Skill: Count pennies

Explanation and Free Practice Resources

Each penny represents one cent, so the total value of a collection is determined by matching one counting word to each coin; the final number gives both the number of pennies and the number of cents, regardless of their arrangement. The understanding concerns small collections of identical one-cent coins and whole-cent totals, not mixed denominations, making change, or larger dollar amounts with decimal notation, and supports composing, comparing, and adding monetary quantities.

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Detailed Explanation: Count pennies

A penny is worth 1 cent. To find the total value:

Start with one penny.
Touch each penny one time and say one counting word for each coin.
The last number you say tells how many pennies there are and how many cents they are worth.

Example:

How many cents are these pennies worth?

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Count each penny:

First penny: 1
Second penny: 2
Third penny: 3
Fourth penny: 4
Fifth penny: 5

The last number is $5$ . So there are $5$ pennies, and they are worth $\boxed{5\text{ cents}}$ .

It does not matter if the pennies are in a line, a group, or spread out. Count each penny once.

Learn by doing: Count pennies

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Coin Math - Count Total - Pennies

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Units Teaching This Skill

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