School Day Count Routine

Each day a student adds one straw or craft stick to the ones pocket or cup.   The student holds up each straw in the ones pocket and leads the class in an oral count.   The student and class decide if they have enough straws to make a bundle (of ten) to move to the tens place.   Students will quickly begin to make predictions that "tomorrow is a bundle day" or "Friday will be a bundle day."   


After leading the class in an oral count of straws in all pockets, the student makes the change in the posted number so that it reflects how many days they have been in school and how many straws they have collected in the school day count pockets.   If students use labeled cups to hold straws, then use a school day count poster to write the days.   Laminate the poster and let students use dry-erase markers to change the number of days.

• Download a School Day Count poster that may be laminated or inserted in a sheet protector so that students may use dry erase markers to record the appropriate digits for the day's count.