Cents or Nonsense?

1. Set Focus 
Pose this essential question: Why are national symbols important to people?

2. Read and Discuss 
Have students read the article, marking key ideas and questions. Then ask them to answer the following questions, citing text evidence: 

• How is the title of the article a play on words? How do the title and images work together to indicate what the article might discuss? (The word nonsense in the title includes the word sense, a homophone for cents, creating a play on words: cents or non-cents (or no cents)—the gist of the article. The title and pictures work together to indicate that the article might discuss a nonsensical wasting of money in relation to minting the penny.)

• What are some reasons to retire the penny? What are some reasons to keep minting it? (Reasons to retire it include that the cost of making a penny is more than a penny is worth and many people do not use pennies. Reasons to keep minting the penny include that some prices would likely be rounded up without it, some people without bank accounts rely on pennies when buying goods, and many people are sentimental about the penny.)

• The author says proponents of the penny think that Americans would never go for rounding up cash transactions. Why do they say Americans would never go for it? Do you agree? Why or why not? (They say Americans would never go for it because it would be an extra “tax” on cash transactions. Responses to the opinion question will vary but should be logically supported.)

3. Core Skill Practice
Assign, print, or project the activity In Their Own Words. Have students identify the speaker for each quotation from the article and paraphrase their words.

4. Writing Prompt
Write a public service announcement urging viewers to spend or donate the pennies they had forgotten about. Include at least one statistic from the article.

5. Classroom Debate
Should the U.S. stop minting the penny?

6. Quiz & Skills
Use the quiz to assess comprehension and the Be the Editor skill sheet to review grammar skills.