Choral Counting - Robertson Road School

Teacher leads the class/group to:
count together (4, 8, 12, …. Or 15, 19, 23, …)
to discuss patterns in the number system,
and to connect written and verbal language.
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Choose a counting sequence
Introduce counting task to students
Start the counting sequence together
Decide when to stop for first ‘check in’.
Continue the count together
Draw count to close
Discuss the patterns (maybe do some more count)
Closing the task
Transitioning from previous activity
Seating on mat
Thumbs up for finished, have an answer in discussion phase
Turn and talk
Active listening
Builds number sense
Reinforce the language of place value: ones place, tens place,
hundreds place
Say in counting by 10 from 4 - explore why does the ones place not change, is always 4
Explore the relationships across place value eg., 100 = ten 10s = 100 ones.
Examine why every tenth number in the count is one hundred more
Reinforces mathematical language such as even, odd,
multiple
Builds a range of computational skills across the
operations
Look for and explain patterns in a set of numbers
Generalise from patterns to make predictions and conjectures
Provide mathematical justifications for why certain patterns exist.
Explaining one’s reasoning to others
Listen to each other and evaluate each other’s thinking
Use each other’s strategies
Do you have clear instructional goals: content, mathematical practices, discourse/communication goals:
to get the count out,
notice patterns,
use patterns to make a prediction,
articulate strategies,
justification of patterns.
Think about your delivery/writing on the board – is it exciting, right speed, legible
How will you elicit responses
How will you encourage sharing
How will support active listening
Have you anticipated students strategies/observations/difficulties, and potential patterns students
might share?
What do you need to consider?
Choose a count for group of students who need practice counting
past 100.
Choose a count for a group of students who need to develop a deeper
understanding of place value.
Choose a count for students working with fractions
Choose a count for students working with decimals.
Choose a backwards count.