Reference / Curriculum / 3B / Chapter 15

3B · Chapter 15 · Lesson 1

Dollars and Cents

Relate 100 cents to one dollar and write consistent money notation.

MATH-3B-C15-L01Independent and tutor-supported

Today's mathematical question

Write 811 cents as dollars and cents.

Learning target

Relate 100 cents to one dollar and write consistent money notation.

Before starting: Grade 3A: whole-number addition, subtraction, and place value. Try the warm-up independently.

Prerequisite · 3 questions

Check earlier skills first

These are earlier ideas you need for today; revisit them if they are difficult.

  1. P1

    How many cents make one dollar?

    Reveal explanation

    Answer: 100

    One dollar is exactly 100 cents. Ten groups of ten cents, or four quarters of 25 cents each, both total 100 cents.

  2. P2

    Find 700 + 250.

    Reveal explanation

    Answer: 950

    Seven hundreds plus two hundreds and five tens.

  3. P3

    Calculate 1,000 − 350.

    Reveal explanation

    Answer: 650

    Subtract in hundreds and tens or use regrouping.

Learn and understand

One dollar equals 100 cents. Money amounts such as $3.07 mean three full dollars and seven cents; the zero holds the tens-of-cents place. Counting in cents before returning to dollars helps preserve place value. Write $4.07 as four dollars and seven cents: the zero records zero tens of cents. Check that $4.70 is seventy cents, not seven cents.

Represent it three ways

  1. Concrete: Build equal pieces, measures, counters or shapes with real objects when useful.
  2. Pictorial: Group 100 cents into a one-dollar unit and keep leftover cents separate. Use a dollars-and-cents table.
  3. Abstract: Write the matching number sentence, calculation, comparison or mathematical description. Explain each number's unit.

Important vocabulary

dollar
100 cents
cent
one hundredth of a dollar
decimal money notation
two decimal places for cents

Fully worked examples and checks

Try each new understanding check before revealing the explanation.

Worked example 1

Explore, calculate, verify

Write 811 cents as dollars and cents.

  1. Identify the whole, the units, and what the question asks.
  2. There are 100 cents in one dollar; 811 cents = 8 dollars and 11 cents.
  3. Check that the answer uses the right units and makes sense.

Answer: $8.11

Check your understanding 1

Write 569 cents as dollars and cents.

Reveal answer and explanation

$5.69 — There are 100 cents in one dollar; 569 cents = 5 dollars and 69 cents.

Worked example 2

Explore, calculate, verify

Write 552 cents as dollars and cents.

  1. Identify the whole, the units, and what the question asks.
  2. There are 100 cents in one dollar; 552 cents = 5 dollars and 52 cents.
  3. Check that the answer uses the right units and makes sense.

Answer: $5.52

Check your understanding 2

Write 782 cents as dollars and cents.

Reveal answer and explanation

$7.82 — There are 100 cents in one dollar; 782 cents = 7 dollars and 82 cents.

Worked example 3

Explore, calculate, verify

Write 798 cents as dollars and cents.

  1. Identify the whole, the units, and what the question asks.
  2. There are 100 cents in one dollar; 798 cents = 7 dollars and 98 cents.
  3. Check that the answer uses the right units and makes sense.

Answer: $7.98

Check your understanding 3

Write 417 cents as dollars and cents.

Reveal answer and explanation

$4.17 — There are 100 cents in one dollar; 417 cents = 4 dollars and 17 cents.

Guided · 5 questions

Guided practice

Keep the model and earlier examples visible while practising.

  1. G1

    Write 328 cents as dollars and cents.

    Reveal explanation

    Answer: $3.28

    There are 100 cents in one dollar; 328 cents = 3 dollars and 28 cents.

  2. G2

    Write 163 cents as dollars and cents.

    Reveal explanation

    Answer: $1.63

    There are 100 cents in one dollar; 163 cents = 1 dollar and 63 cents.

  3. G3

    Write 584 cents as dollars and cents.

    Reveal explanation

    Answer: $5.84

    There are 100 cents in one dollar; 584 cents = 5 dollars and 84 cents.

  4. G4

    Write 221 cents as dollars and cents.

    Reveal explanation

    Answer: $2.21

    There are 100 cents in one dollar; 221 cents = 2 dollars and 21 cents.

  5. G5

    Write 207 cents as dollars and cents.

    Reveal explanation

    Answer: $2.07

    There are 100 cents in one dollar; 207 cents = 2 dollars and 7 cents.

Independent · 8 questions

Independent practice

Work these without hints and explain the method used. Write answers on paper.

  1. I1

    Write 228 cents as dollars and cents.

    Reveal explanation

    Answer: $2.28

    There are 100 cents in one dollar; 228 cents = 2 dollars and 28 cents.

  2. I2

    Write 725 cents as dollars and cents.

    Reveal explanation

    Answer: $7.25

    There are 100 cents in one dollar; 725 cents = 7 dollars and 25 cents.

  3. I3

    Write 754 cents as dollars and cents.

    Reveal explanation

    Answer: $7.54

    There are 100 cents in one dollar; 754 cents = 7 dollars and 54 cents.

  4. I4

    Write 583 cents as dollars and cents.

    Reveal explanation

    Answer: $5.83

    There are 100 cents in one dollar; 583 cents = 5 dollars and 83 cents.

  5. I5

    Write 310 cents as dollars and cents.

    Reveal explanation

    Answer: $3.10

    There are 100 cents in one dollar; 310 cents = 3 dollars and 10 cents.

  6. I6

    Write 694 cents as dollars and cents.

    Reveal explanation

    Answer: $6.94

    There are 100 cents in one dollar; 694 cents = 6 dollars and 94 cents.

  7. I7

    Write 801 cents as dollars and cents.

    Reveal explanation

    Answer: $8.01

    There are 100 cents in one dollar; 801 cents = 8 dollars and 1 cents.

  8. I8

    Write 259 cents as dollars and cents.

    Reveal explanation

    Answer: $2.59

    There are 100 cents in one dollar; 259 cents = 2 dollars and 59 cents.

Challenge · 2 questions

Challenge and error analysis

Go beyond arithmetic: justify a claim, correct reasoning, or connect two representations.

  1. C1

    Explain why $3.05 is 3 dollars and 5 cents rather than 3 dollars and 50 cents.

    Reveal explanation

    Answer: $3.05

    The first digit after the decimal is tens of cents, and the second is ones of cents.

  2. C2

    You have $10.00 and spend $3.75. Find the change by counting up, explaining each jump.

    Reveal explanation

    Answer: $6.25

    Count 25 cents to $4.00, then $6.00 more to $10.00, for $6.25 change.

Exit · 3 questions

Exit check

Solve independently, then return on another day to check retention.

  1. E1

    Write 830 cents as dollars and cents.

    Reveal explanation

    Answer: $8.30

    There are 100 cents in one dollar; 830 cents = 8 dollars and 30 cents.

  2. E2

    Write 482 cents as dollars and cents.

    Reveal explanation

    Answer: $4.82

    There are 100 cents in one dollar; 482 cents = 4 dollars and 82 cents.

  3. E3

    Write 610 cents as dollars and cents.

    Reveal explanation

    Answer: $6.10

    There are 100 cents in one dollar; 610 cents = 6 dollars and 10 cents.

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