Indicators:

6.1.5.6 solve addition and subtraction
problems involving money through
one dollar.

6.2.1.6 determine the value of
currency through ten dollars.

Students in Ms. Vige's class made designs worth one dollar based on the value assigned to the pattern blocks:

yellow hexagon = 30 cents
blue rhombus = 10 cents
triangle = 5 cents

Each student made a different design that totalled a dollar, illustrating that there are numerous ways to get to a dollar. Students also needed to problem solve; if their design did not total a dollar, they had to figure out a way to change the design. Students used different strategies to total their sums. In the examples on the left, one student used an addition number sentence while the other student counted on, starting with 30 cents for the hexagon.

This activity could easily be differentiated. The values assigned to the blocks could be more difficult to compute: 28 cents, 12 cents and 3 cents or $1.08, $.52 and $.20. The target value could be changed depending on the grade level indicator ($10.00, $20.00). The target could be a range (between $4.50 and $5.00). The task could be changed so that students are estimating the total.