Counting Collections

Counting Collections

I have been very lucky to have had a lot of professional development in Cognitively Guided Instruction in Mathematics.  CGI math was created by Megan Franke.  She is the Guru from UCLA (my Alma Mater!!).   

This post is about counting collections.  Counting collections are a structured way to give kids an opportunity to count.  They count large items and develop number sense. 

1.  What can you use for counting collections?

•Rocks

•Paper clips

•Pom poms

•Beads

•Money

•Water beads

•Anything small…

•Objects with a given value –each red tile is worth 100, each blue tile is worth 1,000 etc.

•Sets of items

•Pictures of sets of items

2. Where can you get counting collections?

•99 cents store

•Dollar Tree

•Target

•Michaels

•Amazon

•Anywhere

3.  How do you store the counting collections?

•I put mine in quart sized Ziploc baggies and keep them in a basket

•It helps to color code them according to the size of the collection for differentiation

4. Observe, walk around and talk to the kids.  This is the most important part.  The talking is the key!!!  Questions to ask to spur thinking:

•What strategy are you using?

•Is that the most efficient way to count?

•Why did you choose to count that way?

•What will you do when you run out of cups?

•What equations can you use to find out the total?

•Is there another way to count this?

•What would you do differently next time?

5.  Have students record their thinking.  

My kids know I expect:

•Pictorial representations

•Equations

•Written explanations

•At least two ways of counting

If you want more in depth information, 

check out my product in my TPT store.  

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CGI Math.