Mathematics · Class 4

Active learning ideas

Multiplication and Division of Money

Ever wondered how to quickly calculate the cost of all your favourite chocolates or how to fairly split the cost of a snack with your friends? Today, we'll unlock the secrets of money maths!

• CBSE Learning Outcomes
• NCERT Class 4 Mathematics: Chapter 6 - The Junk Seller

• 20–40 min
• Pairs → Whole Class
• 3 activities

Activity 01

• Experiential Learning
• 40 min · Small Groups

Kirana Store Role-Play

Set up a mock shop in the classroom with items and price tags. Students get a shopping list and a budget, and they have to calculate the total cost of buying multiple units of various items.

Explain how to calculate the cost of five notebooks if you know the cost of one.

Facilitation Tip

Use play money to make the transaction process more concrete and engaging for the students.

What to look for

Give students an 'Exit Slip' with a single word problem, such as 'If one ice cream costs ₹25, what is the cost of 4 ice creams?'. This quickly checks their understanding of multiplication in context.

• Apply
• Analyze
• Evaluate
• Self-Awareness
• Self-Management
• Social Awareness

Activity 02

• Experiential Learning
• 25 min · Pairs

The Best Deal Challenge

Present students with two offers for the same item, for example, 'a pack of 4 pencils for ₹20' versus 'one pencil for ₹6'. Students must use division to calculate the unit price for the pack and determine which is the better buy.

Analyse a rate chart from a junk seller to find the value of a specific quantity of newspaper.

Facilitation Tip

Encourage students to write down their calculations clearly to justify their choice.

What to look for

A worksheet with a mock restaurant menu. Students have to answer questions that require them to calculate the bill for a family (multiplication) and then split the bill among the adults (division).

• Apply
• Analyze
• Evaluate
• Self-Awareness
• Self-Management
• Social Awareness

Activity 03

• Experiential Learning
• 20 min · Individual

Junk Seller's Account

Provide a rate chart from a 'kabadiwala' (junk seller) for items like newspapers, plastic bottles, and iron. Give students scenarios like 'If 1 kg of newspaper sells for ₹12, how much will you get for 5 kg?'

Compare the cost of buying items in a pack versus buying them individually.

Facilitation Tip

Use a visual chart on the board that all students can refer to throughout the activity.

What to look for

Provide a simple checklist with 'I can' statements, like 'I can find the cost of many items' and 'I can find the cost of one item'. Students can tick the skills they feel confident about.

• Apply
• Analyze
• Evaluate
• Self-Awareness
• Self-Management
• Social Awareness

A few notes on teaching this unit

Begin with tangible items and play money to ground the concepts. Start with multiplication problems using only whole rupee amounts. Once students are comfortable, introduce division, framing it as 'finding the cost of one'. Finally, integrate problems with rupees and paise, explicitly teaching how to handle the decimal point.

By the end of this lesson, you will be able to confidently calculate shopping bills and figure out the cost of single items, making you a smart shopper in the real world.

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Watch Out for These Misconceptions

• When multiplying money with paise (e.g., ₹4.50 x 2), students multiply the numbers 450 and 2 to get 900 and write the answer as ₹900 instead of ₹9.00.

  Explain that they should first multiply the numbers as usual (450 x 2 = 900). Then, count the number of decimal places in the original amount (two places in ₹4.50). The answer must also have two decimal places, so 900 becomes 9.00. Reinforce this by relating it to paise: 450 paise x 2 = 900 paise, which is equal to ₹9.

• In division, students get confused about what the remainder means. For example, when dividing ₹15 among 2 people, they might say '₹7 each with a remainder of 1'.

  Explain that the remainder of '1' is actually one rupee, which can be further divided. Convert the remaining rupee into 100 paise, add it to any existing paise, and then continue dividing. So, ₹1 can be shared as 50 paise each, making the final answer ₹7.50 per person.

• Students apply the wrong operation, for instance, dividing when they need to multiply, because they don't fully understand the word problem.

  Teach students to identify keywords and context clues. 'Cost of many' or 'total cost' usually implies multiplication, while 'cost of one' or 'share equally' suggests division. Practice by having them just identify the correct operation for various problems without solving them.

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Methods used in this brief

• Experiential Learning