Headline Story
Making and Breaking Numbers, #12
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Introduction
Sometimes it helps children to review what they do know and what they do not know from a Headline Story. In this problem they do know that Jim took six coins from a jar of nickels and pennies. We do not know how many of each coin he took. What is possible? What is impossible?
Headline Story
There are nickels and pennies in a jar. Jim took six coins from the jar.
Possible student responses
- All six coins could be pennies. If so, Jim took our 6 cents.
- Jim could not have taken out 7 cents.
- If Jim took out 5 pennies, then he took out 1 nickel. Five pennies and 1 nickel is 10¢.
- If Jim took out 4 pennies, then he took out 2 nickels. Four pennies and 2 nickels is 14¢.
- If Jim took out 3 pennies, then he took out 3 nickels. Three pennies and 3 nickels is 18¢.
- There are 7 different combinations of coins that Jim could have taken. (The class could also make a table of all possible combinations and corresponding money amounts.)
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