Money - Pounds and Pence - Planning

In the Year 4 curriculum focusing on Money, during the first week of the Summer term, students engage with pounds and pence to develop their understanding of currency and its calculations. The National Curriculum objectives set the stage for estimating, comparing, and calculating monetary values, including solving problems that involve fractions and decimals up to two decimal places. The key vocabulary for the unit includes terms such as 'money', 'currency', 'pence', 'pounds', and 'decimal point', which are essential for grasping the concepts of partitioning, converting, and ordering values. The lesson plan is structured to include starter activities, class teaching input, independent learning, and a plenary session to consolidate learning. Resources like plastic money, counters, worksheets, and presentations are used to facilitate the learning process.

The lesson begins with a review of previous knowledge, asking children to recognize coins and notes and understand their values, especially the equivalence of pennies to a pound. Students explore different combinations of coins that make up 100 pence using bar models and partner work. Activities are designed to help students separate coins into pounds and pence, match plastic coins to images, and complete part-whole models to represent money using decimal points. For example, £5 and 20 pence would be written as £5.20. The lesson encourages the use of addition to calculate totals and provides differentiated worksheets for independent practice. Key questions prompt students to consider the relationship between pence and pounds, the purpose of the decimal point, and how to convert pence into pounds. Misconceptions around place value, the use of currency symbols, and decimal points are addressed. The lesson concludes with a reflective 'Give me five' activity where students assess their learning, the skills they've used, and what they will remember. Sheets for working towards, at expected, and at greater depth offer tailored challenges to help each student progress in their understanding of money.