Teach Primary Issue 18.6

40 | www.teachwire.net Try the following activities, with the accompanying workmats ( tinyurl.com/ tp-CountingMoney ), to get children using money as a representation of counting in twos, fives and tens. Using arrays Model the following processes to pupils, and then guide them to complete the tasks themselves: • Line up ten coins in an array of two by five (there’s another link to the national curriculum). Using the index and middle finger, push two coins at a time to create a new array of two by five, counting in twos as it is done. You could ask additional questions such as “How many coins altogether?” once pupils have finished counting. • Start with a pile of coins. Using the index and middle finger, push two coins at a time onto a pre-printed array, counting aloud in twos as it is done. You could use a two-by-five array to begin with, then two by ten to count in twos up to twenty (see tinyurl. com/tp-CountingMoney ). • Repeat the previous activity, but as the coins W ith the rise of contactless payments, either by card or phone, children today are less exposed to a physical representation of money than they ever have been. You don’t have to think that ‘cash is king’ to believe that young people need to develop a good understanding of the value of money. Whether the future includes coins or not, we know that using concrete representations helps children to learn about abstract concepts. The benefits of using money as a manipulative to teach other areas of the maths curriculum are mutual. Teach pupils to count in ones using one pence pieces or one pound coins, and not only do they learn to count in ones, they also develop a familiarity with what those coins look like. Real-world maths So what other objectives could we teach using money as a manipulative? Let’s continue on the theme of counting. In Year 1, children aren’t only taught to count in ones, they’re asked to ‘count in multiples of twos, fives and tens’. Look at those numbers – remind you of anything? Two, five and ten pence pieces, two pound coins, five and ten pound notes! Remember that at this stage, although children may be able to chant “Two, four six, eight...” parrot-fashion, it’s still an abstract concept to them. So, providing them with a real-life, hands-on concrete object can begin to turn the abstract into something relatable and understandable. are moved onto the array and the twos are counted aloud, write the corresponding number next to the coin. In a similar way, these activities can then be repeated later on when you move on to counting in fives and tens. Counting in twos The focus of these activities is slightly different. Once children have counted single items in twos, you can move them onto counting items that represent the value of two, whilst counting in twos. Model the following processes to the children, and then help them complete the tasks: • Using either two pence or two pound coins, give children one coin at a time. As you hand the coins over, count aloud in twos together. • Take a pile of coins. Using the index and middle finger push one coin at a time on to the multiples of two on a pre-printed grid (see tinyurl.com/ tp-CountingMoney ), counting aloud in twos as it is done. Money, money , MONEY Add value to your next maths lesson by using coins to teach abstract concepts, says Aidan Severs F EATURE S MA THS Aidan Severs is an education consultant with over 15 years of teaching experience. aidansevers.com @AidanSevers • Repeat the previous exercise, but start with an empty grid. As the coins are moved onto the grid, and the twos are counted aloud, write the corresponding number next to each coin. These activities can then be repeated with five pence pieces or five pound notes for counting in fives, and ten pence pieces or ten pound notes for counting in tens (see tinyurl.com/ tp-CountingMoney ). Challenge! This final activity might work towards the end of the year, once children are confident with their counting and recognition of coins and notes. It would also be a great extension for Year 2 pupils in a mixed KS1 class. Start with a pile of mixed coins – either one and two pence pieces, or one and two pound coins. Count aloud in multiples of two. Each time a multiple of two is counted, select either a two pence piece or two one pence pieces and move them onto the same pre-printed grids as in the previous tasks. As before, model each process before asking the children to complete the task. TP