Choral Counting by 4s: Noticing Patterns to Build Multiplicative Reasoning
By Cindy Aossey (KCM) & Funda Gonulates (NKU)
Choral Counting, as described in Choral Counting and Counting Collections (Franke et al, 2018)
is a whole class-counting routine that makes patterns in counting sequences visible to students.
When used to explore a skip counting sequence, such as counting by 4s, students develop early
multiplicative reasoning by noticing patterns and making sense of repeated groups. In this video,
we walk through a skip count by 4s, supported by concrete representations of groups of four alongside
a teacher's annotation of the growing pattern. We offer suggestions for purposeful pauses and
questions that help students notice patterns, identify how each count increases by four, and
connect repeated addition to emerging multiplicative ideas. Through these examples, we talk
about how students learn to recognize structure, describe patterns across the count, and build
a foundation for reasoning with equal groups and early multiplication.
Targeted Standards: KY.3.OA.1
Resources:
- Choral Counting & Counting Collections by Megan Franke, Elham Kazemi and Agnela Chan Turrou (2018)
- Teacher Education by Design This website has numerous resources including planning pages, examples, suggested tasks, videos, and more!
