- Choose a collection and a partner
- Estimate how many objects:
- What number would be too low?
- What number would be too high?
- What strategies can we use for making estimates?
- Count:
- It’s important for everyone to count the collection together.
- older counters shouldn’t tell younger children how to count.
- To encourage discussions, you can ask questions like:
- How are you going to count the items?
- What tools might be helpful? You can use different things to help you count, like number charts, trays, cups, or number lines.
- Is there another way you could count? Will you get the same number if you count differently?
- Which way is faster? Which way is more accurate?
- I got a different number when I counted the items. How can we check? It’s okay to give some help by offering a tool, asking a question, or showing a different way to count, but try not to tell others how to count.
- Record:
- Ask each child to write down how they counted. For younger children, this can be as simple as drawing a picture and writing down how many.
- Ask: How does your picture (or equation) show how you counted?
- Consolidate Learning:
- Focus on what you are learning about:
- how numbers work
- the patterns in math
- the tools and strategies that can help us.
- Try not to focus only on the answers.
- Is there another way you could count? Will you get the same number if you count differently?
- Which way is faster? Which way is more accurate?
- I got a different number when I counted the items. How can we check? It’s okay to give some help by offering a tool, asking a question, or showing a different way to count, but try not to tell others how to count.
- Focus on what you are learning about:
RESOURCES: The routine has value pre-K through high school.
Videos:
Youtube videos for parents:
Elham Kazemi’s site (one of the Book authors): Scroll down to Supporting ambitious instruction in elementary mathematics through school-wide professional learning. There are videos there for choral counting and counting collections at different grade levels, which may be useful for both you and your parents.
The hashtags #countingcollections and #countingcollectionsathome are used on X (Twitter) to share photos, videos and ideas.
Other Resources: Jen Barker’s website Meaningful Math Moments, is a great place for getting started with Choral Counting, Counting Collections and many other Numeracy Routines.
This page from Megan Franke (also an author of the Counting Collections book) has lots of video examples and information on what to look for in counting. You may find some of it useful in supporting parent’s understandings.
Janice Novakowski has several blog posts on her website about Counting Collections. You might start with this one about outdoor collections during outdoor learning.
I really like this short blog post about the potential of Counting Collections.
Recording Sheet examples:
Mathing Around 