Using Counting Collections in the Classroom

Have you tried counting collections? 



Counting Collections: Kindergarten - a common core classroom friendly exercise from Luna Productions on Vimeo

This activity is a great opportunity for our primary students to gain a better understanding of counting and number, and with some modifications, I think it could be used, at some level, in the upper elementary classroom as well.

You will need to begin by creating some collections.  In the link above, they give some examples of objects you can gather for counting, but I'm sure you can find other items around your home or classroom that will work as well.  You will probably want them to be smaller in size so that storing them doesn't become much of an issue.  Hopefully, you can find other teachers in your classroom to join you, and then you can find a common space to share your different collections. This handout will also be able to help guide you as you plan for your collections and fine-tune the activity.

I think that these would be a great way to kick off your math habits to start the year.  You would be able to learn a lot about your students by interviewing and talking to them as they work on organizing and counting their collections.  

For older grades, I have thought that you could have them count objects in multiples or fractions to get a total.  You could also have them count by sets.  Packs of items...Can they count by 24 or 36? What if you offer them decks of cards? Can they count by 52s?  While they may not be fluent as they move through these unusual multiples, it will certainly aid them in developing mental math strategies.  Introducing fresh concepts through counting offers all students an access point, so students can practice new concepts using the math routine of counting.

Here is an example of a Counting Collection in a 3rd grade classroom:
Counting Collections: Third Grade - a common core classroom friendly exercise from Luna Productions on Vimeo.


Counting collections can adjust as your students develop their number sense. It is a routine that will allow students to think about better ways to organize, more efficient ways to count, and concepts of number. It can be used all year long.

What do you think about this?  How can you make it work in your classroom?  Please share your ideas!

I'd love to join in on the fun as your class does a counting collection!  If you are okay with that, let me know when you think you would like to do one, and I will see if I can join you.