Travel Abroad – Conversion to Dollars
Learning target: use multiplication to convert between currencies
Supplies: small white boards, markers, foreign money if available
Instructions for facilitator:
1. Look up the current exchange rate for yen, loonies, Canadian dollars, Euro or use the table
below.
US Dollar
1.00 USD
British Pound
0.611267
Canadian Dollar
1.063452
Chilean Peso
533.401003
Chinese Yuan Renminbi
6.093078
Euro
0.738519
Indian Rupee
62.273429
Japanese Yen
103.092197
Norwegian Krone
Russian Ruble
Swiss Franc
6.124541
33.240301
0.908602
2. First talk about the relationship between 1 US dollar and the values below. Which currencies
have the best exchange rate? (How many Yen do you get for one dollar?)
3. What would make it easier to work with these currencies? Talk about place value and rounding to
the nearest ones, tenth or hundredth.
4. What would you like to do in _____ (pick a country to travel to)? Go to the museum? Buy an ice
cream? Get a pastry?
One pastry costs 4 kroner … you have $3. Is that enough?
Extensions:
You’d like to go to the museum in Chile. Tickets cost 420 pesos each. Lunch costs 250 pesos
each. You have $10. Can you buy tickets and lunch for your sister/brother and you?
You’re in London. You’d love to ride the huge ferris wheel. Each ticket costs 2 GBP. You have $3
in your pocket. Will you have to borrow some money?
Submitted by: Nancy Wolfe