| Spring Hill Elementary School

MONEY POEMS

Penny, penny, easy spent,                                                                                              Copper brown and worth one cent.

Nickel, nickel, thick and fat,
You’re worth 5. I know that.

Dime, dime, little and thin,
I remember—you’re worth 10.

Quarter, quarter, big and bold,
You’re worth 25, I am told.

Half a dollar, half a dollar,
Giant size.
50 cents to buy some fries.

Dollar, dollar, green and long,
With 100 cents you can’t go wrong

Time

• I explain that the small (hour hand) is called the “hour power.”  It is small like mighty mouse and so powerful we always read it first and it reads the big numbers on a clock.  The long (minute hand) counts by 5’s.  When the minute hand is pointing at the 9, 10 or 11 on a clock it is in the "confusing zone".  It’s confusing because the hour hand is confusing to read and appears to be on the next hour, but isn’t until the minute hand touches the 12.  So, it's always the hour before when the minute hand is in the confusing zone. 

Fact Families

• There are three members in each family. The biggest number is the Daddy (I call him the Big Daddy because it’s the biggest number), the middle number is the Mommy and the smaller number is the baby. In a fact family there are always four number sentences; two addition and two subtraction.
• When adding number sentences you NEVER start with Daddy (he's only the answer since he’s the biggest number). Add the mommy and the baby switching them on the second addition sentence.  When doing the subtraction number sentences, you ALWAYS start with Big Daddy and subtract Mommy or Baby.
• Example when using the numbers 6, 2, 8:

o        6 (mom) + 2 (baby) = 8 (Big daddy)

o       2 + 6 = 8

o       8 – 2 = 6

o       8 – 6 = 2