Dollar Coins

There are so many fun ways to introduce your students to American coins!  Below you will find a collection of educational resources to help get your students started.  To add additional lesson ideas to this site, please sign up to participate in the Teachers' Network.  And don't forget to visit the Circulating Coins section to find out more about all of the current circulating coins from the United States Mint!

Download, print, and color Presidential $1 coins!

Full-page outlines of these coins are available as PDF files or as Web graphics in the
Presidential $1 Coin Lesson Plan Resource Center.

Download, print, and color the Golden Dollar!

Click on a coin image to download an Acrobat^® file
containing outlines of both sides of this coin to color.

Obverse © 1999 United States Mint.
All Rights Reserved.

Coin Information

Want to learn more?  Here's how!

Just For Fun!

Kids love coins!  Watch your students explore some of the fun activities below and watch them gain an appreciation for coins and coin collecting!

	Presidential Portraits	Become a contestant on this virtual quiz show and see how much you know about the Presidents on coins.
	Branches of Power	Take a look at the three branches of the federal government while you restore the Tree of Democracy.
	Create-a-Card	Create a greeting card by using your virtual allowance to "buy" designs.
	Coin Memory	Can you find the matching coins?  Test your memory!
	Making Change	Learn how the Lincoln cent and other coins are designed—and create your own!
	Mark My Words	Learn more about circulating coins in this crossword puzzle game.
	Golden Dollar Puzzle	Help unscramble Sacagawea's image!
	Birth of a Coin	Follow a coin's creation from its initial design to its place in your pocket.  You've never see coins come to life like this!
	Time Machine	1778:  George Washington
		1805:  Sacagawea and Thomas Jefferson
		1814:  James Madison
	The Minting Process Revealed	Check out how pennies and other coins are minted!
	Presidential $1 Coin Program	Learn all about the coins that honor past Presidents of the United States.
	Golden Dollar Story	Learn all about the coin that honors Sacagawea.
	Fun With Coins!	There are lots of fun things to do with coins...for example, "Cat and Mouse," a game that uses kinetic force.

Teachers' Corner

This section is just for you!  Click on each of the sections below to find an inventory of educational resources from the United States Mint H.I.P. Pocket Change^™ Web site related to the quarter.  These lesson plans activities will be a hit with your students and are ready to be used in your classroom today!

  Teacher Features

  Breaking Even

Description:  Is a coin's value based on its weight? Try this science experiment with your class to find the answer to this hefty question.
Subject Areas:  Science

  Changes in Change

Description:  The interesting thing about coins is that there have been many changes in design over the years. Have your students work in pairs to trace the design history of a currently circulating coin and display their findings on a timeline.
Subject Areas:  Social Studies

  It's Not JUST A Man's World

Description:  Sure there are many famous men who grace our country's coins, but there are also a few coins that feature some of America's most historically important women. Students will conduct a jigsaw reading activity about some of our country's influential women, and will decide which of these women deserves to have a coin of her own.
Subject Areas:  Language Arts, Social Studies

  Name That Coin

Description:  Here's a fun computer center activity for your classroom! Prepare clues about a particular coin. Then invite your students to visit the United States Mint H.I.P. Pocket Change™ Web site to research the answers to the quirky hints they are given!
Subject Areas:  Technology

  Parts of a Whole

Description:  As an introduction to the decimal system, invite your students to play this game where they examine the relation of different coins to a dollar.
Subject Areas:  Mathematics

  What's a Per"cent"?

Description:  Teach your students to create percents from fractions by sorting coins of different denominations.
Subject Areas:  Mathematics

  Lesson Plans

  Grades K–1

  Presidential $1 Coin Lesson Plans

Educators, you can bring the excitement of this historic program to your classroom!  Download our free lesson plans based on the new Presidential $1 coin designs.

  Money Match [rtf]

Description:  Students review coin identification and learn the value of each coin.

  Grades 2–3

  Presidential $1 Coin Lesson Plans

Educators, you can bring the excitement of this historic program to your classroom!  Download our free lesson plans based on the new Presidential $1 coin designs.

  A Fraction of the Cost

Description:  Students will use various coin denominations to explore the concept of fractions.

  Trading Faces [rtf]

Description:  Students will use addition to determine values of coin combinations.

  Grades 3–5

  Presidential $1 Coin Lesson Plans

Educators, you can bring the excitement of this historic program to your classroom!  Download our free lesson plans based on the new Presidential $1 coin designs.

  The Many Faces of Coins

Description:  Students will examine and discuss the designs on the circulating coins produced by the United States Mint. They will read to learn about the woman and child featured on the Golden Dollar. They will then compare and contrast this coin to the other circulating U.S. coins.

  Who IS That Woman?

Description:  Students will participate in a jigsaw reading activity about the contributions of Sacagawea to the Corps of Discovery. They will also write a poem to reflect upon what they learned.

  The Journey of Sacagawea

Description:  Students will examine the life of Sacagawea, the exceptional woman chosen to appear on the Golden Dollar, and will write journal entries based on their research.

  Grades 6–8

  Presidential $1 Coin Lesson Plans

Educators, you can bring the excitement of this historic program to your classroom!  Download our free lesson plans based on the new Presidential $1 coin designs.

  Why Is Sacagawea on the Golden Dollar?

Description:  After researching the decision to place the image of Sacagawea on the Golden Dollar, students will write persuasive essays either defending or opposing this decision.

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