Minds On

Question

What coin has the value of 200 cents or 2 dollars?

Canadian coins: a toonie, a loonie, and a quarter.

Press ‘Answer’ to reveal the answer.

A two-coloured Canadian coin with a polar bear, also known as a toonie or 2 dollars.

Action

Exploring coins

Every coin has a different appearance and amount.

Explore the following table to learn about:

  • the name of each Canadian coin
  • how we express it in words
  • how we represent it in symbols
Coin How we express it How we represent it in symbols
A five-cent coin also known as a nickel.

Nickel

 5 cents 5 ȼ
A ten-cent coin also known as a dime.

Dime

 10 cents 10 ȼ
A twenty-five-cent coin also known as a quarter.

Quarter

 25 cents 25 ȼ
A one-dollar coin also known as a loonie.

Dollar

100 cents

or

1 dollar

 $1
A two-dollar coin also known as a toonie.

Toonie

200 cents

or

2 dollars

 $2

Did You Know?

Did You Know?

The Canadian Penny

A penny: a round copper coin with two maple leaves on it and the text 1 cent.

Canadian Penny

What is a penny? In Canada, we used to have a coin called a penny. The penny is a one cent coin. It is small and copper and carved with two maple leaves.

In the year 2013, Canada stopped making the penny and it is no longer used in banks or stores.

In this learning activity, we will explore other Canadian coins that are used everyday. However, we wanted to give the penny a special mention!

Coin combinations

We can combine coins to create different amounts of money.

Let’s think about how we could make 50 cents using different coins.

  • How many nickels would we need to make 50 cents?
  • How many dimes would we need to make 50 cents?
  • How many quarters would we need to make 50 cents?

Once you have completed the questions, reflect on the following:

Which value of coin (5ȼ, 10ȼ, or 25ȼ) would we need the most of to make a total of 50 cents?

Which would we need the least of?

Press ‘Sample Answer’ to access the total amounts we would need to make 50 cents.

Representing 50 cents

10 nickels make 50 cents Ten 5-cent coins or nickels.
5 dimes make 50 cents Five 10-cent coins or dimes.
2 quarters make 50 cents Two twenty-five cent coins or quarters.

The greatest number of coins we would need to make 50 cents is 10 nickels.

The least number of coins we would need to make 50 cents is 2 quarters.

How might we make 50 cents using different combinations of coins?

You can use the following interactive to explore and count coins. You may also use another method of your choice.

Press ‘Sample Answer’ to access some examples of different coin combinations that add up to 50 cents.

Representing 50 cents

1 quarter

2 dimes

1 nickel

 One 25-cent coin or quarter added to two 10-cent coins or dimes and one 5-cent coin or nickel make the total of 50 cents.

1 quarter

5 nickels

 One 25-cent coin or quarter added to five 5-cent coins or nickels make the total of 50 cents.

2 dimes

6 nickels

 Two 10-cent coins or dimes added to six 5-cent coins or nickels make the total of 50 cents.

Making “cents” of it all

In the following tasks, what combination of coins will you use to make sure you have the correct amount of money?

Task 1

Represent 100 cents using any coins of your choice. When you are finished, count the coins by 1s, 2s, 5s or 10s to make sure you have the correct amount of money.

You can record your answers using pictures, words and numbers or use real coins as representations.

A Canadian coin with a beaver, also known as a nickel or 5 cents.
A Canadian coin with a sailboat, also known as a dime, or 10 cents.
A Canadian coin with a caribou, also known as a quarter or 25 cents.
A 100 cents or 1 dollar coin

Questions

  • How did your sort your coins?
  • What combination of coins has the least number of coins? Why?
  • What combination of coins has the greatest number of coins? Why?

Task 2

Represent 200 cents using nickels, dimes, quarters, loonies and/or toonies.

You can record your answers using pictures, words and numbers or use real coins as representations.

A Canadian coin with a beaver, also known as a nickel or 5 cents.
A Canadian coin with a sailboat, also known as a dime, or 10 cents.
A Canadian coin with a caribou, also known as a quarter or 25 cents.
A 100 cents or 1 dollar coin
A 200 cents or 2 dollars coin

Questions

  • How did your sort your coins?
  • What combination of coins has the least number of coins? Why?
  • What combination of coins has the greatest number of coins? Why?

Reflection

What coin was introduced in Task 2?

Why was this coin only in Task 2?

Consolidation

Task

A store owner has five quarters, two dimes and ten nickels in their cash register. A customer comes into the store and buys an apple for 50 cents but gives the store owner a loonie. How much change would the customer get back? What coins from the cash register would the store owner use to make change?

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.

Press ‘Discover More’ to extend your skills.

How can you represent 300 cents ($3) using only quarters and dimes?

You can use the following interactive to explore and count currency. Your teacher will show you how to use it and then you can try using it yourself.