Counting Sets of Pennies - First Grade Mathematics

Counting money begins with the simplest coin of all: the copper penny! Because each penny is worth exactly one cent, counting a set of pennies is identical to counting by ones. If you have seven pennies lined up on a desk, you have seven cents! In this chapter, you will practice counting collections of pennies, record their total value using the cent sign, and connect counting pennies to one-to-one counting strategies.

Counting by Ones with Pennies

Each penny adds one cent to your running total.

Counting a Set of 6 Pennies:
  (1c)       (1c)       (1c)       (1c)       (1c)       (1c)
   |          |          |          |          |          |
  1¢         2¢         3¢         4¢         5¢         6¢

Total Value: 6¢ (Six Cents!)

The Move-and-Count Strategy

When counting a scattered handful of pennies, place them on the left side of your table. Slide each penny to the right as you count: "1¢, 2¢, 3¢, 4¢, 5¢..." The last amount you say is your total money!

Grouping Pennies into Tens

When you have a large pile of pennies, counting them one by one can be slow. A smart mathematician groups pennies into sets of 10!

Grouping 14 Pennies:
One Group of 10 Pennies:   (1c)(1c)(1c)(1c)(1c)(1c)(1c)(1c)(1c)(1c)  -> 10¢
Four Extra Pennies:        (1c)(1c)(1c)(1c)                          ->  4¢
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Total Value:               10¢ + 4¢ = 14¢!

Trading for a Dime

Once you make a group of 10 pennies, you could trade those 10 pennies for a single dime! 10 pennies and 1 dime have the exact same buying power.

Practice Exercises

Exercise 1: Count this group of pennies and write the total value with the cent symbol: (1¢) (1¢) (1¢) (1¢) (1¢) (1¢) (1¢) (1¢).

Exercise 2: You have 12 pennies in a piggy bank. How many cents do you have? If you group them into a set of 10, how many loose pennies will be left over?

Exercise 3: If an eraser costs 9¢, how many pennies must you hand the cashier to pay the exact amount?

Exercise 4: Explain why counting pennies is the exact same skill as counting ordinary objects by ones.

Solutions and Explanations

Solution to Exercise 1: Counting the pennies: 1¢, 2¢, 3¢, 4¢, 5¢, 6¢, 7¢, 8¢. The total value is 8¢.

Solution to Exercise 2: You have 12¢. If you group them into a set of 10 pennies (worth 10¢), you will have 2 loose pennies left over (10 + 2 = 12).

Solution to Exercise 3: You must hand the cashier exactly 9 pennies, because each penny is worth 1¢ and 9 pennies equal 9¢.

Solution to Exercise 4: Counting pennies is identical to counting by ones because each penny has a mathematical value of exactly 1 cent. One penny equals one unit of money.