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The Shop Till

Measure · Year 1–Year 5

Count the change out of the drawer. Get it right and the drawer shuts.

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About the shop till

A shop counter with a till on it. Something is for sale with a price on a tag, the customer has paid with something bigger, and the job is to count the change out of the drawer. Tap a coin on the shelf and it goes onto the counter. When the change is right, the drawer shuts.

The coins and notes are Trove's own artwork at their real relative sizes, so a 2p really is bigger than a 10p and a £5 note really is bigger than any coin. That is the thing children get wrong, and a row of same-sized discs with numbers on them teaches nothing about the money in a pocket.

Nothing is marked wrong and nothing is timed. Count out too much and the display says what has been counted and the drawer stays open, which is what would happen at a real counter. Undo takes a coin back.

Two levels. Coins up to £2 keeps the change under a pound, which is Year 1 to Year 3. Coins and notes up to £20 prices the item in pounds and pence for Year 4 and up. The change due is hidden to start with, so the class works it out before the board says it.

How to use it on your whiteboard

  1. 1Read the price on the tag and what the customer paid, which is lying in the open drawer.
  2. 2Tap coins on the shelf to count the change out onto the counter. The till display adds them up.
  3. 3Get the change right and the drawer shuts, with the sentence written under the question.
  4. 4Tap Show to put the change due on the board, or leave it hidden and let the class work it out.
  5. 5Tap New for another item and price, or Again to sweep the change back and let somebody else try.

Questions

Is it a game with a score?
No. There is no score, no timer and no win screen. It is a role-play till: the drawer shutting is the answer, not a prize.
Can the class use notes?
Yes, on the up to £20 setting. The shelf has a Notes button that swaps the coins for the £5, £10 and £20 notes.
How do you take a coin back?
Undo, which takes off the last one. Again sweeps the whole lot back and keeps the same question, for the next child to try.
Does it need sound?
No. There is a chime when the drawer shuts and it can be turned off. Everything the tool teaches is on the board.