4th grade nonfiction passage about money math: 166 words, six questions, an answer key and vocabulary.
4th gradenonfictionmoney math166 words
Making Change at the Store
Math helps you every time you buy something. Suppose you want a notebook that costs 3 dollars and 40 cents, and you hand the cashier a five-dollar bill. The cashier must give you change, which is the money left over. To find it, you subtract. Five dollars minus 3 dollars and 40 cents is 1 dollar and 60 cents.
There is another way to make change, and many cashiers use it. They count up from the price. First they hand you 10 cents, which brings the total to 3 dollars and 50 cents. Next they hand you two quarters, which brings it to 4 dollars. Then a one-dollar bill brings it to 5 dollars. Add up what you were handed. Ten cents plus 50 cents plus 1 dollar is 1 dollar and 60 cents. It is the same answer.
Counting up is a handy trick for mental math. You can use it to check your change before you walk away from the counter. It also shows that adding and subtracting are closely connected. Each one can undo the other.
Questions
What is change? in the text
How much change do you get from a five-dollar bill for a notebook that costs 3 dollars and 40 cents? in the text
What does it mean to count up from the price? in the text
What coins and bills does the cashier hand you in the counting up example? in the text
Why is counting up a good way to check your change? think about it
What does the passage say is true about adding and subtracting? in the text
Words to know
cashier
a worker who takes payment in a store
subtract
to take one number away from another
total
the whole amount after adding
mental math
figuring out numbers in your head
Name ____________________________ Date ______________
Making Change at the Store
4th grade reading passage
Math helps you every time you buy something. Suppose you want a notebook that costs 3 dollars and 40 cents, and you hand the cashier a five-dollar bill. The cashier must give you change, which is the money left over. To find it, you subtract. Five dollars minus 3 dollars and 40 cents is 1 dollar and 60 cents.
There is another way to make change, and many cashiers use it. They count up from the price. First they hand you 10 cents, which brings the total to 3 dollars and 50 cents. Next they hand you two quarters, which brings it to 4 dollars. Then a one-dollar bill brings it to 5 dollars. Add up what you were handed. Ten cents plus 50 cents plus 1 dollar is 1 dollar and 60 cents. It is the same answer.
Counting up is a handy trick for mental math. You can use it to check your change before you walk away from the counter. It also shows that adding and subtracting are closely connected. Each one can undo the other.
Questions
What is change?
How much change do you get from a five-dollar bill for a notebook that costs 3 dollars and 40 cents?
What does it mean to count up from the price?
What coins and bills does the cashier hand you in the counting up example?
Why is counting up a good way to check your change?
What does the passage say is true about adding and subtracting?
Words to know
cashier: a worker who takes payment in a store
subtract: to take one number away from another
total: the whole amount after adding
mental math: figuring out numbers in your head
Free at teach.peabody.kids/passages/4/making-change-at-the-store
Share
One passage, three levels
The same topic and facts written three ways, so a mixed class can read and talk about one text. Each group’s sheet shows only a shape; the key says which is which.
● Easier · 151 words · Flesch-Kincaid grade 2
Math helps you when you buy something. Say you want a notebook that costs 3 dollars and 40 cents. You hand the cashier a five-dollar bill. The cashier gives you change. Change is the money left over. To find it, you subtract. Five dollars minus 3 dollars and 40 cents is 1 dollar and 60 cents.
There is another way to make change. Many cashiers use it. They count up from the price. First they give you 10 cents. That makes 3 dollars and 50 cents. Next they give you two quarters. That makes 4 dollars. Then a one-dollar bill makes 5 dollars. Add up what you got. Ten cents plus 50 cents plus 1 dollar is 1 dollar and 60 cents. It is the same answer.
Counting up is a good trick for mental math. You can use it to check your change before you leave the counter. It also shows that adding and subtracting go together. Each one can undo the other.
▲ This passage · 166 words · Flesch-Kincaid grade 3.5
Math helps you every time you buy something. Suppose you want a notebook that costs 3 dollars and 40 cents, and you hand the cashier a five-dollar bill. The cashier must give you change, which is the money left over. To find it, you subtract. Five dollars minus 3 dollars and 40 cents is 1 dollar and 60 cents.
There is another way to make change, and many cashiers use it. They count up from the price. First they hand you 10 cents, which brings the total to 3 dollars and 50 cents. Next they hand you two quarters, which brings it to 4 dollars. Then a one-dollar bill brings it to 5 dollars. Add up what you were handed. Ten cents plus 50 cents plus 1 dollar is 1 dollar and 60 cents. It is the same answer.
Counting up is a handy trick for mental math. You can use it to check your change before you walk away from the counter. It also shows that adding and subtracting are closely connected. Each one can undo the other.
■ Harder · 173 words · Flesch-Kincaid grade 6.6
Mathematics helps you every time you purchase something. Suppose you want a notebook that costs 3 dollars and 40 cents, and you hand the cashier a five-dollar bill. The cashier must return change, which is the money remaining after the price has been paid. To calculate it, you subtract. Five dollars minus 3 dollars and 40 cents equals 1 dollar and 60 cents.
There is an alternative method for making change, and many cashiers prefer it. They count upward from the price. First they hand you 10 cents, which brings the total to 3 dollars and 50 cents. Next they hand you two quarters, which brings it to 4 dollars. Then a one-dollar bill brings it to 5 dollars. When you add up what you were handed, 10 cents plus 50 cents plus 1 dollar equals 1 dollar and 60 cents. The answer is identical.
Counting up is a convenient strategy for mental math, and you can use it to verify your change before you walk away from the counter. It also demonstrates that adding and subtracting are closely connected, because each operation can undo the other.
Math helps you when you buy something. Say you want a notebook that costs 3 dollars and 40 cents. You hand the cashier a five-dollar bill. The cashier gives you change. Change is the money left over. To find it, you subtract. Five dollars minus 3 dollars and 40 cents is 1 dollar and 60 cents.
There is another way to make change. Many cashiers use it. They count up from the price. First they give you 10 cents. That makes 3 dollars and 50 cents. Next they give you two quarters. That makes 4 dollars. Then a one-dollar bill makes 5 dollars. Add up what you got. Ten cents plus 50 cents plus 1 dollar is 1 dollar and 60 cents. It is the same answer.
Counting up is a good trick for mental math. You can use it to check your change before you leave the counter. It also shows that adding and subtracting go together. Each one can undo the other.
Questions
What is change?
How much change do you get from five dollars for a notebook that costs 3 dollars and 40 cents?
What does it mean to count up from the price?
What does the cashier hand you when counting up?
Why is counting up a good way to check your change?
What is true about adding and subtracting?
Free at teach.peabody.kids
Name ____________________▲
Making Change at the Store
Math helps you every time you buy something. Suppose you want a notebook that costs 3 dollars and 40 cents, and you hand the cashier a five-dollar bill. The cashier must give you change, which is the money left over. To find it, you subtract. Five dollars minus 3 dollars and 40 cents is 1 dollar and 60 cents.
There is another way to make change, and many cashiers use it. They count up from the price. First they hand you 10 cents, which brings the total to 3 dollars and 50 cents. Next they hand you two quarters, which brings it to 4 dollars. Then a one-dollar bill brings it to 5 dollars. Add up what you were handed. Ten cents plus 50 cents plus 1 dollar is 1 dollar and 60 cents. It is the same answer.
Counting up is a handy trick for mental math. You can use it to check your change before you walk away from the counter. It also shows that adding and subtracting are closely connected. Each one can undo the other.
Questions
What is change?
How much change do you get from a five-dollar bill for a notebook that costs 3 dollars and 40 cents?
What does it mean to count up from the price?
What coins and bills does the cashier hand you in the counting up example?
Why is counting up a good way to check your change?
What does the passage say is true about adding and subtracting?
Free at teach.peabody.kids
Name ____________________■
Making Change at the Store
Mathematics helps you every time you purchase something. Suppose you want a notebook that costs 3 dollars and 40 cents, and you hand the cashier a five-dollar bill. The cashier must return change, which is the money remaining after the price has been paid. To calculate it, you subtract. Five dollars minus 3 dollars and 40 cents equals 1 dollar and 60 cents.
There is an alternative method for making change, and many cashiers prefer it. They count upward from the price. First they hand you 10 cents, which brings the total to 3 dollars and 50 cents. Next they hand you two quarters, which brings it to 4 dollars. Then a one-dollar bill brings it to 5 dollars. When you add up what you were handed, 10 cents plus 50 cents plus 1 dollar equals 1 dollar and 60 cents. The answer is identical.
Counting up is a convenient strategy for mental math, and you can use it to verify your change before you walk away from the counter. It also demonstrates that adding and subtracting are closely connected, because each operation can undo the other.
Questions
What is change?
How much change do you receive from a five-dollar bill for a notebook that costs 3 dollars and 40 cents?
What does it mean to count upward from the price?
What does the cashier hand you in the counting up example?
Why is counting up a good way to verify your change?
What does the passage say about adding and subtracting?
Free at teach.peabody.kids
Answer key: Making Change at the Store
● Easier (Flesch-Kincaid grade 2)
The money left over after you pay.
1 dollar and 60 cents.
You add small amounts to the price until you get to the amount you paid.
10 cents, two quarters, and a one-dollar bill.
It gives the same answer as subtracting. If they match, the change is right.
They go together, and each can undo the other.
▲ This passage (Flesch-Kincaid grade 3.5)
The money left over after you pay.
1 dollar and 60 cents.
You add small amounts to the price, one at a time, until you reach the amount you paid.
A dime (10 cents), two quarters, and a one-dollar bill.
It gives the same answer as subtracting, so if the two match, the change is right.
They are closely connected, and each can undo the other.
■ Harder (Flesch-Kincaid grade 6.6)
The money remaining after the price has been paid.
1 dollar and 60 cents.
You add small amounts to the price, one at a time, until you reach the amount you paid.
A dime (10 cents), two quarters, and a one-dollar bill.
It produces the same answer as subtracting, so if the two match, the change is correct.
They are closely connected, because each operation can undo the other.
Free at teach.peabody.kids
How to use it
Press Read it big (or B) to put the text on the projector, or Full screen (F) to fill the whole screen.
Ask the questions one at a time and use Show answer when the class has decided. A shows or hides every answer.
Print student copy for the class, or Print with answers for yourself.
Ideas for class
Before reading, put cashier, subtract, total and mental math on the board with their meanings from the Words to know section and have students predict what the text will be about.
Read it aloud once while students follow along, then have them reread it alone or with a partner. At a calm 100 words a minute it takes about 2 minutes to read aloud.
Use the Read it big button (or B) to put the text on the projector, and Show answer on one question at a time so the class commits to an answer first.
Question 5 asks the reader to infer. Ask students to point to the words in the passage that led them to their answer.
Ask students to write one question the passage did not answer, then look for the answer in a book or on a classroom screen.
Print the student copy for independent work and keep the answer-key copy for yourself.
What reading level is "Making Change at the Store"?
It was written for 4th grade. It has 166 words and works out to a Flesch-Kincaid grade level of about 3.5. That is a formula's estimate from sentence length and syllables, and it is not a Lexile or a guided reading level, so check it against your students.
What do the questions ask?
There are six. 5 ask for something the text says directly and 1 ask the reader to work something out from clues. Each has an answer in the key, and the answers are written as a teacher would accept them, not as the only possible wording.
How long does it take to read?
About 2 minutes read aloud at 100 words a minute. For a one-minute fluency check, paste it into the fluency timer and use the word count.
Can I print it?
Yes. Print student copy gives the passage, the questions with lines to write on, and the word meanings. Print with answers gives the same page with the answers filled in. Both are made in your browser.
Is this passage from a published book?
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