Minds On

Exploring change

Student Success

Think-Pair-Share

Think about how we use math in everyday life.

Record your ideas in the following table, or another method of your choice.

Complete Math In Everyday Life in your notebook or using the following fillable and printable document.

Press the ‘Activity’ button to access the Math In Everyday Life.

Activity (Open PDF in a new window)

Note to teachers: See your teacher guide for collaboration tools, ideas and suggestions.

Action

Applying skills

Practice

To build on our understanding of making change and using math in our everyday lives, we are going to work on a making change problem together.

A student would like to buy a pack of hockey cards that costs $4.00. They have a $5.00 dollar bill.

  1. Can the student buy the pack of cards?

    How will you figure it out?

    Press the ‘Answer’ button to know more.

    The student can buy the pack of cards because 5 − 4 = 1.

    They will get $1.00 as their change.

  2. Can the student buy two packs of hockey cards?

    How do you know?

    Press the ‘Answer’ button to know more.

    The student can't buy two packs of cards because 4 + 4 = 8 and they only have $5.00.

    They can only buy one pack of cards.

Applying your understanding

To build on our understanding of making change and math in our everyday lives, you are going to practice solving two questions about making change.

A skier has $10.00 and wants to buy a hot chocolate that costs $4.00.

  1. How much change will the skier get? How will you figure it out?
  2. Can the skier buy two hot chocolates? How do you know?

Record your work in an audio recording, on paper, on a computer, or use your notebook.

Consolidation

Deepening your understanding

Student Success

Think-Pair-Share

Review

Now that you have had some practice with questions on making change you are going to deepen your understanding by learning how to tell the difference between questions that require you to do subtraction and ones that require you to do addition. Before starting, think about the following questions:

  • What is an example of making change?
  • What is an example of adding up?

Note to teachers: See your teacher guide for collaboration tools, ideas and suggestions.

Brainstorm

Your turn!

It is now time to show your understanding. You are going to make the addition parts of your work stand out in one way and the subtraction parts stand out in a different way. Some ideas are: colour, underlining, the way each part is spoken, etc.

Record your work in an audio recording, on paper, or on a computer.

Don’t forget to highlight the addition aspects in one way and the subtraction in another.

  • Student 1 has $16.00 and spends $3.00. How much do they have now?
  • Student 2 has $11.00 and Student 3 has $18.00. Who has more money? How much do they have altogether?

Reflection

How do you feel about what you have learned in this activity?  Which of the next four sentences best matches how you are feeling about your learning? Press the button that is beside this sentence.

I feel...

Now, record your ideas about your feelings using a voice recorder, speech-to-text, or writing tool.