Math lesson plan · 4th grade (Year 5 in England) · 45 minutes
Money as decimals: pounds and pence, dollars and cents
Decimals and percentages
CCSS 4.MD.A.2England: Y4 MeasurementEngland: Y5 Measurement
Objective and success criteria
Students will: Money as decimals: pounds and pence, dollars and cents.
- I can answer questions on today's skill on my own, without help.
- I can explain each step and say why it works.
- I can check my answer and spot a mistake.
Before and after
Needs first: Money: count and solve problems; Tenths and hundredths as decimals
Leads to: Money problems with several steps
Materials: Place value chart with tenths and hundredths, Hundred squares, Number lines, Mini whiteboards and pens, Printed student sheet (below).
Warm-up · 5 min
- Quick retrieval from earlier learning (Money: count and solve problems; Tenths and hundredths as decimals). Students answer on mini whiteboards.
- Show answers together and note who needs support in the main task.
- Zara buys a sticker book for 45¢ and pays with 50¢. How much change does Zara get, in cents? (Type the number only.) → 5Prompt: Change is what you paid minus the price.
- Jamal buys a comic for 78¢ and pays with $1. How much change does Jamal get, in cents? (Type the number only.) → 22Prompt: Change is what you paid minus the price.
- Aisha buys a sticker book for 17¢ and pays with 50¢. How much change does Aisha get, in cents? (Type the number only.) → 33Prompt: Change is what you paid minus the price.
Hook · 5 min
- Show two prices or race times with decimals and ask which is bigger, then why.
- Share the objective: Money as decimals: pounds and pence, dollars and cents. Read the success criteria together.
I do: model it · 10 min
- Work through the example out loud, saying why you do each step, not just what you do.
- Example: Write 2674¢ using a decimal point, in dollars.
- Step 1: $26.74
- Answer: 26.74
- Pause after each step and ask a student to say what comes next.
We do: guided practice · 10 min
- Do these together. Students try each step on whiteboards before you reveal it.
- Use the hints as prompts rather than giving the answer.
- Write 127¢ using a decimal point, in dollars. → 1.27Prompt: 100 pence (or cents) make 1 whole unit.
- Zara buys a book for $1.17 and a pen for $2.58. How much is that in total? → 3.75Prompt: Line up the decimal points.
You do: independent practice · 10 min
- Students work on the student sheet. Circulate and check the first two answers of every student early.
- Students who finish: write a question of their own for a partner, with the answer.
The 8 questions are on the student sheet below, with answers in the key.
Exit ticket · 5 min
- Two questions on their own. Sort answers into got it / nearly / not yet to plan the next lesson.
- Write 1309¢ using a decimal point, in dollars. → 13.09Prompt: 100 pence (or cents) make 1 whole unit.
- Ethan buys a book for $3.50 and a pen for $6.65. How much is that in total? → 10.15Prompt: Line up the decimal points.
Watch out for
- Thinking 0.45 is bigger than 0.5 because 45 is bigger than 5.
- Moving the digits the wrong way when multiplying or dividing by 10.
Support and stretch
Support
- Review first: Money: count and solve problems.
- Use concrete materials: place value chart with tenths and hundredths.
- Give the first step of each question, or a partly worked example to finish.
- Pair with a confident partner for the guided practice.
Stretch
- Move on to: Money problems with several steps.
- Explain a common mistake in writing and how to fix it.
- Write a word problem that uses today's skill, then solve a partner's.
Homework and more practice
Free online practice with hints and printable worksheets for this skill: eurekami.com/math/grade-4.
Free lesson plan from eurekami.com/lesson-plan-builder