Lesson plan · Grade 2 · 40 minutes

Corner Store

I can count coins, biggest first, and make change by counting up from the price.

Standard: 2.MD.C CCSS-Math
Shape: Teach, then practice
Grouping: Whole class on the carpet, then pairs with play coins.
You need: The tool on the big screen. Play coins for each pair (quarters, dimes, nickels, pennies). A small price list on the board.
Tool: curioclass.org/tools/corner-store/

Before class

Open the tool so the first customer is waiting. Sound is on.
Put play coins in a cup for each pair.
On the board, draw a quarter, a dime, a nickel and a penny, with each one's value.

Hold up a dime and a nickel. "Which one is worth more?" (The dime.) "But the nickel is bigger. How can that be?"
"Today our class runs a snack stand. Store workers have to count money fast and give the right change. Let's learn their trick."

The first customer orders. Find the snack on the menu board and read its price together.
The customer pays. Press Count it together and count along out loud, biggest coins first: "25, 35, 40."
Teach counting up with an example on the board: a pretzel costs 35¢ and the customer pays with two quarters (50¢). "Start at 35. A dime makes 45. A nickel makes 50. Our change is 15¢."
Show that biggest first is faster: counting 25, 35, 40 beats counting 1, 2, 3 all the way up.

Keep serving customers. The early ones pay exactly, so there's only counting. Call up a child to tap each coin, biggest first, while the class counts.
When a customer pays too much, partners count up with play coins first. Then a child picks coins from the drawer into Your change and presses Give change.
If the customer says it's too much or too little, tap a coin in Your change to take it back, and count up again together.
Watch the clock: it moves 5 minutes with each customer. "It's 3:20. What time will it be after the next customer?"
When the class is ready, turn off Values so they name each coin by sight.

Pairs play store with the board price list. One buys with play coins and the other counts up the change. Then they switch.
"Is there more than one way to give the same change? Which way uses the fewest coins?" Share two ways for 15¢ (a dime and a nickel, or three nickels).

On a whiteboard: "A sticker costs 40¢. You pay with two quarters. How much change?" (10¢.) Children show it with play coins or write the amount.
At 3:45 the bell rings in the tool. Read the day's total in dollars and cents together.

Support: keep Values on, and count only nickels and dimes at first.
Support: count up on a number line drawn on the board.
Stretch: give change with the fewest coins possible.
Stretch: "How many customers fit between 3:00 and 3:45?" (Nine, one every 5 minutes.)

Teach counting up with one example (5 min).
Serve customers in the tool until 3:45, with children counting up out loud (12 min).

How each button works is in the teacher notes. From Curio Class, free under CC BY 4.0: change it, print it, share it.