Hot topic: Our currency

It is often said that money makes the world go round. By the same token, that means that money itself goes around and around, and therefore every so often, it needs to be replaced.

Remember when the plastic bank notes were introduced to New Zealand? Or when the $1 and $2 coins replaced notes? Or when 1 and 2c pieces were discontinued? More changes are planned for our pockets.

From 31 July 2006 the current 50, 20, and 10 cent coins will be replaced with smaller and lighter coins, and the 5 cent coin will begin to be phased out. The coins will still be easy to tell apart - they will retain the same designs, and the 10 cent coin will be copper-coloured. The $1 and $2 coins will be unchanged.

Now might be a good time to get your students learning about currency, the many forms it takes, and how money is designed. TKI is full of resources you can use with your classes.

Resources on TKI

Crafty Consumers  
This level 4 unit, intended for years 7-8, explores ways people view and use money differently when they buy goods and services. It also examines how and why individuals and groups seek to safeguard the rights of the consumer. http://www.tki.org.nz/r/socialscience/curriculum/SSOL/consumers/index_e.php

Cyber Cash  
This level 3 unit, intended for years 5-6, focuses on banking, looking at ways people manage their financial resources, and on finding out why people use banks to do this. Students explore issues related to pocket money, ATM machines, and Internet banking, and find out about the Reserve Bank. http://www.tki.org.nz/r/socialscience/curriculum/SSOL/cyber_cash/index_e.php  

Exemplar - English Level 1iii - Transactional Writing: Argument  
This assessment material entitled Pocket Money provides an example of student work illustrating quality related to the English curriculum statement at level 1. The work clearly states a point of view, and backs it up with reasons. The vocabulary indicates strong feelings and a personal stake in the issue. http://www.tki.org.nz/r/assessment/exemplars/eng/trans/wpp_1i_e.php  

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Reserve Bank resources

Change for the Better 
This Reserve Bank site provides information about the new coins replacing the current coins from 31 July 2006. The For Schools section contains an educational learning package for years 1 to 8 students. Posters, booklets, and other resources that explain the coinage change can be downloaded.
http://www.newcoins.govt.nz/  

History of New Zealand Bank Notes 
This link from the Reserve Bank of New Zealand website outlines the history of New Zealand bank notes since 1934, when the Reserve Bank was established. It includes descriptions of each note with brief details about the people, animals, plants, places, or other images that appear on the notes.
http://www.rbnz.govt.nz/currency/money/0094089.html

Reserve Bank of New Zealand - Education 
The education section of New Zealand's Reserve Bank website includes educational resources to help students develop an understanding of the bank's policies and activities, and of the New Zealand economy. Contains resources and information for teachers, FAQs, information about the Monetary Policy Challenge - school competition, and MoPoS-Monetary Policy Simulation Game for secondary school economics students. The material is suitable from middle primary levels upwards. http://www.rbnz.govt.nz/education/index.html

Reserve Bank of New Zealand - Explaining Currency: New Zealand's Bank Notes and Coins 
This section of the Reserve Bank of New Zealand's website describes what money is, what cash or currency is, how New Zealand's bank notes are designed and made, and the life cycle of a typical bank note. It also looks at the design and security features of our bank notes and coins, and the history of currency in New Zealand.
http://www.rbnz.govt.nz/currency/money/0060617.html  

Other resources

MS2116  
This Assessment Resource Bank material relates to level 2 of the measurement strand of the New Zealand mathematics curriculum and the estimating and measuring objective. Students use clues about a monetary value to write the missing amount on a diagram of a note or coin.
http://arb.nzcer.org.nz/resources/maths/measurement/2000/ms2116.htm  

MS2118  
This Assessment Resource Bank material relates to level 2 of the measurement strand of the New Zealand mathematics curriculum and the estimating and measuring objective. Students use pictures of everyday objects with their prices to identify items under $10 and work out which items were purchased with the $10. http://arb.nzcer.org.nz/resources/maths/measurement/2000/ms2118.htm  

MS2119  
This Assessment Resource Bank material relates to level 2 of the measurement strand of the New Zealand mathematics curriculum and the estimating and measuring objective. Students work out the smallest and largest amounts of coins and notes in a piggy bank from statements about the number and type of money.
http://arb.nzcer.org.nz/resources/maths/measurement/2000/ms2119.htm  

MS2128  
This Assessment Resource Bank material relates to level 2 of the measurement strand of the New Zealand mathematics curriculum and the estimating and measuring objective. Students calculate the amount of money shown by diagrams of coins, then calculate change given when some of the money is spent.
http://arb.nzcer.org.nz/resources/maths/measurement/2000/ms2128.htm  

Unit Plan - Measurement/Number Level 1 - Addition: Money for Starters  
This level 1 NZMaths unit, designed to span one week, familiarises students with New Zealand currency and gives them practice at identifying and comparing the values of different units of currency. Operating with money allows students to practise addition and skip-counting in 5s and 10s. Includes teachers' notes on the mathematics explored, resources needed, teaching sequence, questions, and suggestion for ways families can reinforce the learning at home.
http://www.nzmaths.co.nz/Number/Operating%20Units/Moneyforstarters.aspx  

The Euro 
These pages will help students learn about the Euro coins and bank notes. You can view images of country-specific currency, learn about the design and distribution of the Euro, find up-to-date conversion rates, and discover the security features of each note. There are also several Euro games that aim to help students learn more about the currency.
http://www.euro.ecb.int/en.html  

The History of Money from Ancient Times to the Present Day
This website by Glyn and Roy Davies contains a chronology and a collection of essays on various themes using information based on the book entitled History of Money from Ancient Times to the Present Day. http://www.ex.ac.uk/~RDavies/arian/llyfr.html  

Where in the World and What in the World is Money?
This site from the International Monetary Fund (IMF), uses an interactive game to travel back in time to a range of cities around the globe to find out what money is and how it is used. It includes information about friendship trade, loans, money with no value, and goods used as money. This site also briefly explains how the IMF works and is suitable from middle primary to lower secondary levels.
http://www.imf.org/external/np/exr/center/students/money/index.htm

Please note: These links were valid when this page was posted. However the Web is very volatile, and TKI has no control over outside websites. Please let us know if you find anything inappropriate, if you find a broken link, or if you have an update for a link by emailing links@tki.org.nz. Te Kete Ipurangi recommends that teachers view all websites we link to before using them with students.

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