Lesson Plan

The ABCs of Coins

Main Subject Area: Language Arts

Duration of Lesson:  30 minutes

Keywords:

• Dictionary

Brief Description:

As a class, students study alphabet books to see the many creative ways these books can be put together. After picking a format, the class creates an alphabet book about coins.

National Standard(s):

• Demonstrate competence in the general skills and strategies of the writing process

Additional Subject Area Standard(s):

Objectives:

To help students develop research skills, drawing techniques, and presentation skills.

Materials (online):

Internet access

The U.S. Mint's H.I.P. Pocket Change(TM) Web site - www.usmint.gov/kids

Materials (offline):

Research books

Paper

Art supplies

Coins Used in Lesson:

No specific coins are needed for this lesson.

Grade Level(s):   3-5  

Procedures (online):

1. Instruct your students to research coins and coin terms by using the Internet and the U.S. Mint's H.I.P. Pocket Change(TM) Web site.

Procedures (offline):

1. As a class, examine several alphabet books and discuss how each book's author has used the words and images to creatively represent each letter. Two good examples are A Swim Through the Sea by Kristin Joy Pratt and Animalia by Graeme Base.

2. Tell students that the class is going to create its own alphabet book - about coins. Decide on the creative format everyone will use, and then discuss how to find the information they will need. For example, by researching coins on the H.I.P. Pocket Change(TM) Web site, students could find words such as "alloy" and "annealing" for the letter A. Then using reference books such as a dictionary and thesaurus, they can find words to help them create the alliteration or rhymes that are needed for the book's format.

3. Divide the students into pairs, and distribute the alphabet letters among the teams. Give students any additional directions or criteria. For example, you could require that teams use an adjective, noun, verb, and adverb in each sentence, or that each page of the book have a coin picture hidden somewhere on it.

4. Assemble all the team pages to create your alphabet book. As a class, brainstorm a title for the book and artwork for its cover.

Assessment / Evaluation:

Use a standard writing rubric that includes any criteria set by you or the students to judge the merits of the alphabet pages.

Differentiated Learning Options:

Have each team create electronic versions of their pages that can be assembled into an online book that's published on the Web. If students have more advanced Web-publishing skills they could include navigation features and multimedia surprises, such as a hidden coin that must be clicked to move to the next letter.