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Counting Money: Coins, Dollars & Making the Total

Students drop coins and bills into a tray and watch the total build — learning to count mixed money and to count on to make change.

Grade 3Money45 minutes1 class periodGradual ReleaseExplicit teaching4 StandardsCommon Core
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Lesson at a Glance

Everything you need before the bell rings

Learning Objectives

Students will be able to…

  • ✓Identify coins and bills and their values.
  • ✓Count a mixed group of coins and bills.
  • ✓Write money amounts using $ and ¢.
  • ✓Count on to make change.
Essential Question

You have a handful of coins. What’s the fastest way to count them up — and how do you know how much change you’re owed?

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Lesson Phases
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Vocabulary Terms
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Standards Aligned
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Interactive Task
Model · Interactive Tool

The Money Tray

Project this and drop in coins and dollars. Count the biggest first and watch the running total — then challenge students to hit an exact amount.

💰 Add coins and bills — build the totalTry it
$0.00

The Lesson · Gradual Release (I Do · We Do · You Do)

45 minutes, five moves

Tap any phase to open the teacher moves and student actions.

1

Launch — The Coin Pile

5 min

A handful of coins — how much is it?

👩‍🏫 Teacher Moves

  • Show a mixed pile of coins.
  • Ask for the fastest way to count it.
  • Set the goal: count money + make change.

🎒 Student Actions

  • Guess the total.
  • Suggest a counting order.
  • Name the coins they see.
2

I Do — Count the Big First

10 min

Teacher models counting mixed money.

👩‍🏫 Teacher Moves

  • Sort coins largest to smallest.
  • Count on: a quarter, then dimes, etc.
  • Write the total with a $ sign.

🎒 Student Actions

  • Watch the counting order.
  • Count along out loud.
  • Write the amount with $ and ¢.
3

We Do — Count Together

12 min

Class drives the Money Tray.

👩‍🏫 Teacher Moves

  • Build amounts with the Money Tray.
  • Challenge students to reach an exact total.
  • Model “counting on” to make change.

🎒 Student Actions

  • Add coins to hit a target amount.
  • Read the running total.
  • Count up from a price to find change.
4

You Do — On Your Own

13 min

Students count and make change.

👩‍🏫 Teacher Moves

  • Assign mixed-money counting.
  • Add a making-change word problem.
  • Check $ and ¢ notation.

🎒 Student Actions

  • Count sets of coins and bills.
  • Find the change from a dollar.
  • Write amounts correctly.
5

Close — Make the Amount

5 min

Build one exact total together.

👩‍🏫 Teacher Moves

  • Name a target amount.
  • Have students build it two ways.
  • Hand out the exit ticket.

🎒 Student Actions

  • Build the target amount.
  • Show a second way to make it.
  • Complete the exit ticket.
Standards Alignment

Built to the standards you report on

Aligned to the Common Core State Standards for Mathematics, including the Standards for Mathematical Practice.

CCSS
2.MD.C.8

Solve word problems involving dollar bills, quarters, dimes, nickels, and pennies, using $ and ¢ symbols (foundational).

CCSS
4.MD.A.2

Solve word problems involving money, including problems requiring making change.

CCSS
3.OA.D.8

Solve two-step word problems using the four operations.

SMP
MP.2

Reason quantitatively when combining and comparing money amounts.

Differentiation

One lesson, every learner

Multilingual Learners

ELL / EMERGING READERS
  • Real or play coins to handle and sort.
  • Coin picture-value cards (penny = 1¢…).
  • Sentence frame: “___ quarters and ___ dimes is ___.”

Support & Access

IEP / 504
  • Start with like coins before mixing.
  • Provide a coin-value reference strip.
  • Use a number line to count on for change.

Stretch & Extend

GIFTED / EARLY FINISHERS
  • Find two different coin sets for one amount.
  • Make change from $5 or $10.
  • Compare two amounts and find the difference.
Materials

What to gather

  • 📽️Projector / board
  • 📓Math notebooks
  • 💻The Money Tray
  • 🪙Play coins & bills
  • 🏷️Price tags
  • 🎫Exit-ticket slips
Vocabulary

Key terms — hover for a quick definition

penny1 centnickel5 centsdime10 centsquarter25 centsdollar100 centscent1/100 of a dollar (¢)changemoney returned after payingcount oncount up from a number
Evaluate

Exit Ticket

Preview the three formative checks. Tap “Sample answer” to see what mastery looks like — hide them before you print for students.

QUESTION 1
How much is 3 dimes, 1 nickel, and 2 pennies? Write it with a $ sign.
30 + 5 + 2 = 37¢, or $0.37.
QUESTION 2
You buy a snack for 65¢ and pay with $1. How much change do you get?
35¢ (count on from 65 to 100).
QUESTION 3
Show one way to make 50¢ using coins.
Sample: two quarters; or five dimes; or one quarter, two dimes, and one nickel.

Going deeper? Run a classroom store.

Set up items with price tags and let students “buy” with play money, counting totals and making change for each other. A printable price-card set is in the Math library.

Study · Flashcards

Study the key terms

Tap a card to flip it, then rate whether you knew it. Built from this lesson’s vocabulary.

🃏 Counting MoneyFlip
Card 1
Term
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Practice · Quiz

Check your understanding

A quick self-check with instant feedback, drawn from this lesson’s key terms.

📝 Counting MoneyQuiz
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1 / 6
Question 1
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Practice · Worksheet

Printable worksheet

A print-and-go review sheet with a built-in answer key. Tap “Show answer key” to reveal answers, or print the clean version for students.

🖨️ Counting MoneyPrint
Name: ________________________
Date: ____________

Part A · Write the word that matches each meaning

Word bank: cent, change, count on, dime, dollar, nickel, penny, quarter
  1. money returned after paying
  2. 100 cents
  3. 1/100 of a dollar (¢)
  4. 10 cents
  5. 1 cent
  6. 25 cents
  7. 5 cents
  8. count up from a number

Part B · Show what you learned

  1. How much is 3 dimes, 1 nickel, and 2 pennies? Write it with a $ sign.
  2. You buy a snack for 65¢ and pay with $1. How much change do you get?
  3. Show one way to make 50¢ using coins.
Answer key — Part A: 1) change · 2) dollar · 3) cent · 4) dime · 5) penny · 6) quarter · 7) nickel · 8) count on
Part B: 1) 30 + 5 + 2 = 37¢, or $0.37. 2) 35¢ (count on from 65 to 100). 3) Sample: two quarters; or five dimes; or one quarter, two dimes, and one nickel.