Shopping and Change

Overview

In this final lesson of the three-lesson unit NZ Money Matters, students apply their knowledge of New Zealand coins and notes in a classroom shop. They choose items, add the cost of two items, select suitable payment, and find simple change by counting on.

Learning intentions

• WALT use New Zealand money to pay for items.
• WALT calculate the total cost of two items.
• WALT work out and check simple change by counting on.
• WALT explain the strategy used to solve a money problem.

Success criteria

• I can choose coins and/or notes to pay for an item.
• I can calculate the total for two items.
• I can work out and check simple change.
• I can explain how I worked it out.

Curriculum links

• Mathematics and Statistics — Number: use additive thinking in everyday contexts.
• Mathematics and Statistics — represent and solve simple money problems using coins, notes, drawings and equations.
• Mathematics and Statistics — communicate mathematical thinking using language, symbols and representations.
• Key Competencies: thinking; using language, symbols and texts; managing self; and relating to others.

Lesson structure (60 minutes)

1. 0–7 min · Hook and recall. Display a picture of a small shop with familiar prices, such as $1, $2, $3 and $4, using the shop hook and money recap slides. Ask: “If I have $5 and buy something for $3, how could I find my change?” Students turn and talk, then share strategies; revisit the names and values of the coins and notes used in the lesson.

2. 7–17 min · Model paying and checking change. Use enlarged or real money to model buying an item for $2.50 with exact payment, then buying an item for $3.00 with $5. Demonstrate counting on: “Start at $3, count on to $5: $4, $5, so the change is $2.” Record the matching equation, $3 + $2 = $5, on the board and show that the answer can be checked by adding the price and change. Students practise one example with a partner and explain what the numbers mean.

3. 17–23 min · Model a two-item purchase. Model choosing two items, for example $2 and $1.50. Think aloud while combining the amounts to find $3.50, then select coins or a note and coins to pay exactly. Show how a counting-on number line supports change when paying with $5. Refer to the worked examples and counting-on slides. Students solve one teacher-led example using drawings, coins or an equation.

4. 23–43 min · Classroom shop role-play. Arrange five shop stations, each with four or five familiar items and prices mainly under $5. Place students in pairs, with one shopper and one shopkeeper, then swap roles halfway through. Shoppers choose one or two items, record the items and prices on the shopping transaction recording sheet, choose suitable money, and pay the shopkeeper. The shopkeeper checks the payment, counts on to calculate change when needed, and records or checks the transaction. Students may use real or classroom coins and notes, a coin chart and a counting-on number line. Encourage partners to ask, “How do you know?”

5. 43–52 min · Check and explain. Pause the shop and display two transaction examples on the discussion and error-checking slides. One example should show an incorrect total or change. In pairs, students use coins, drawings or an equation to decide whether each transaction is correct and explain the error. Invite several students to share different methods, such as combining like amounts, counting on, or using a known fact.

6. 52–60 min · Plenary and exit check. Ask students to complete the final section of the shopping transaction recording sheet: “An item costs $4. I pay with $5. My change is ___ because ___.” Students may draw jumps on a number line or use coins. Collect the sheets and finish with a brief reflection: “One strategy I used today was…”

Resources

• the shop hook and money recap slides
• the worked examples and counting-on slides
• the discussion and error-checking slides
• the shopping transaction recording sheet
• Classroom shop signs and familiar price tags
• Real or classroom New Zealand coins and notes
• Five baskets or trays of shop items
• Counting-on number lines
• Coin-value charts
• Pencils and mini-whiteboards

Assessment

• Listen during modelling and partner talk for accurate use of money vocabulary, totals and counting-on strategies.
• During role-play, check whether students select suitable payment, record transactions and verify change rather than accepting an answer without checking.
• Use the worksheet exit problem to identify who can independently calculate simple change and explain their method.

Differentiation

• Begin with exact payment and prices under $5. Use one-item purchases before introducing two items or change.
• Provide counting-on number lines, coin-value charts, enlarged coins and notes, and sentence frames such as “The total is ___ because ___” and “I counted on from ___ to ___.”
• Pair students thoughtfully and provide adult-supported role-play for learners who need help handling money, recording amounts, speaking or maintaining attention. Accept drawings, physical coins or oral explanations instead of requiring written equations immediately.
• For EAL learners, rehearse key words with visuals: price, total, pay, change, cost and count on. Give clear one-step instructions and model each role before the shop begins.

Extension

• Students who are secure plan a purchase within a $20 budget, choosing two or more items and recording the total and change.
• Ask them to compare two payment options, such as paying with a $10 note or using exact coins, and explain which is more useful or efficient.
• Challenge students to calculate change from $10 or $20 and identify the best-value choice when two similar items have different prices.