Counting Collections
Introductory Lesson
What is Counting Collections?
Below, I have included a video of myself introducing Counting Collections to a second grade class. I have also included some pointers and instructions of how to get started with Counting Collections in your classroom. Two of the most important pieces to a Counting Collections lesson are the student led debrief and the recording sheet. Please be sure to read the information about those two things near the end of the page.
If you have any questions, please contact me!
What You'll Need:
Below is a list of items to help give you some ideas.
Easy Things to Collect!
Easy and CHEAP Tools to Provide Kids!
Differentiate!
I colored dots on each Ziplock bag with a Sharpie and used the range shown in this picture. Kids are going to lose some of these items! Do not try to remember how many exact items are supposed to be in each bag.
Working in Pairs
KINDERGARTEN TEACHERS:
I would not suggest them working in partners to begin with. (You eventually want to teach them how to work together though so they CAN work in pairs.) I would also suggest letting half of your class do counting collections the first day you do this while the other half of the class goes to stations. Then let the other half do it the next day. That way it isn't so overwhelming for the teacher. Once the students catch on to Counting Collections routines, you can let the entire class do it all at once.
Mini Lesson & Student Led Debrief
At the end of the video, did you notice how quickly the girls discovered there was a more efficient way to count? It was ALL because of the student led debrief. I didn't tell them ANYTHING! The debrief is POWERFUL.
You want this debrief to also be your mini lesson the next time you do Counting Collections. In the video, my mini lesson was a little different because it was a way to initiate Counting Collections for the first time. If I did Counting Collections again with the class, I would begin my mini lesson by having the same students who led the last debrief re-share their strategy/plan during the mini lesson to remind the kids of an efficient strategy they can try on that day.
RECORDING SHEET = FORMATIVE ASSESSMENT
I have included some pictures below of recording sheets that students completed. Read each comment to see what I feel the next steps should be for each child.
Also -- I have attached a Counting Collections Framework that you can find at the bottom of the page. This will be VERY helpful for you as you determine next steps for your students! Some wonderful AMSTI Math Specialists gave this to me and said that I could share with you all!
Counting by 5's
Counting by 10's
**THIS WOULD BE MY NEXT DEBRIEF**
I recently had a student explain during the debrief why he drew his picture to look like a ten frame. The next time we did counting collections, he reminded the kids of this during the mini lesson. You wouldn't believe the improvement in the students' drawings that day!
About Me
K-5 School Improvement Math Specialist
Limestone County Schools
Email: emily.paschall@lcsk12.org
Twitter: @EmilyAPaschall