Is There Enough Money? Circle Yes or No, Then Write the Total

Yes and no sit in two outlined ovals beside the working box on both cards of this 2nd grade money worksheet, and neither can be circled honestly until the adding is done. Five vehicles hold up the shelf at the top with tags at 15¢, 20¢, 40¢, 35¢ and 30¢. Anna has 45¢ and wants two of them; Emma has 40¢ and wants two others. Each card gives the amount in the pocket, shows the two vehicles as pictures, and asks for the circle and then the total in a dashed box marked ¢.

This is the one money question that ends in a judgment rather than a number, and it is the reason the page also asks for the total. A child can circle yes or no by feel, and about half the time be right; writing the total underneath forces the comparison to be made rather than guessed, and it shows the teacher whether a correct circle came from correct arithmetic. Comparing a sum against an amount in hand is also the most common piece of real shopping arithmetic there is, which is why it earns a page of its own rather than one card in a mixed set.

Print the PDF free and check the totals before the circles when marking, since a right circle over a wrong total is the answer to watch for. Asking how much more would be needed, or how much would be left, extends either card into a spoken problem without any more paper. How much change is the companion page where money is handed over and returned, and add up the basket is where the totals themselves are practiced. The four questions page is where this type sits beside the other three.