Money on the Move: teacher key

Money, grade 5 edition, written for 5th grade. Money has to travel, from cowrie shells that traveled far by trade to flying money in China. Follow it from the first coins and paper money to today's bills, budgets and banks.

Read the book. Print this page for the key.

Questions and answers

1. Where did cowrie shells come from?
   • A mint in Turkey
   • The warm waters of the Indian Ocean (answer)
   • The island of Yap
2. What happened to a Yap stone when it was spent?
   • It was carried to a bank
   • It was melted into coins
   • It stayed in place and changed owner (answer)
3. What was flying money used for?
   • Merchants did not have to carry heavy strings of coins (answer)
   • Paying for a military expedition
   • Measuring prices
4. What is fiat money?
   • Money tied to gold
   • Money not tied to gold or any other asset (answer)
   • Money made of shells
5. Which person gets a salary?
   • A worker paid for each hour only
   • A person who finds a cowrie
   • A worker paid a set amount every week or month (answer)
6. What do savings help with?
   • Unexpected costs, like a car repair (answer)
   • Printing paper money
   • Moving a Yap stone

Words

• barter: trading things
• cowrie: small white shell
• electrum: gold-silver mix
• salary: set pay
• budget: money plan