Penny Power: Counting Canadian Pennies!

Math Grades 1st Grade 5:19 Video
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Lesson Description

Learn to identify and count Canadian pennies. Discover their value and how they help us understand money. Even though Canada doesn't use pennies anymore, they are great for learning to count!

Video Resource

Grade 1:Math Lesson #16 Counting Canadian Pennies (First Grade Math)

The Eagle's Nest - Our Online Classroom

Duration: 5:19
Watch on YouTube

Key Concepts

  • Identifying Canadian pennies
  • Counting by ones
  • Understanding the value of a penny (1 cent)

Learning Objectives

  • Students will be able to identify a Canadian penny.
  • Students will be able to count a group of pennies accurately.
  • Students will be able to state that a penny is worth one cent.

Educator Instructions

  • Introduction (5 mins)
    Begin by showing students a Canadian penny. Ask if they recognize it. Explain that even though they might not see them often, they are important for learning about money. Show the front (Queen Elizabeth II) and back (maple leaves) of the penny.
  • Counting Practice (10 mins)
    Watch the YouTube video "Grade 1:Math Lesson #16 Counting Canadian Pennies (First Grade Math)". Pause the video at each counting example. Have students count along with the video, pointing to the screen. Emphasize moving or touching each penny as it's counted.
  • Hundreds Chart Activity (5 mins)
    If you have a hundreds chart and pennies, recreate the activity from the video. Have students place a penny on each number as they count to reinforce number recognition and counting skills. If not, draw a hundreds chart on the board and have kids come up and place a tally mark to represent each penny being counted.
  • Penny Value Discussion (5 mins)
    Reinforce that each penny is worth 1 cent. Ask: "If you have 3 pennies, how many cents do you have?" Repeat with different numbers of pennies (up to 20).
  • Wrap Up (5 mins)
    Review the key facts: Pennies have maple leaves on them, a penny is one cent, and we count pennies by ones. Reiterate that 100 pennies make one dollar.

Interactive Exercises

  • Penny Grab
    Place a pile of pennies in a container. Have each student grab a handful. They count their pennies and tell you how many they have and how many cents that equals. Repeat.
  • Penny Line Up
    Give each student a number of pennies (e.g., 10-20). Have them line up the pennies and count them. Then have them rearrange the pennies and count again to show the quantity remains the same.

Discussion Questions

  • What is on the front of a Canadian penny?
  • What is on the back of a Canadian penny?
  • How much is one penny worth?
  • If you have 5 pennies, how many cents do you have?
  • Why do we count pennies, even though they aren't used in Canada anymore?

Skills Developed

  • Counting
  • Number recognition
  • One-to-one correspondence
  • Understanding monetary value

Multiple Choice Questions

Question 1:

What picture is on one side of a Canadian penny?

Correct Answer: Maple Leaves

Question 2:

How much is one penny worth?

Correct Answer: 1 cent

Question 3:

If you have 2 pennies, how many cents do you have?

Correct Answer: 2 cents

Question 4:

What is on the other side of the Canadian penny?

Correct Answer: Queen Elizabeth II

Question 5:

How many pennies make one dollar?

Correct Answer: 100

Question 6:

We count pennies by...

Correct Answer: Ones

Question 7:

What country are we counting pennies from?

Correct Answer: Canada

Question 8:

If you have 7 pennies, how many cents do you have?

Correct Answer: 7

Question 9:

Which of these has a picture of maple leaves?

Correct Answer: Penny

Question 10:

Counting pennies helps us learn about...

Correct Answer: Money

Fill in the Blank Questions

Question 1:

A penny is worth ________ cent.

Correct Answer: one

Question 2:

We count pennies by ________.

Correct Answer: ones

Question 3:

A Canadian penny has ________ leaves on it.

Correct Answer: maple

Question 4:

100 pennies make one ________.

Correct Answer: dollar

Question 5:

We can ________ pennies to find out how many we have.

Correct Answer: count

Question 6:

Queen Elizabeth II is on the ________ of the penny.

Correct Answer: front

Question 7:

If you have 4 pennies, you have ________ cents.

Correct Answer: four

Question 8:

The pennies in the video are from ________.

Correct Answer: Canada

Question 9:

A penny is a type of ________.

Correct Answer: money

Question 10:

We can use a hundreds ________ to help us count.

Correct Answer: chart

Educational Standards

CCSS.Math.Content.1.NBT.A.1:Count to 120, starting at any number less than 120. In this range, read and write numerals and represent a number of objects with a written numeral. CCSS.Math.Content.1.OA.C.5:Relate counting to addition and subtraction (e.g., by counting on 2 to add 2).

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