Money in Year 3
Once again the National Curriculum Programme of Study has only one target for money in Year 3:
3M9a Add and subtract amounts of money to give change, using both £ and p in practical contexts
Despite this single target, money is one of the topics we get more requests for than any other and we have built up a superb collection for Year 3. We have sub-divided the topic into 5 sub-categories:
- Counting with money and making amounts with coins
- Writing money in pounds and pence
- Addition and subtraction of money
- Sharing money equally
- Money word problems.
The final category, solving problems written in words, is an important part of maths and perhaps one of the most difficult. A typical question on money is:
‘A packet of cheese costs £2.38.
Addy pays with two £1 coins and two 20p coins.
How much change does he get?'
To find the answer to this question involves multiple steps; adding up the total of coins and then subtracting £2.38. The subtraction can easily be done by adding on from £2.38 to £2.40.
Many children do find word problems harder to answer than if they were just given the calculation in numbers, as they have to work out what needs to be done to reach the correct answer. It is always worthwhile asking children how they reached an answer, as this can show how their mathematical thinking is progressing.