Dollar Words Challenges, Long Words, Cities, and Quotes

This was our second week of algebraic exploration with Dollar Words using an ascending value code. A=1, b=2, c=3, and so on until z=26. Again, I encouraged them to use the acronym EJOTY instead of reciting the alphabet each time. E=5, J=10, O=15, T=20, Y=25. From these five letters, they should add or subtract 1, 2, or 3 to find their letter. So S=19 because it is the letter that comes before T=20. 

 

I created many challenges where I chose a category like Numbers and had them try to guess which one would be the dollar word. Some tried all, and some strategically used logic to one try the actual Dollar Word. For example, in the Numbers category, I had them look at infinity, googol, googolplex, and bazillion (not even a number but fun to say). Ironically, Bazillion is the dollar word. Other categories include, days of the week, coins, Greek philosophers, musical instruments, etc. For some words like Elephant, and told them to see if it is a dollar word, and if not, to create an actual word that would make it to 100. In this example, the value was 81 and since 19 is needed to make 100, simply add an S to make Elephants.

 

On page two, I gave them 18 dollar words so they could prove this was 100. These words are critical for the Mathletes who are still getting comfortable with place value and 10s. If you were to work with your children on all of these words, they would certainly build enough confidence to do this on their own. 

 

For example, if you value the word EXCELLENT and write the letters vertically and then each letter value to the right (IT IS CRITICAL THAT THE 10s and 1s PLACE ARE PROPERLY LINED UP), start adding the one’s place together to make tens. You will see 5 + 5, then 2+5+3, then 4+2+4 to make three 10s or 30. Adding 30 to the 7 tens or 70, you get 100. Sometimes, the sums of one’s place digits will not add to 10 so you have to make 20.

 

I did not include this page for K/1: For grades 4 and up, on the bottom of page 2 and page 3, I gave them 10 ridiculously long words that are way more than 100 to see if they could get to within 10% of the correct value. So, if a word is worth 500, I consider between 450 and 550 plus or minus 50 to be a great effort. I even gave them all of the values for the longest name of a city in Wales: 

 

llanfairpwllgwyngyllgogerychwyrndrobwllllantysiliogogogoch

 

This word is 58 letters and the value is greater than 700. Using my bracket method for connecting the one’s column digits to make 10s is critical to success.

 

Page 4 has all of the answers and then there are worksheets that follow. Pages 9 and 10 are crazy challenges for grades 6-7 which are famous quotes.

 

Have fun.

AttachmentSize
Dollar_Words_2019_k1.pdf486.49 KB
Dollar_Words_2-7th_Grade_2019.pdf605 KB