Math problem set Grade 2 Math

The Tanaka Family's Refill Challenge: A Grade 2 Money Math Set

A grade 2 math problem set where a fictional family compares bottled-water costs to a reusable bottle's price using addition, subtraction, and money in cents and dollars.

Grade: Grade 2
Subject: Math
Material: Math problem set
Time: 30 min
Prep: No prep
Materials: None

Standards

2.MD.C.8 Common Core Math

Solve word problems involving dollar bills, quarters, dimes, nickels, and pennies, using $ and c symbols appropriately.

How this material aligns: Problems 1 through 5 use cents and dollar amounts together, including converting 250 cents to 2 dollars and 50 cents in problem 3, matching this standard's requirement to solve money word problems using dollar and cent symbols appropriately.

All materials for 2.MD.C.8 →

2.NBT.B.7 Common Core Math

Add and subtract within 1000, using concrete models or drawings and strategies based on place value, properties of operations, and/or the relationship between addition and subtraction; relate the strategy to a written method.

How this material aligns: Problems 2, 7, and 8 add cent and dollar amounts such as 250 plus 250 that require composing new hundreds, the within-1000 place-value addition this standard targets.

All materials for 2.NBT.B.7 →

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This material is in the public domain (CC0) and may be copied, edited, and shared freely, without attribution. Updated 2026-07-16.

Objectives

Students will solve money word problems using cents and dollars for a bottled-water savings scenario.
Students will add and subtract three-digit cent amounts using place-value strategies.

Vocabulary

Key words: cents, dollars, save, total

Teacher overview

The Tanaka family, a fictional family created for this problem set, used to buy bottled water for their two kids' lunches every school day. This problem set has students figure out how much that habit cost, compare it to the price of a reusable bottle, and track how quickly the family's savings add up once they switch to refilling at the school fountain instead. A common misconception in this math is forgetting that 100 cents equal one dollar, so several problems ask students to convert a cent total into dollars and cents.

The Tanaka Family's Refill Challenge: A Grade 2 Money Math Set — Grade 2 Math

Name: ____________________________ Date: ______________

Problems

The Tanaka family is fictional, made up for this problem set. They buy 2 bottles of water each school day, at 25 cents a bottle.

How much does the family spend in one school day? Show your addition.
How much would they spend over a 5-day school week? Add the daily amount five times.
Write your answer to problem 2 in dollars and cents, like 1 dollar and 75 cents.
The family wants a reusable bottle for each kid. The two bottles cost $3 in all. They have $1 saved. How many more dollars do they need?
One week of bottled-water money is 2 dollars and 50 cents, your answer from problem 3. Is that enough to cover the $2 still needed? How much is left over, or how much more is needed?
Now the family refills the bottles for free at school. How many cents do they save on the first day?
Over a second 5-day week, how much money does the family save in total? Show your addition.
Add your answers to problems 2 and 7. This is the bottled-water money the family did not spend in two weeks. How much is it? Show your addition.

From Water for Schools (waterforschools.org). This material is in the public domain (CC0) and may be copied, edited, and shared freely.

Answer Key

Answer: 50 cents. 25 + 25 = 50 cents.
Answer: 250 cents. 50 + 50 + 50 + 50 + 50 = 250 cents.
Answer: 2 dollars and 50 cents. 250 cents equals 2 whole dollars, 200 cents, plus 50 more cents.
Answer: $2. $3 - $1 = $2.
Answer: Yes, it is enough. 2 dollars and 50 cents is more than the $2 still needed, leaving 50¢ left over. 250¢ - 200¢ = 50¢.
Answer: 50 cents. This matches the same daily amount from problem 1, since the family now keeps the money it used to spend on 2 bottles.
Answer: 250 cents (2 dollars and 50 cents). 50 + 50 + 50 + 50 + 50 = 250 cents, the same math as problem 2.
Answer: $5 (500 cents). 250 + 250 = 500 cents, and 500 cents equals 5 dollars.

Differentiation

Support

Provide a hundred-cents chart or a drawing of dollar bills and coins for students to use while converting cents to dollars in problems 3 and 8. Allow a number line marked in 50-cent jumps for the addition problems.

Extension

Ask students to figure out how many full weeks of the fictional Tanaka family's reusable-bottle savings it would take to save $10 in new money, beyond the $1 they already had, and show their work.

ELL supports

Pre-teach "cents," "dollars," and "save" using real or play coins and a dollar bill. Allow students to show their work for problems 1, 2, and 7 using drawn coins instead of only written equations.