The Play Money Lesson Plan is an activity designed to teach students about different denominations of currency and how to create and interpret bar graphs. They are given printed play money, construction paper, glue, and a pencil; they sort their bills according to denomination, line them up vertically on the page, then glue them down for creating a bar graph. They then title their graph and label its sides while answering questions about its contents such as which bill type has the most money on it and how much total there is on their graph. This activity can be tailored for different grade levels.
Teaching Objectives:
- Students will be able to identify and sort different denominations of currency, including $1, $5, $10, and $20 bills.
- Students will learn how to create a bar graph by lining up and gluing down the sorted bills on a piece of construction paper.
- Students will be able to interpret data from the bar graph, answering questions about which types of bills they have the most and least of, how many bills they have of a specific denomination, and how much money is on their graph.
- Students will practice adding currency and using math skills to analyze and interpret data from the graph.
- Students will engage in a hands-on, creative activity that helps them develop important critical thinking and problem-solving skills.
Suggested Grade Level
This lesson plan is suitable for elementary school students in grades 3-5.
Lesson Excerpt:
Students use printed play money to learn about different denominations of currency and create a bar graph. After sorting the bills, they glue them down for their graph and label its sides and title. Students will answer questions about their graph which helps them practice adding currency and using math skills to interpret data. This hands-on activity encourages critical thinking and problem-solving skills while encouraging creativity.
