Amy Pulliam

Differentiated Lesson Plan Part 1

Counting Money
EPSY 7230
Brown, Spring 2015
February 17, 2015
Section 1, Student Data Report:
Setting- This lesson will take place in my first grade classroom at George Walton Academy.
There are 17 students, 11 boys and 6 girls. All of the students would be considered high
socioeconomically meaning that all of their basic needs have been met and they are receiving
appropriate attention and help at home. However, there is still a wide range of academic ability
in math. Some struggle to simply count to 100 by ones and fives while others can easily count by
ones, fives, tens, twenty-fives, and switch back and forth counting within the different skips. The
lesson will be taught in a whole group to start, but then broken down into four small groups
arranged in tables. Each group will have the same basic goal: to count money to the dollar or
higher if able. Each group will work at its own pace, using strategies that are developmentally
appropriate to improve money counting skills.
Data Pieces1.
Money Pretest--This test will be administered to the whole class as a group. It tests the
students on coin identification and worth, counting money up to a dollar, money amounts in
purchasing scenarios/word problems, adding and subtracting money amounts under $.20.
Students will read the test independently but are welcome and encouraged to ask questions. The
teacher will take note of any questions asked during the pretest and include the findings in data
used to separate the students into small groups. These tests will be graded, recorded, and
compared to final test grades as a means of assessing whether or not the child needs follow up
instruction.
2.
Counting Checklist-- The teacher will pull students one at a time to count real money.
The teacher will have a checklist of requirements that the student will try to achieve while
counting the money. As the student meets each requirement, the teacher will check it off. If a
skill has not been met, the the teacher will leave that line blank indicating that skill has not yet
been achieved.When each child has counted for the teacher and she has completed a checklist for

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each student, the teacher will use this data, in conjunction with the pretest data, to form four
small table groups.
Analysis-1.
Money Pretest-- Students will be broken into four table groups based on the scores of the
said pretest. Scores of 90-100 will make up group 1, scores of 80-90 will make up group 2,
scores of 70-80 will make up group 3, and scores below 70 will make up group 4. Note that there
may be an abundance of scores in one or another grouping based singularly on this assessment.
However, when the counting checklist has been completed, it can be used to help bring into focus
how groups need to be split.
2.
Counting Checklist--Students who meet 9-10 qualifications on the checklist will be in
group 1. Students who meet 6-8 of the qualifications will be included in group 2. Students who
meet 3-5 of the qualifications will be included in group 3. Students who meet 0-2 of the
qualifications on the checklist will be included in group 4. The hope is that both the pretest and
the checklist will compliment each other as far as results are concerned. However, sometimes a
student is more proficient in one versus the other. Usually if this is the case, the student is better
at counting real money rather than taking a written test with pictures of money on it. In this
case, the student should be elevated to the higher group as the real life skill needs to be
extrapolated upon as this is the longterm effect sought by teaching money counting skills. In
short, be practical and use common sense in forming groups. Furthermore, if the analysis of the
data shows the need for two higher level thinking groups and two lower level groups, the teacher
will make groups accordingly, giving each student the instruction he or she needs to improve
money counting skills.
3.

Differentiation Strategy-- Tiered Lesson

A tiered lesson is a great choice for teaching first graders to count money. The most obvious
reason it would work is that each child comes to first grade knowing some the the basic skills used
for counting money, but rarely does a child enter first grade knowing all of the basic money
counting skills. There will most likely be a broad range of capabilities and developmental
readiness for counting money. This kind of "Cooperative learning experience can provide
valuable opportunities to share ideas, practice critical thinking, and gain social skills (as cited in
Methods and Materials for Teaching the Gifted, Karnes Chapter 4). All students need money
counting skills, so it is imperative to meet each child at his or her own skill level and grow the
student from the assessed level to a higher level. By implementing a tiered lesson that follows
whole class instruction, each student can practice old skills while implementing new ones at his
own pace along side students with similar ability levels. This allows each student to grow and
learn without the pressure of having to learn skills for which he is not quite ready.

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Section 2, Lesson Plan: Tiered Lesson Plan

Introduction:
Lesson Title: We're Wild about Money! (A Money Counting Lesson)
Lesson Synopsis:
This lesson teaches about counting money up to one dollar. Students will be grouped based on
their ability level regarding counting money.
Audience:
This lesson will be taught with a mixed ability first grade classroom divided into groups.
Objectives:
The student will be able to count coins of various combinations that add up to no more than
one dollar.
Related Georgia Performance Standard:
M1N1e. Exchange equivalent quantities of coins by making fair trades involving
combinations of pennies, nickels, dimes, and quarters and count out combination needed to
purchase items less than a dollar.
Materials and Equipment:
Select clips from the movie We Bought A Zoo
"Big Money"
Website: www.prometheanplanet.com
Medium sized stuffed animals with "price tags"
Beanie Babies with "price tags"
Chart paper
Markers
Money Counting Assessment Check-sheet, Money pretest and posttest
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Procedures
Day One
Mini Lesson:
Begin by talking about your favorite animals and where the children might see different animals.
Talk about how people can go to zoos to see many wild animals that they would not usually see
around their own neighborhoods. Tell the children that they are going to learn about money and
how to count it by creating their own collection of zoo stuffed animals. Have the class
brainstorm about what animals they may see in a zoo. Tell the students you are going to show
them a few clips of the movie We Bought A Zoo. The characters in the movie have a zoo and
spend money to make it better with more animals. But they have to be careful what they spend.
Use the two medium sized stuffed animals with price tags on them to show how much these
animals would cost to add to the zoo. Use big money on the white board to count out the right
amount. Then use the active board to show equal amounts. Repeat this with the second
medium sized stuffed animal so that the students understand that each stuffed animal they add to
their zoo will cost money. Have the students interact by counting out the big money on the board
and by making equal amounts on the active board.
Estimated time: 20 minutes
Work Session:
Tell students they will now begin their work session showing their understanding of counting
money. Explain each tier's activity and disperse students into four table groups. You will need to
have at least one overlap in tiers since there are 3 tiers and 4 groups.
Tier 1: Have students start by counting the money on their table. Then they should go to the
"wild table" and compare the prices of the different animals. They should make a list of each
animal that they could buy with the money given to them. The amount of money on their table
should be only enough to buy one animal at a time. Finally, this group of students will publish
the list of animals they could buy on chart paper and share it with the class.

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Tier 2: Have students begin by choosing three beanie babies from the "wild table." Next they
must use the coins they have been given to "buy" the wild animals for their zoo. They must
match the right coins with the amount of each price tag until they do not have enough money to
buy any more animals. Then they should make a list on the chart paper of the animals they
added to their zoo and the respective prices. They must also account for any left over coins.
Tier 3: Have students count the money on their table and then create a budget that includes
buying some animals from the "wild table" as well as what they estimate it may cost for housing
these new animals and feeding them. Have them list on the chart paper the animals that they
will buy as well as the food they will buy. They should use the money on their table as a starting
point and then subtract each item to reach a final number. All of the things in their budget
should fit within the means of the money on their table.
Estimated Time: 30 minutes
Closing:
Play money games on the website using active board:
http://www.prometheanplanet.com/en-us/Resources/Item/92167/money-money-money#.VOSvjJYo4;Q
Play it as a whole group letting students help each other when necessary.
Estimated Time:10 min
Evaluation
The students will be evaluated using a check sheet. The teacher will use the check sheet to
determine whether each student has demonstrated the money counting skills. She will also take
notes regarding any reteaching that may be necessary as well as notes about students who showed
new ways of solving the problems. In addition, the students will each take a post test that is
similar to the pretest, and grades will be compared and noted.
Connection to Gifted Learners
The real value in this lesson is that it targets all of the learners in the classroom. Although
differentiating can be a difficult task with many levels of students in one classroom, it can be done
giving each student what he or she needs to grasp a skill. In this case, differentiating not only
allows the students in tier 1 to master basic money counting skills in a fun way, it also allows the
children in the latter two tiers to challenge their own money counting skills and management
skills. It encourages them to, "connect information, debate ideas, and discuss the implications of
the content as it relates to the designated theme" (as cited in Methods and Materials for Teaching
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the Gifted, Karnes Chapter 4). Using We Bought A Zoo as a springboard for the activity, the
students can imagine themselves as zoo owners and connect counting money to something
tangible while having fun pretending.

Counting Check Sheet

_____Count by ones
_____Count by fives
_____Count by tens
_____Count by twenty fives
_____Name each coin and its worth
_____Order coins in descending order of value
_____Assign "taps" to each coin
_____Count coins in "taps" until ones
_____Count coins at higher level using 25 then 10 then 5 then 1
_____Answer "how much more" and "how much less" questions orally

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