HOW TO USE COUNT MONEY AS A TEACHING TOOL

Use the Math Skill Builders: Count Money program to help students learn to combine different coins and bills to arrive at different total amounts of money.

Learn Equalities of Coins

Use the Count Money program to demonstrate which combinations of coins equal the value of other coins. Students need to know that the following sorts of coin equivalence:

5 pennies = 1 nickel

2 nickels = 1 dime

2 dimes + 1 nickel = 1 quarter

1 nickel and 5 pennies = 1 dime

2 nickels + 1dime + 5 pennies = 1 quarter

5 $1.00 bills = $5.00

1 $5.00 bill + 5 $1.00 bills = $10.00

2 $5.00 bills = $10.00

2 $10.00 bills = $20.00

To demonstrate this with the Count Money program choose the Count Coins activity. Select "Show Totals". Click on coins in the left window to move to the right window and look at the resulting total in the right window. To show the student the value of different combinations of coins decide which combination you want to demonstrate. Then show the student how to get a certain total more than one way. For example to show that five pennies equals one nickel, first move the five pennies into the right window. Show the total at the bottom of the right window and tell the student that the five pennies equals five cents. Then move the pennies back to the left window and move one nickel to right window and show the student that the nickel equals five cents, just the same as the five pennies. After you have demonstrated a particular combination of equal amounts, ask the student to show you that combination. For example, "Show me five cents with pennies, now show me five cents with nickels".

Once the student has demonstrated understanding that the same amount of money can be presented as different coins, ask the student to tell you how many coins equal another coin. For example, "How many pennies are in a nickel?" etc. Have the student check answers by moving coins to the right window and comparing the coin values.

Once students learn the value of specific combinations of coins, they are ready to combine coins to make different amounts less than one dollar. Choose the Count Coins activity. Each time you choose a New Problem the student is directed to choose coins to make a certain amount. As they click a coin in the left window it moves to right window and they can see the total of all the coins they have moved to the right window. Have the student keep moving coins until the total in the right window is the same as the total in the directions. If the student moves the wrong coin to the window on the right side, that coin can be moved back to the left window by clicking on it. The total at the bottom of the window always reflects the amount of the coins currently in the window.

When the student does not get the correct total, help the student understand why the amount is not correct. Compare the total at the bottom of the right window with the number in the directions. Ask the student if the total of the coins in the right window is more than or less than the amount in the directions. If the total is too much, then the student must remove coins from the right window. Ask the student how much to subtract from the total to get the correct amount. If the total is too little then the student must add coins to the right window. Ask the student how much has to be added to the total to get the correct amount. Have the student work out the computation with pencil and paper if necessary to determine the amount of the difference between the total in the window and the amount in the direction. Once the student knows what the difference should be, help the student decide which coin or coins equal that difference. In some cases it may not be possible to just move a particular amount and it may be necessary to replace coins in order to equal the specified amount. In that case, keep comparing the total in the right window with the target total and repeat the procedure of determining how much should be added or subtracted.

You can also use the Count Money activities to practice making any amounts. Instead of following the directions, tell the student the amount of money to count. Or, have the student think of amounts to count. Turn off the scoring option.

Once the student knows that some combinations of coins can be substituted for other coins, practice this skill while running the Count Coins activity. The program directs the student to put a certain amount in the right window. Compare the total in the window with the amount in the directions. When they are the same, the student has solved the problem. Let the student know that is one way to reach that amount and ask if there is another combination of coins that would be the same amount. Help the student see that by removing coins from the right window and replacing with other coins that there is often more than one combination of coins possible to reach a desired amount.

Group Coins and Bills to Get Different Total Amounts

Once students can competently count coins in different ways to get different amounts, move to the Count Money activity. Follow the same procedures as in the above two activities where students learned to group coins to get different total amounts and to make the amounts in different ways.