Money, Money, Money

My math topic for the month of January is counting and comparing money. This may not seem like a big deal, as it’s part of every American curriculum I’ve ever seen. However, for my students (who live in Morocco) counting American money is, well, a foreign concept! I do work on counting Moroccan money (dirhams) with them as well during calendar, but it is not technically part of my standards. I also don’t have many manipulatives in my classroom, which means no pretend money. (You would see my classroom wishlist board on pinterest!) So, having them count money can be very time or money intensive on my part.  As I have little of both time and money, I am opting to cover money in 3 ways:

 

1.  The real stuff – My grandmother recently visited us here in Morocco, and she brought with her some real American coins, which I will use with the students in small group, so that we can review how each coin looks, how to tell the difference, and of course, how to count the coins.

 

2.  Technology! – If you haven’t seen Wednesday’s Website Suggestion from last week, it showcases the great website I am using where my kids can count money virtually.

 

3.  Puzzles – I have created three self-correcting puzzles on counting money to get us started.  (I think I’ll probably make at least two more, as we get going.)  I started using them on Friday, and the kids were psyched!  They love puzzles anyways, and these are an easy way for them to count money without having to work in those dreaded workbooks.

 

 

Click on any of the pictures to download the self-correcting puzzles from TPT.

         

Does anyone else have any ideas on how I can work on money with no manipulatives (and no smart board)?  If so, please leave me a comment or post it on my Raki’s Rad Resources Facebook Fan Page.