Target Grade/Subject:
Our target group is first graders in upper middle class suburbia. Our lesson is designed to teach the students to identify, group, and add US coins. Besides being an SOL requirement, money is a relevant and useful life skill that goes along with first grade math and adding. First graders are most responsive to games and interaction with their peers and the teacher.
According to Piaget's theories of childhood development, first graders are making a transition between the Preoperational Stage (ages two to seven) and the Concrete Operational Stage (ages seven to eleven). This means that they are experiencing dramatic developments in language, math and science, and their conceptualization of the world in general (including social or interactive skills). The preoperational stage is characterized strongly by "perceptual dominance," (Eggen and Kauchak, p.39) in which students' initial perceptions of any given topic seem to stick. The teacher must guide students to overcome their initial perceptions and thus advance to the concrete operational stage where they can more effectively consider topics from logical and concrete standpoints. Students in the Preoperational Stage will still be seeing the world from both egocentric viewpoints and will not yet be able to understand the concepts of transformation, reversibility, systematic reasoning, and conservation. Students in the Concrete Operational Stage, however, will no longer be as egocentric and will understand these latter concepts better, but will need to arrive at this understanding through much concrete hands-on learning where they can work with manipulatives.
Lev Vygotsky focuses more on the students' need to interact socially within a learning environment, and it is critical for the teacher to provide assisted learning for students where they could learn not only by experience and exploration of their surroundings, but also by interacting with both the teacher and the other students (from both their own grade level and others). It is important to use scaffolding techniques such as "modeling, thinking aloud, questioning students, adapting instructional materials, and using prompts and cues" (Eggen and Kauchak, p. 59), and to assess students' learning and development.
First grade students are classified within Erikson's Industry Versus Inferiority stage (ages six to twelve). This means that it would be critical for the students to develop a sense of industry or accomplishment. The teacher can help students gain confidence of their capabilities by giving them challenging, industrious tasks to complete, assisting them where necessary, and recognizing their successes so that they notice that they have been industrious.
Objective(s):
SOLS:
Our lesson plan addresses two Grade 1 Mathematics Standards of Learning, SOL 1.7 and 1.10. SOL 1.7 states that "the student will use problem solving, mathematical communication, mathematical reasoning, and connections to: (1) recognize the characteristics of pennies, nickels, and dimes, e.g., color, size; and (2) Identify the value of pennies, nickels, and dimes." SOL 1.10 states that "the student will (1) count by ones to determine the total value of a collection of pennies whose total value is 100 cents or less; (2) count by fives to determine the total value of a collection of nickels whose total value is 100 cents or less; (3) count by tens to determine the total value of a collection of dimes whose total value is 100 cents or less; and (4) identify the value of a nickel, a dime, and a quarter in terms of pennies."
Behavioral Objective:
The student will complete a series of semi-guided activities involving recognition (naming and value recognition) of American coins including quarters, dimes, nickels and pennies; will be able to add up the values of coins to create a given amount (and will also be able to recognize when incorrect coins are given for a value.) The student will do this first in the setting of guided practice at their desk (with the appropriate materials as follows) while observing the same amount created with coins on the teacher's power point display. Then the student will determine the coins necessary for a given amount individually without the guidance of the visual power point display with immediate reinforcement from the teacher. They will demonstrate their comprehension of coins, both visually and by value, individually as a homework assignment in the form of a worksheet; and finally on an individual written quiz/test taken during class within a week of the money lesson on which at least 2/3 of students must complete at least 85% of the questions correctly.
Materials:
1 index card with a quarter, dime, nickel, and penny mounted on it (for reference purposes)
6 quarters, 6 dimes, 6 nickels, and 6 pennies
4 small paper cups
notecards
1 blank sheet of paper
1 worksheet
1 pencil
1 computer
1 projector to show the power point presentation
1 enclosed power point presentation
1 enclosed quiz
Lesson Description:
This lesson plan is made to go along with the power point presentation.
One week prior to the lesson:
1. Ask the students to bring in some coins-6 of each (as described in the materials section).
2. Have your student helpers pass out 4 Dixie cups and one notecard to all the students.
3. Have the students label the cups "quarters," "dimes," "nickels," and "pennies."
4. Have the students tape two of each coin on the notecard (see model in power point).
For the lesson:
1. Play the power point and follow along with these instructions.
2. Tell students to get out their coins (remaining 4 of each), Dixie cups, and notecard. (Slide 1)
3. Review the notecard. (Slide 2, 3, 4) Slide 2: Hold up each coin as you call out its name. Have the students do so as well. Describe any distinguishing features: The quarter is the largest of the 4 coins, the dime is the smallest, the penny is copper colored, describe the different scenes on the backs and whose heads are on the fronts. Slide 3: Have the students hold up the coin whose name is given on the screen, then click the mouse so that the image appears. Look around to see if the students are holding up the correct coins. Do this for all 4 practices on this slide. Slide 4: Have the students hold up each coin and repeat their value out loud.
4. Explain that each coin has a certain number of hairs and have the students draw hair on the coins on their notecards. (Slide 5, 6) Slide 6: Show the first image, have the students hold up that coin and say how much that coin is worth. You can have them call out loud or pick on raised hands. After they have answered the question correctly, show the answer directly beneath. Go through all 4. If they still need practice, hide the slide and hold up your own coins and call on students.
5. Tell the students to put their notecards in the corner of their desks.
6. Have the students follow along with you as you count out different combinations of coins. Slide 7: Ask the students to start with the first row of coins and add up how much they are worth total (Slide 7-23)
7. When you begin to use the piggy bank, have the students separate their coins into the respective Dixie cups. (Slide 9-23) Slides 9, 11, 15: Call on one student to tell how many cents are being placed into the bank.
8. Have students raise their hands to answer the questions on slides 17-27.
9. Now turn off the monitor and run through the "hi-five" game.
10. Instruct the children to empty their banks, add up the amount of money in their banks, and write that number down on a piece of paper.
11. Circulate the room giving "hi-fives" to those who have the right response. The children who have incorrect responses must correct themselves (with assistance if necessary) until they too receive a "hi-five".
12. Give the children a monetary amount and ask them to put that amount into their banks.
13. Again, circulate the room giving out "hi-fives" for correct completion of the task.
14. This "hi-five" method of evaluation can be repeated as many times as the teacher deems necessary.
15. Lastly, have the students put away their coins, cups, and notecards. Pass out the homework worksheet.
Evaluation Procedure:
It is important to make sure that the students are keeping up with, understanding, and retaining the lesson while it is being administered. For these purposes evaluation of the students must be performed both during and after the lesson. The activities that the children participate in during the lesson are one portion of this evaluation. The next portion takes place directly after the teacher has finished teaching. The teacher will first ask the students to identify the coins whose names appear on the screen by holding them up (*names will appear one at a time). The teacher can scan the room to see if all the children are holding up the correct coin and make the correction for those who are not. Secondly, the students will be asked to identify the monetary value of the coins as they are shown one by one on the screen. The students may call out their answers. If all has gone well at this point the teacher will instruct the children to empty their banks, add up the amount of money in their banks, and write that number down on a piece of paper. He or she will circulate the room giving "hi-fives" to those who have the right response. The children who have incorrect responses must correct themselves (with assistance if necessary) until they too receive a "hi-five". Finally the teacher will give the children a monetary amount and ask them to put that amount into their banks. He or she will again circulate the room giving out "hi-fives" for correct completion of the task. This fourth step in the evaluation will be repeated as many times as necessary using different values.
To evaluate the students on an individual level the students will receive a worksheet to do on their own for homework. The children will also be tested on the lesson. The expectation of this lesson is that the students will be able to identify quarters, dimes, nickels, and pennies by sight, by their name, and by their monetary value. The in-class evaluation, homework, and test will help determine how much the children have learned. The children will be graded based on the percentage of correct response on their homework and test. Every question on both the homework and the test will be worth the same point value. That the children who do not pass with at least 70% will work with the money lesson and be re-tested until they do.
