Virginia SOL 3.NS.4.a
The Standard
Determine the value of a collection of bills and coins whose total is $5.00 or less.
Virginia Standards of Learning for Mathematics · The student will solve problems, including those in context, that involve counting, comparing, representing, and making change for money amounts up to $5.00.
Teacher's field guide
What This Standard Means
What Students Need to Do
- Students identify the value of each bill and coin in a mixed collection. They count and combine those values, then write the total using dollar and cent notation.
What Mastery Looks Like
- Students correctly total mixed bills and coins up to $5.00. They organize the money, count from the greatest value to the least, and record the total correctly.
Common Misconceptions
- Students may assume a larger coin has a greater value, so they value a nickel above a dime. They may mix dollars and cents, skip coins, or count the same coin twice.
How to Assess It
- Exit ticket: Find the total of two $1 bills, three quarters, two dimes, and four pennies. Show your counting steps.
Lesson moves
Ways to Teach It
Sort play money by denomination, count each group, then combine the subtotals to label the collection with its total.
Students write which denomination they would count first and explain how that choice helps prevent counting errors.
Play Money Scoop: students draw five money pieces, find the total, and earn a point for an accurate amount.
Set up a classroom snack counter where students total the bills and coins in a wallet before choosing an affordable item.
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Printable 3.NS.4.a Worksheet
A ready-to-print activity worksheet aligned to 3.NS.4.a, with an answer key for the teacher on its own page. No account needed.
PDF, US Letter, prints cleanly in black and white.
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Related Standards
- 1.NS.1.g
Count by ones, fives, or tens to determine the value of a collection of like coins (pennies, nickels, or dimes), whose total value is 100 cents or less.
- 2.NS.4.c
Construct a set of coins and/or bills to total a given amount of money whose value is $2.00 or less.
- 3.NS.4.b
Construct a set of bills and coins to total a given amount of money whose value is $5.00 or less.
- 2.NS.4.b
Count by ones, fives, tens, and twenty-fives to determine the value of a collection of mixed coins and one-dollar bills whose total value is $2.00 or less.
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