🌟 Overview
In this topic, students explore the relationship between dollars and cents and learn to represent money values in different ways. They use Australian coins and notes to build, describe and compare amounts of money.
Students also apply their understanding of money to simple shopping situations. They practise finding the difference between the cost of an item and the amount paid, helping them work out change using coins and efficient addition or subtraction strategies.
📚 Subtopics Included
| Step | 🔗 Lesson | 💡 What You Learn |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 💰 How to Represent Money Amounts in Different Ways | Year 3 Maths Activities and Worksheets | This resource covers multiple ways to show the same amount using coins, notes, written words, and numerals. |
| 2 | 💰 How to Work Out Change | Year 3 Maths Activities and Worksheets | Students learn step-by-step strategies to work out change from $5, $10, and $20 using addition, subtraction, and counting-on methods. |
🏛️ Curriculum Reference (ACARA)
AC9M3M06 — Recognise the relationships between dollars and cents and represent money values in different ways.
This is a Year 3 Mathematics content description in the Measurement strand of the Australian Curriculum Version 9.0. It focuses on recognising the value relationship between dollars and cents and representing a given money amount using different combinations and forms.
Although working out change is not stated in the title of the content description, it is included in the related learning experiences and elaborations for this topic. Students apply the relationship between dollars and cents when finding differences in simple financial transactions.
🔗 Related Learning Areas
Related Learning Areas
AC9M3N06 — Number
Students use mathematical modelling to solve practical problems involving additive and multiplicative situations, including financial contexts. This supports shopping problems where students calculate the total cost, decide how much money is needed and determine the change.
AC9M3N03 — Number
Students add and subtract two- and three-digit numbers by partitioning, rearranging and regrouping numbers. These strategies can support money calculations, particularly when students add prices or subtract the cost of an item from the amount.
AC9M3A01 — Algebra
Students recognise the connection between addition and subtraction as inverse operations. This is useful when working out change because students can either subtract the price from the amount paid or add on from the price to reach the amount paid.
AC9M3M01 — Measurement
Students identify and use familiar metric units to estimate and compare measurements. This supports the broader measurement strand and encourages students to select appropriate units and communicate comparisons accurately.
AC9M3M04 — Time
Students describe relationships between hours and minutes and read time on analogue and digital clocks. This provides an opportunity to use money in everyday contexts, such as planning shopping time, comparing transaction times or creating a classroom shop timetable.
📝 Helpful Tips
- Use familiar prices such as $1.20, $2.50 and $4.75 before introducing more complex amounts.
- Teach students to count on to find change, not only subtract.
- Encourage students to write the dollar sign and decimal point correctly.
- Use a classroom shop to practise buying items, paying for them and checking the change.
- Ask students to explain their strategy rather than only providing an answer.
- Include problems where the change can be made in more than one way.