Unit 10: Money

In this unit, students are asked to be able to add and subtract amounts of money.  We will also work on being able to make change from $5.  As we discuss in class, there are two main ways that you can make change.  You can make it in to a subtraction problem.  However, the problem with this is that we don't always have pencil and paper to be able to write down a subtraction problem to solve before knowing how much change to get.  The other way is starting at the amount and counting up by coin amounts until you get to the next dollar, then adding the dollar amount until you get to $5.  For example, if your item cost $1.80 and you paid with $5, you would start by counting up to $2 by adding 20 cents, then would add on the dollars from $2.  So, the amount you should get back is $3.20.  

Ways to help at home: Obviously, the best practice for counting change back will be practicing it in real-world situations.  Encourage your child to figure up money amounts as you're shopping and encourage them to know what change you should get back when you make purchases.  Other ways to practice using money is through games or through having an allowance at home.  Many students learn from working at a lemonade stand or some other sporting event.