Australia has six coins. The silver coins are 5c, 10c and 20c, which get bigger as they are worth more, and the 50c, which has twelve sides. The gold coins are $1 and $2, and the $2 coin is the smaller one. Size does not tell you value: both gold coins are worth more than any silver coin. Notes have different colours: $5 pink, $10 blue, $20 red, $50 yellow and $100 green.
Explore this idea with maths tools
Maths you can move
Build 8 + 5
Tap two gold counters to fill the ten-frame.
8 in the frame + 5 waiting. The total stays the same.
Words to know
- coin
- metal money: 5c, 10c, 20c, 50c, $1 and $2
- note
- plastic money: $5, $10, $20, $50 and $100
- value
- how much a coin or note is worth
Worked examples
A small gold coin and a larger gold coin. Which is the small one?
- 1.There are two gold coins: $1 and $2.
- 2.The $2 coin is the smaller one.
= $2
Which is worth the most: a 50c coin, a $2 coin or a 20c coin?
- 1.The 50c coin is the biggest, but size doesn't show value.
- 2.Gold coins are worth more than silver ones.
= $2
Five 20c coins are worth the same as which coin?
- 1.Count in 20s: 20, 40, 60, 80, 100 cents.
- 2.100 cents is one dollar.
= $1
For parents
Method: Look at colour, shape and size
What to say: Is it gold or silver? How many sides does it have? Which coin is worth more?
Common mistakes:
- Thinks a bigger coin is worth more (so the $1 must be the $2, and the 50c must beat the gold coins).
- Counts how many coins there are instead of adding their values.
- Names the coin shown instead of the single coin or note worth the same as all of them together.
- Adds the cents correctly but then reads the total as dollars (10 cents becomes a $10 note).