Exploring coins and bank notesExplore Canadian money with young learners using our printable worksheets.

Overview

Big idea

Canadian money shows us not only the different denominations of coins and bank notes, but also different images of Canadian heritage.

Total time

50 minutes

Grade levels

Kindergarten to Grade 1

Subject areas

Matho Financial literacy: comparing the value of bank notes and coinso Using data: setting up a question of interest, creating bar graphs, drawing conclusionso Arithmetic: natural numbers—representation, comparison, counting, addition

Social Studies

o Cultural references: history, heritage, symbolism and representation of Canada o Social context: trading and money’s uses and role in the economy

Learning objectives

Students will:

recognize the different names and denominations of Canadian coins recognize the different colours and denominations of Canadian bank notes identifythe value of a combination of coins or bank notes

Materials

Classroom supplies and technology

Pencils Colouring supplies, such as crayons, markers or coloured pencils computer with internet access and a screen or projector (optional) printer white board and markers

Worksheet

1. Print one copy of the worksheet Exploring Coins and Bank Notes for each student.

Activity 1: Learn about Canadian moneyBegin the class with a discussion about money and the coins and bank notes we use.

Time

10 minutes

1.1 Opening discussion

Ask your students a few questions before beginning the worksheet:

What is money? What is the largest amount on one bank note (or bill) in Canada? What is the smallest amount

on a coin? How many different coins and bank notes do we have in Canada? How much are each coin and

bank note worth (known as its denomination)? What is the name of each coin? What images have you seen on coins and bank notes? (Write a list of images on the board.)

If you’d like a longer inquiry discussion, check out our Money FAQ for teachers.

Activity 2: Practice activities and colouringExplore each bank note and coin on the worksheet.

Time

35 minutes

2.1 Identifying coins and bank notes

Introduce the worksheet and hand it out to the class. Explore one coin or bank note at a time. Ask your students the following questions:

Can you name the different animals or objects on the bank note or coin? What about the people featured on the bank notes? Can you name [any of] the people on

them? If not, can you guess what types of people they were (for example prime ministers, royalty trailblazers)?

What qualities would make someone a good choice to feature on a bank note? What are some words to describe the theme of each bank note? Have you seen any special coins or bank notes before? What did they have on them?

If you have time, go over each of the questions and explore the students’ answers a bit more. Ask your students to first look at the imagery and then guess a theme from the objects or animals on each coin and bank note.

Ask the students to colour each bank note on the sheet in blue, purple, green, red or brown. You can ask them to take out only these colours to see if they are listening!

Trace the key words that describe the theme of each bank note. If you have time, go over each of the sentences and explore the definitions.

2.2 Review exercises

At the end of the worksheet you will find a series of activities. Work through each activity with your students. This includes surveying classmates on their favourite bank note, counting coins and matching money to an item. You may want students to pair up for some of the activities.

ConclusionCheck for understanding and close the lesson.

Time

5 minutes

Discussion

Review with your students what they learned today. Can they name each of the coins? Do they remember the colour of each denomination of bank note without looking?

Key takeaways

Different denominations of coins and bank notes represent different amounts of money. Recognizing the different sizes, textures and colours of money helps you make better

choices about buying and saving your money. Our money displays symbols and people that are important to Canadian history.

Extensions Print out a class set of our play money to use in role play and addition and subtraction activities. Ask your students to bring in a special coin from home. Share Michael Mitchell’s “Canada In My Pocket” song and learn the lyrics together. Share our FAQ to help your class discussion or for background information. Designing and making the money you hold in your hand today takes a lot of work. Watch a video

to explore the life cycle of a banknote or coin production. Explore more of the designs and symbols on each bank note on the websites of the first polymer

series and the new vertical $10 bill featuring Viola Desmond.