What are Counting Collections?

Counting Collections is a structured opportunity for children to count a collection of objects. They might count the items one-by-one or skip-count by groups. While students are working the teacher will circulate, observing children’s strategies, problem solving with students, highlighting efficient strategies that are being used, discussing recordings, and supporting partners to work together meaningfully. At the end of the session, they might conclude with ideas that emerged from students during the task.

Counting Principle #1 Ordered Sequence of Numbers

 Students know the ordered sequence of counting numbers and that numbers are always assigned to items in the same order starting at one. 

Counting Principle #2 One-to-One Correspondence

Exactly one number from the counting sequence is assigned to each item in the collection. 

Counting Principle #3 Cardinality

The last number in the counting sequence assigned to the collection represents the number of objects in the collection.