Money — Victorian Year 4 Maths
Working out change by subtracting or counting up, choosing coins, and solving one- and two-step money word problems. Two subtopics and 40 questions with worked solutions, aligned to VC2M4N08 and VC2M4N09.
Money in Victorian Year 4
This topic uses everyday money situations to practise calculating with dollars and cents. Students work out change by subtracting or by counting up from the price, choose coins that make the change, and solve word problems that need one or two steps.
The two subtopics are Calculate Change and Money Word Problems, set at school shops, markets, fetes and tuckshops. Money is one of the 20 topics in Victorian Year 4 Maths and belongs to the Number strand. It comes under Victorian Curriculum codes VC2M4N08 and VC2M4N09. These skills lead on to budgeting and to money calculations with larger amounts.
Subtopics
Money: common questions
How do you work out change?
Take the price away from the amount paid, or count up from the price. For a \(\$7.35\) item paid with a \(\$10\) note, count up 65c to \(\$8\), then \(\$2\) to \(\$10\): the change is \(\$2.65\). Check by adding the change back to the price.
Why does cash change end in 0 or 5 cents?
The smallest Australian coin is 5c, so cash change is worked out to the nearest 5 cents. The coins are 5c, 10c, 20c, 50c, \(\$1\) and \(\$2\), and the notes are \(\$5\), \(\$10\), \(\$20\), \(\$50\) and \(\$100\). Change of \(\$1.65\) could be a \(\$1\) coin, a 50c coin, a 10c coin and a 5c coin.
How do you choose the operation in a money word problem?
Look for clue words. Total and altogether mean add, change and how much more mean subtract, and each means equal groups, so multiply. For \(3\) books at \(\$8\) each and a \(\$5\) bookmark: \(3 \times 8 + 5 = 29\), so the total is \(\$29\).
What mistakes do children make, and how can they practise at home?
Common slips are mixing up dollars and cents, such as writing \(\$2.5\) for \(\$2.05\), and doing only the first step of a two-step problem. At home, let children pay at a shop or play shops with real coins, and ask them to predict the change first.
Which curriculum codes cover Money in Victorian Year 4?
Victorian Curriculum 2.0 code VC2M4N08 covers purchases and working out change, rounded to 5 cents, and VC2M4N09 covers modelling practical problems, including money problems, with number sentences.