Thomas County first graders in Tanishia Barnhart's class at Garrison-Pilcher Elementary School manipulated Q-tips to demonstrate the use of tally marks to count in math! During the number sense unit, students used their tactile learning abilities to group tallies by 5.  Young learners explored how simple items can be used as math tools.  Barnhart’s students’  learning chant, “After 4, shut the door,” helps them to remember that the fifth tally is placed diagonally on a group of 4 tallies as a visual to close out the total group of 5.

Barnhart said, “Students were able to grasp this concept with more confidence and ease when using the Q-tips as opposed to just using traditional pencil and paper.” They were given a dictated number and were required to work with their partners in formulating the number using tallies. As a partnered activity, students were engaged in accountable talk and collaborative processing.  After grouping, students extended their understanding by orally counting by fives. This skill helps students increase their development in counting and cardinality which is a prerequisite skill in 1st grade.

Barnhart observed their level of understanding through questioning techniques.  For example, Barnhart would say, “I can see that you have 3 groups of 5 and 2 left over. Can you count them by fives and give me the total number?”  The student would then demonstrate counting the groups of 5 and stopping at 15 to tell her that they are adding on the ones. Although these first graders are just learning tallies, these foundational skills create a great segue for advanced skills such as partitioning the divisor when they reach upper grades. 

Picture 1: Tyler Way; Xaviana McCoy; Khalea Cooper; Zaleria Kerbo.

Picture 2: Isaac Gonzalez; Brandi Rollins