What Money Is and What Coins Are Worth
Aligned to JS:SS-K — Jump$tart National Standards in K-12 Personal Finance Education & Advance CTE Career Clusters.
What this lesson teaches
Money is what people trade for the things they need. Coins and bills have different values, and knowing which is worth more helps you tell if you have enough. A penny is 1 cent, a nickel 5, a dime 10, and a quarter 25 — and the biggest coin is not always worth the most.
Worked examples
Example 1
Line up a penny, a nickel, a dime and a quarter. The dime is the smallest coin but it is worth more than the nickel, which is bigger. Size does not tell you value.
Example 2
A candy costs 25 cents. You could pay with one quarter, or with two dimes and a nickel, or with 25 pennies. Different coins, same amount.
Example 3
Four quarters make one dollar. A dollar bill and four quarters buy exactly the same thing, even though one is paper and the other is metal.
Practice questions
- Name each coin and say how many cents it is worth.
- Show two different ways to make 10 cents.
- Which is worth more: a dime or a nickel? How do you know?
Watch the lesson
Every lesson comes with a video taught in English and Spanish — the same video the QR code in the printed workbook opens.
▶ Watch this lessonEn español
Qué es el dinero y cuánto valen las monedas
El dinero es lo que la gente intercambia por las cosas que necesita. Las monedas y los billetes tienen distintos valores, y saber cuál vale más te ayuda a saber si te alcanza. Un penny vale 1 centavo, un nickel 5, un dime 10 y un quarter 25 — y la moneda más grande no siempre vale más.
Ejemplo 1: Pon en fila un penny, un nickel, un dime y un quarter. El dime es la moneda más pequeña pero vale más que el nickel, que es más grande. El tamaño no te dice el valor.
Ejemplo 2: Un dulce cuesta 25 centavos. Puedes pagar con un quarter, o con dos dimes y un nickel, o con 25 pennies. Monedas distintas, la misma cantidad.
Ejemplo 3: Cuatro quarters hacen un dólar. Un billete de un dólar y cuatro quarters compran exactamente lo mismo, aunque uno sea papel y el otro metal.
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