L11 Money Problems

Year 2 Spring Term Measurement – Lesson 11: Money Problems Lesson Overview: In this Working Without Worksheets lesson, Year 2 pupils develop their ability to solve real-life money problems, including finding totals and calculating change. Building on their knowledge of coin values and combining amounts, children learn to add the prices of two items and work out how much change they would receive from 50p. They explore efficient strategies, including using coins, written number sentences, and counting on with a number line. This practical lesson tackles common misconceptions such as confusing addition and subtraction when working out change or making errors in place value, and helps pupils to apply their money skills in meaningful contexts. What’s Included in the Pack? ✔ Full lesson plan with clear objectives, teaching notes, and plenary guidance ✔ Animated teaching slides with step-by-step modelling of word problems ✔ Starter: Solve simple money word problems by adding coin values together ✔ Teaching input: Model strategies for finding totals and calculating change using subtraction and counting on ✔ Main activity: – Task 1: Choose two items, add prices to find the total, and record calculations – Task 2: Select one item, work out the change from 50p, and write a number sentence ✔ Use of coins, number lines, and visual prompts to support problem solving ✔ Misconceptions addressed (e.g., misunderstanding ‘change’ as subtraction, coin size vs. value) ✔ Hands-on, practical, and worksheet-free learning Why Teachers Love This Resource ✔ Makes money work meaningful through problem-solving contexts ✔ Builds fluency in both addition and subtraction with coins ✔ Encourages flexible thinking by showing multiple strategies (coins, number lines, counting on) ✔ Practical and engaging tasks children enjoy with real or play coins ✔ Fully aligned with Year 2 National Curriculum objectives and Working Without Worksheets pedagogy Curriculum Links (Year 2 Measurement, National Curric