Here’s a great way to give students practice adding coins. Use the date as their target number and then have them come up with all the different combinations using pennies, nickels, dimes, and quarters. To turn this into a problem-solving activity, ask them to prove that they found all the combinations.

A good way for students to learn how to organize their work is to have them use a table. At first, most kids fill in the table haphzardly which can make it difficult for them to know if they got all the combinations. That’s okay; it’s a learning process. Then ask them if there’s a way to fill in the table in a more organized way that would make it easier to prove that all the combinations are there. The photo above is one example of starting with pennies and working our way down through each coin.

The discussion about filling in the table is super important. This gives them a strategy to use in the future if confronted with a similar activity.

Click here to get a copy of the How Much is Today Worth? table.

CCSS: 2.MD.8
TEKS: First Grade: 4A, 4B, 4C; Second Grade 5A, 5B