Lesson Plan

Coins in U.S. History

Main Subject Area: Social Studies

Additional Subjects: Language Arts, Technology

Duration of Lesson:  45 minutes

Keywords:

• Bicentennial
• Coins
• Economics
• Franklin
• History
• Independence
• Kennedy
• Money

Brief Description:

Students will investigate, appreciate, and deepen their knowledge of U.S. coins and the history associated with these coins. They will also learn about events in U.S. history.

National Standard(s):

• Culture
• Time, Continuity, and Change
• Individual Development and Identity
• Civic Ideals and Practices

Additional Subject Area Standard(s):

• Basic operations and concepts
• Gather and use information for research purposes
• Technology research tools
• Use grammatical and mechanical conventions in written compositions

Objectives:

Students will investigate, appreciate, and deepen their knowledge of U.S. coins and the history associated with these coins.

Students will learn about events in U.S. history.

Materials (online):

U.S. Mint's H.I.P. Pocket Change Web site - http://www.usmint.gov/kids - Coins of the Month section

Materials (offline):

Yeoman, R.S. A Guide Book of United States Coins

Coins Used in Lesson:

Coins of the Month on the U.S. Mint’s H.I.P. Pocket Change Web site.

Grade Level(s):   3-5  

Procedures (online):

The U.S. Mint’s H.I.P. Pocket Change Web site has a section called “Coins of the Month.” In this section they highlight a coin and the history associated with that coin. For this lesson, you can focus on just a few of the coins that relate to what the students are studying in class or you can use all of the coins in the section. (See step 1 of the offline procedures)

Procedures (offline):

1. Print off the page for each of the coins you are going to use.

2. Assign each student his or her own coin. They must prepare to become an expert for that coin.

3. Direct students to take notes and summarize the main points about the coin. They should include the physical characteristics as well as the history about the coin.

4. Have each student write his or her findings in a report and also include a sketch of the coin.

5. Have each student create a timeline with his or her report.

6. As a class, develop a larger timeline based on each student’s independent work. The class can determine what years need to be included in their timeline. The timeline can be based on when the coins were minted or it can be based on the time period for what is represented on the coin.

7. Direct each student to read his or her report to the class and then place their report and sketch on the timeline in the classroom.

Assessment / Evaluation:

Students will be evaluated on the written report about their coin and their presentation to the class.

Differentiated Learning Options:

Students can present their timeline to other classes.

Have each student create a list of 5 descriptive clues about their coin. Once each student has read their report to the class, play a game of “Name That Coin” to see what your students have retained.