Lesson Plan

Going to the Grocery Store

Main Subject Area: Mathematics

Additional Subjects: Science

Duration of Lesson:  30 minutes

Keywords:

• Cent
• Coin Combinations
• Cost
• Counting
• Dime
• Food Groups
• Money
• Nickel
• Penny
• Price
• Quarter
• Value

Brief Description:

Students will select low-cost food items from a grocery store circular that reflect each of the six food groups. They will then create coin combinations to show the costs of each of their selected items.

National Standard(s):

• Number and Operations
• Problem Solving
• Communication

Additional Subject Area Standard(s):

• Life science

Objectives:

Students will identify foods in the 6 food groups.

Students will recognize and express the value using cent notation of a cent (penny), nickel, dime, and quarter.

Students will determine equivalent coin combinations for representing specific amounts of money.

Students will add coin amounts together.

Materials (online):

Materials (offline):

Grocery store circulars from the newspaper

1 large piece of construction paper folded into five columns (per student pair)

Play coins, coin stamps or stickers

Food guide pyramid

Coins Used in Lesson:

Currently circulating U.S. cents (pennies), nickels, dimes and quarters

Grade Level(s):   K-2  

Procedures (online):

Procedures (offline):

1. Begin this activity by introducing or reviewing the six food groups to your students.

2. Divide your class into pairs and have each pair examine grocery store circulars from the newspaper.

3. Have each pair choose one item that fits in each of the food groups. The pairs should cut out the items they select, along with their price tags.

4. Distribute a piece of construction paper to each pair of students.

5. Have each pair label the columns of their construction paper with the names of the different food groups.

6. The students should then glue their pictures with the prices into the appropriate columns.

7. Give each pair a set of play coins, coin stamps, or coin stickers. Have each pair display the coin combination that is equal to the cost of each item (If the students are using coin stamps or stickers, they should place them under the picture of the food item. If the students are using play coins, they should lay the coins out below the picture, and then trace the coins, labeling the traced circle with the coin’s value.)

Assessment / Evaluation:

Students can be evaluated on their posters. They can be evaluated on correct placement of their pictures in the five columns and the coin values they stamped.

Differentiated Learning Options:

Students could create an additional set of coins equal to the value of the amount listed in each column (showing a different way to make that amount).

Students can add the cost of the items in each column to find a total cost for the foods that they selected.

Students could select other pictures from the circular, place them in the correct columns and follow the procedures from above. Total the cost of each column and create that amount using the smallest coin combination possible.