LightMySky

Working with money

Model real-world problems involving measurement, money, and time by choosing appropriate representations and interpreting results in context

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What a learner can do afterwards

  • Choose whether to use a bar model, number line, or equation for a measurement problem
  • Model a multi-step money problem with equations and interpret the final answer as change or total cost
  • Create a line plot from measurement data and use it to answer questions about the real-world situation

The lesson

When you solve a real problem, like paying for snacks or measuring a ribbon, first pick a good way to show your thinking. You can draw a bar model, use a number line, write an equation, or make a table. The right picture makes the problem easier to see and solve.

Try it together

Mia buys a book for $12 and a pencil case for $5. First she adds the costs: 12 + 5 = 17. She pays with a $20 bill, so she finds the change: 20 minus 17 equals 3. Mia gets $3 back.

151617181920+$3
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This line plot shows five pencils measured in centimeters. Each dot is one pencil.
Good to know

After you solve the problem, check that your answer makes sense in real life. Change should never be a negative number. If your answer looks strange, go back and check your steps.

Pick the right picture for the problem, solve it step by step, then check that your answer makes sense in real life.

Watch it

Where it sits

Where this leads

Jobs that lean on this skill. Follow one to see everything it is built on.

Then practise

8 questions wait behind this lesson, each with its answer explained. Every answer feeds the sky: stars light as they are learned, and dim when it is time to come back.

Working with money · Mathematics, ages 7 to 8 · LightMySky