Word count:
1,971 

Text Summary
If your students have ever wonder where money comes from, how it is made, and who decides its value, then this book is for them. The informative text traces the development of money through bartering, natural currency, coins, paper money, and today's "invisible money" of checks and credit cards. Diagrams and helpful illustrations enhance the text. 

Lesson Objectives 

Students will:

• Ask and answer questions while reading
• Identify the clauses in compound sentences 

Vocabulary
barter, cash, circulation, counterfeit, currency, denomination, encoded, face value, floating currency, holograms, minted, watermarks 

Materials

• Book – Money, Money, Money (copy for each student)
• Chalkboard or dry erase board
• Worksheets 1 and 2
• Highlighters or colored markers 

Before Reading 

Build Background

• Ask students what they know about our money system. Have them brainstorm a list of questions they would like to know about money. Record these on the board for future use.
• Play a quick, informal version of "The Price is Right." Name some common items and ask students how much they think the items cost and how much they think they are actually worth. Ask students how they think items gain a specific monetary value. 

Preview the Book

• Give students their copies of the book and have them look at the front cover and title. Ask them what they think they might learn in the book. Refer to the questions on the board. Which do they think will be answered?
• Have students preview the table of contents and some of the photographs. Ask them for other ideas about what they think they will learn in the book. 

Set the Purpose

• Give students Worksheet 1. Tell them that asking questions as they read can encourage them to take greater interest in the subject and to explore the topic more deeply.
• Tell students that under each chapter title, you would like them to write at least one question they thought of while reading. Explain that they will share their questions after reading.
• You may wish to model this using the introduction, for example, asking yourself "I wonder where money is printed," or "What does the author mean by 'invisible money'?" 

During Reading

Word-Attack Strategies
Remind students to use any or all of the following strategies if they come to an unfamiliar word:

• Reread the sentence for context clues.
• Sound out the word using known sound/symbol relationships.
• Look for known prefixes, suffixes, and root words.
• Keep reading and think about what might make sense. 

Student Reading
Have students read the book silently. Remind them to jot down questions on the worksheet as they finish each chapter. You may ask students to highlight or mark problematic words or confusing passages. 

After Reading 

Reflect on Reading Strategies
Go over any words that students found difficult. Ask them how they were able to use the glossary, context clues, or decoding skills to figure out unfamiliar words. 

Comprehension
Ask and Answer Questions While Reading

• Have students jot down the answers next to any questions on the worksheet that were answered in the text.
• Have students read aloud any unanswered questions. Use these questions as a basis for student discussion. Have other students suggest answers or places where the answers may be found.
• Ask students why the author may have chosen to answer certain questions and not include the answers to others.

Building Skills

Grammar, Mechanics, and Usage
Identify the Clauses in Compound Sentences
Model

• Have students read the first sentence of the introduction. Remind them that compound sentences are two complete sentences joined by a conjunction. Tell them that the individual sentences that make up the compound are called clauses, and that they have complete subjects and verbs.
• Using the book and two highlighters, highlight the individual clauses, An ordinary piece of paper isn't worth much, and a piece of paper money can be worth thousands of dollars.
• Point out that each sentence has a subject (An ordinary piece of paper and a piece of paper money) and a verb (isn't and can be).

Guided Practice

• Have a student identify another compound sentence, such as the third sentence of the first paragraph. Have students separate the sentence into its clauses and name the subjects and predicates.

Independent Practice

• Hand out Worksheet 2. Explain that students are to rewrite the compound sentence as two complete sentences. Then they are to circle and label the subject and verb. Some of the sentences do not have two complete clauses; in that case, students should write "not a compound sentence." 

Fluency

• Allow students to read Money, Money, Money independently or with a partner. Partners can take turns reading from the book.
• Have students take the book home to read with parents, caregivers, siblings, or friends. 

Expand the Reading 

Social Studies

• Have students role-play the different systems of exchanging goods. Create "goods" using index cards with labels such as "computer," "CD," "shirt," "school lunch," etc. Make several copies of the more common and cheaper items, and fewer of the more rare or more expensive items.
• Hand out the goods at random. Have students trade their goods with each other directly. How many shirts does it take to buy a computer? What happens if someone is not willing to trade for something essential, like food?
• Decide on a "natural" currency of something commonly found in the classroom, such as crayons or books. Have students decide how many crayons a CD would be worth or how many books a shirt costs. Are broken crayons worth anything? What if someone doesn't like the book you're offering?
• Use monopoly or play money. Have students decide how much their goods are worth. Do they notice any problems with this money system? 

Math

• Give students a lesson on the advantages and dangers of credit cards. Assign a simple interest rate, such as 10 percent, and give students cards that allow them to "buy" anything they like in the classroom. Tell them that technically, they can buy almost anything and that the bank will pay for it up front, but they must realize that they will eventually pay it back.
• Some students (and some adults) will be tempted to use their cards for "free" spending sprees. If students purchase big items, guide them to calculate how much money they will actually pay if it takes them, say, six months to pay the item off. Show them how the interest increases as time goes on, since the interest also charges interest on itself.
• Inform students that if they use credit cards unwisely, the banks will make a note, and they might not allow them to borrow money to buy big things, such as cars or houses. On the other hand, responsible use of credit cards will give them a good name at the bank and in business. 

Assessment 

• Note whether students ask relevant questions based on text information. Note if they are able to find the answers if those answers are included in the text. Encourage them to seek other sources to answer any remaining questions.
• Review completed Worksheet 2 to assess how well students can separate compound sentences into clauses. Ensure that they do not separate non-compound sentences into sentence fragments.
• Watch student behavior during the Expand the Reading section. Are they able to comprehend the value of objects as symbolic currency? As money? Do students understand the process of buying goods through credit?