Courtney Voss

CI 432
Problem-Based Lesson
11.15.2010

Title: Nickels, Pennies, and Dimes, Oh My!

Grade Level: Second
Prerequisite Knowledge: Students have worked with exchanging pennies for dimes.
They know a penny is worth one cent and a dime is worth ten cents. I will assume most
students, if not all, have seen a nickel before.
Conceptual Goal: The lesson goal is to promote the understanding of the relationships
between pennies, nickels, and dimes as well as find various combinations of coins to
reach a certain amount.
Behavioral Objective: Students will know when to trade in pennies for nickels and
nickels for dimes. Students will be able to show various amounts using different
combinations of pennies, nickels and dimes.
Language Objectives: Students will understand and be able to use effectively the
following vocabulary words: penny, nickel, dime, value, and exchange.
Common Core Standards: Grade 2, Measurement and Data, Work with Time and Money:
8. Solve word problems involving dollar bills, quarters, dimes, nickels, and
pennies, using $ and ¢symbols appropriately. Example: If you have 2 dimes and
3 pennies, how many cents do you have?
Principles and Standards for School Mathematics: Geometry: Grades 3-5
Recognize equivalent representations for the same number and generate them by
decomposing and composing numbers.
Materials: Plastic bags
Pennies, Nickels, Dimes (enough for each student to have a handful)
Chart Paper
Crayons
Ten-Frame Activity Sheet (see attached)
Change Chart Worksheet (see attached)
Charts from previous day’s activity

Before (Introduction, Anticipatory Set, Intellectual Scaffolding)

To begin, write the Content Objectives and Language Objectives as mentioned
above on the board so that the class, especially ELL students, know what they will be
learning. To build background, take out the chart about pennies and dimes that was
created the previous day in class. Review this chart, which shows descriptions of the
coins, with the class and ask if they have anything to add to it.
Next, review the word wall with the students to explicitly teach vocabulary. This
can help ELL students by reminding them of words from the unit. In the previous lesson,
students thought of words that described the pennies, dimes, and nickels they had and
added those words to the word wall. Go over each word and define it. We also added the
words in other languages that are spoken in the classroom so have the students say the
words in every language that is on the word wall. Finally, next to each word there should
be a picture so that ELL students can have a visual to go with the word.
Put 6 pennies, 2 nickels and 1 dime on the overhead.
Ask students, “How much change do I have here?”
One student may respond, “9 cents” because he just counted the number of coins
on the overhead.
Say, “Yes, there are nine coins here, but what is the total worth of the coins?”
A student will say, “26 cents.”
Say, “Can I make this same amount, 26 cents, using a different combination of
coins?”
A student will say, “Yes, 26 pennies!” or “Yes, 4 nickels and 6 pennies!”
Take a piece of chart paper and make four columns. Above the first write “amount,”
above the second write “pennies,” the third write “nickels,” and the fourth “dimes.”
Under each heading, draw the accompanying picture of the coin (See Change Chart
Worksheet as example). The pictures will help ELL students who cannot read the word
but know what the change looks like. Record the different combinations the students
found on the chart.
Say, “Today we will be doing more problems trying to figure out different
combinations of change. You will be recording them on a chart just like this to
display the combinations you can find.”

During (Activities, Procedure, or Method)

Put students in pairs. Pair any ELL students that speak the same language
together so that they can speak in their L1 to clarify any directions and the material. If
there are not two ELL students, pair the ELL student with a classmate who understands
the concept. The strong student can help demonstrate the task for the ELL student. Each
individual should bring his/her bag of coins and the pair should find somewhere to sit in
the classroom. Hand out the Change Chart Worksheet.
One student will show the other some coins and ask how much is represented.
The students should work together to determine the amount. Then, they need to decide if
they can show the same amount using lesser coins. They should record all their
combinations under the “YOUR EXAMPLE:” heading on the Change Chart worksheet.
Students should be given 10 minutes to work with the partner and come up with 2
examples. Put this list of amounts on the board for students who finish early to practice
with: 32 cents, $.28, 57¢, 21 cents, and 62¢.
Observations
• If students can make the correct amounts of change
• If students can make correct exchanges when trading coins in
• If students use ten-frame sheet correctly
• If students work well with their partner
• If ELL students seem to grasp the concept-If asked, can they count change
accurately and show an example of making an amount with fewer coins
• If students are actively participating
Questions to Ask
• For every 5 pennies I have, I can make a ____?
• How many nickels make up a dime?
• How many pennies are in a nickel?
• How much change is shown here?
 • What is the total worth of this change?
• Can you show that amount using a different combination of coins?
• Can you show that amount using fewer coins?

After (Clarifying, Summarizing, Closure)

After all the students have done their practice problems, ask for examples. Have a
pair give you an amount they found (ex: 24 cents). Record their answer in the amount
column of the chart used in the beginning portion of the lesson. Ask them what coins
they used to find that. Record the amount of coins in the appropriate columns (ex: 2
dimes, 4 pennies). Ask the class for other solutions and record those as well (ex: 1 dime,
2 nickels, 4 pennies). Get four examples on the chart paper.
To close this lesson, I will first have a pair come up to the board and show the
class one of their examples. If I choose a pair of ELL students I will tell them beforehand
to prepare a problem that they both know they got right. This will decrease the amount of
stress since they will be prepared to share with the class. We will go over the example as
a class, stressing the worth of each coin and how to total the coins together accurately. I
will ask a number of students to come up and show different solutions to the problem. I
will say, “Show us how the combination is correct.” Add this final example to the chart
paper used during the lesson. We will review the sayings of “If I have 5 pennies, I can
make a dime” and “If I have 2 nickels, I can make a dime.” I will hand out the
homework (described below) and students will put their math materials away.

Assessment: The teacher will do an informal assessment throughout the lesson. She will
walk around during the lesson to check for understanding and participation. She will also
note who answers questions and the level of understanding they have of the topic. To do
this assessment, all she needs is a class list with room to check/take short notes.
Homework: Homework will be a worksheet reviewing the topic of exchanging nickels,
pennies, and dimes. It will look like the chart they filled out in class, but it will have 4
different amounts of change on it. It will have an amount of change (ex: 42 cents) and
students will have to draw that amount using different combinations. There will be four
problems (42 cents, 86 cents, 13 cents, and 55 cents) on the homework so that students
can review but are not doing an endless amount of problems. The same worksheet, but in
Spanish, will be provided for Spanish speaking students. For all students, I will send
home a bag of change so that they have manipulatives to work with while doing
homework. This will help students understand the problems since many still may be in
the concrete stage of understanding and have not moved onto the abstract stage where
they can do the problems in their heads.
Blackline Masters: See attached for the Ten-Frames Worksheet.
Alternative Approaches/Extensions:
This lesson meets the needs of ELL students in a number of ways. First, I
explicitly state the objectives that this lesson will be meeting. This informs the ELL
students of what they will be learning and gives them direction in the lesson. Next, we
explicitly teach vocabulary by creating a word wall that has words that are associated
with change and money. Not only are there words, but also there are pictures so that the
students have a visual to associate with the written word. By giving the students real
change to work with and practice with before the “during” section of the lesson, I build
background for the students. They can practice with the previous concept before diving
into the new topic, which is a form of comprehensible input. I also use comprehensible
input in another aspect of the lesson by using simple sentences and questions that
explicitly state what should be done and also having charts to display information. This
simplifies the information and if the students do not understand the language I am
speaking they can look at the visual for understanding. Finally, students are paired with
students that speak their native language and they are allowed to use it in class. This can
help them clarify the topic by speaking in a language that they fully understand. If there
are not two students that speak the same language, I will pair the ELL student with a
student who works well with others and is strong in the subject area.
In regards to students with other needs, I can modify this lesson to benefit them.
For students with poor fine motor skills, I can give them large paper cut outs of coins.
They may have a hard time using real coins, which are small and can be hard to pick up.
The paper coins are larger and easier to handle. These large paper coins will also be good
to use with students who have vision problems. Real coins are close to the same size and
could be hard to tell apart. Gifted students can do more advanced problems. If they
finish their work early, I will give them quarters and see if they can do problems with
them. I will tell them that a quarter is worth 25 cents and see if they can figure out how
many nickels, pennies, and dimes they need to make 25 cents. I will also give them
practice problems using quarters. This will challenge them but it will not give them
extra, meaningless work.

Based off a lesson from NCTM’s Illuminations lesson “How Many Ways?” at
http://illuminations.nctm.org/LessonDetail.aspx?ID=L132
Name:_________________________________

Ten Frames
Name:_____________________________

Change Chart

Amount Pennies Nickels Dimes

D
P D P
N N
3 pennies 2 nickels 1 dime
EXAMPLE:
3 pennies 2 dimes
23 cents 3 pennies 4 nickels

YOUR PROBLEM:

YOUR PROBLEM:

CLASS PROBLEM:

CLASS PROBLEM: