Counting coins – Grade 2 math lesson
Lesson 12 of 16 in the Grade 2 math course
US version. US grades, US spelling and dollars ($). · UK Maths Department
A complete 45-minute lesson for grade 2 (ages 7–8) that runs on this page – at school or at home. Every answer is graded right away, with a worked explanation.
- Time
- 45 minutes + 15 min homework
- Grade
- Grade 2 (ages 7–8)
- You need
- Paper, a pencil and this page
- Graded
- Instantly, with explanations
For parents: how to use this lesson
You don't need to know this topic yourself. The lesson explains each step on screen, one tidy step at a time. Every answer is graded straight away with a worked explanation, so you never have to grade anything.
- Read what your child will learn and the big ideas together.
- Press Start the lesson below and sit with your child for the teaching and the worked examples (about 19 minutes).
- Let them do the practice on their own. They choose Getting started, On track or Challenge – start on On track and move up after a few right in a row.
- Finish with the exit ticket and the talk question: “How can a small coin be worth more than a big one?”
- Later that day or the next day: the homework (15 minutes), then a practice test.
Watch out for
- Counting each coin as 1. Say the value of each coin as you count it.
- Starting with the smallest coins and losing count. Sort the coins and count the biggest values first.
Tip for home: Let your child count coins from a purse or money jar.
What your child will learn
Learning goal: recognize coins and bills and count amounts of money.
Success looks like
- I can name coins and their values.
- I can count a set of coins.
- I can make an amount in different ways.
Key words
- coin
- a piece of money made of metal
- value
- how much something is worth
- total
- how much altogether
- fewest
- the smallest number of
What to have ready
- Paper and a pencil
- This page on a computer, tablet or phone
- For the hands-on part: Set up a pretend shop with real or play coins. Pay for things with exact coins, then with the fewest coins. No coins? Draw coins on paper circles and write their values.
The big ideas (for the adult)
Each coin has a value. The biggest coin is not always worth the most, so learn the name and value of each one.
To count a set of coins, start with the coins worth the most, then count on.
There are many ways to make the same amount; using the fewest coins means using the biggest values first.
The lesson, step by step
| Part | Time | How it is checked |
|---|---|---|
| Starter: quick recall | 5 min | Graded by Classfern |
| Teaching input | 10 min | Not assessed, self-checked |
| Worked examples and guided practice | 9 min | Not assessed, graded by Classfern |
| Independent practice | 15 min | Graded by Classfern |
| Closure and exit ticket | 6 min | Graded by Classfern, self-checked |
Starter, "your turn", practice and exit ticket are graded by Classfern. Worked examples and teaching are not assessed. The hands-on task and the reflection are self-assessed. Explanations in talk are judged by the parent and not recorded.
The lesson
It runs here on the page. No sign-up and no names – progress is kept only in this browser.
Homework and practice at home
15 minutes: 8 practice questions, 3 multiple-choice questions and 2 to remember from earlier work, then a short reflection. New questions every time, all graded instantly.
More practice
More Grade 2 math lessons
- Addition facts to 10 and 20
- Adding and subtracting
- The equals sign and missing numbers
- Addition and subtraction word problems
- Multiplication and division
- Skip counting
- One more, one less, ten more and ten less
- Tens and ones
- Number lines
- Comparing, ordering and writing numbers
- Recognizing fractions
- Telling time
- Measuring length
- Picture graphs and bar graphs
- Shapes and position
Curriculum
Common Core State Standards 2.MD.C.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?”
Our lessons and questions are our own. They are not written or endorsed by any government department, testing agency or exam board.