollars.
Students will be able to make change.

The adjustment to the whole group lesson is a modification to differentiate for children who are English learners.

EL adjustmentsOnOff

Introduction

(5 minutes)

Ask the students to raise their hands if they have ever been shopping. Explain to the students that today, they will be going shopping in the classroom!
Tell your students that they will be spending pretend money to purchase, or buy, pretend items. Explain that they will be counting money to make sure they have enough to buy items.
Ask students, "Why is it important to figure out if we have enough money before we go to the sales counter?" Have students think-pair-share, explaining their answer to an elbow partner.
Show students the pretend money and a few of the pretend items they will be using.

Beginning

Ask students to draw a picture of some of the things their families purchase at the store.
Label students' pictures with words in English and home language (L1), if possible.

Intermediate

Have students think-pair-share, sharing out some of the things their families purchase at the store.
Provide students with definitions of other words applicable to learning about money in English and student's home language (L1), such as customer, sales clerk, shopping, etc.