Step 1: (30 minutes)
If you are new to Every Day Counts, read the front matter (p. 5-9) in the Every Day Counts teacher’s guide and August/September (p. 16-17). This will help you get to know the EDC elements and how to set up for the start of school.

Step 2: (5 – ? minutes)

Examine your room set-up to find the best place to display Every Day Counts so that all students can see all the elements. A bulletin board is handy for pinning up the materials, but if such a board is not present or not in a good location for viewing, many teachers have been able to place the calendar and other elements on a wall, whiteboard, or chalkboard using tape or magnets. Some have even placed a science display board or sheet of foam core in the chalk tray to tape, or pin elements to using T pins. It is nice if you can gather the children up close to view the Calendar and other elements.

Step 3: (25 min. prep) Begin 1st day of school or catch up to present Day of School
See T Guide, p. 23-25 and click on Samples – Photos and Questions 2 at edconline.net

Unroll and put up at least 15 feet of the blank Adding Machine Tape or sentence strips. The Counting Tape needn’t be in the same part of the room as the other elements on the board as long as everyone can see it.

Pull the 3″ blue and yellow colored paper squares from the Every Day Counts Kit or use pads of blue and yellow post-its, or cut 3” squares from light blue and yellow 9”x12” inch construction paper (or two other light colors). You will be attaching one color of squares on each of the first ten days of school and then alternate with the other color every other ten days to 120.

Locate the blank Hundred Chart in the Every Day Counts Kit and laminate it, if possible. To prevent staining, have a black overhead pen available. Dry Erase will stain laminate. Or enlarge TR 24: Blank Hundred Chart to print on 11” x 17” paper to create a 10″ x 10″ blank grid, then mount on 12″ x 12″ construction paper.

As early in the new school year as possible, catch up the Hundred Chart to the Day of School and then continue to add one new number for each day of school thereafter. See Teacher’s Guide, p. 23.

Step 4: (10 min. prep) Begin early in the school year to show Day of School in cents, trading pennies for nickels, and nickels for dimes, whenever possible.

See T. Guide, p. 25-26 and click on Samples – Photos and Questions 2 at edconline.net

Attach three small clear pockets from the Every Day Counts Kit to the bulletin board, one each for pennies, nickels, and dimes.

Display a matching large Demo Coin from the Every Day Counts Kit beside each pocket.

Place Coin Counter Record (TR8) into a large clear pocket from the Kit or laminate and place by Coin Counter. Use ONLY overhead transparency pens because dry erase will stain the laminate and plastic. Place supply of real coins (5 pennies, 2 nickels, 4 dimes) in re-sealable baggie nearby.

Step 5: (25 minutes prep) No lamination needed. Begin the 1st of September or catch it up to present day in September.
Note: If you begin school in August or are year round, you may choose to use the August pieces for your first month of school. August and September reveal the same basic pattern.

See T. Guide, p. 18-20 and click on Samples – Photos and Questions 2 at edconline.net

Prepare Calendar by creating slits on slit marks using an Exacto knife, box cutter, or sharp scissors and placing a regular or large-size metal paper clip in each slit. (No longer in some EDC Kits.)

Pull out ONLY the first 3 sheets of August or September Calendar Pieces from the Calendar and Calendar Pieces packet and pull them apart. Leave the other sheets undisturbed for now! Display the current month’s pieces on the Calendar from 1st of the month up to the present day of the month. After the present date, place the remaining pieces face down under each paper clip (so they can be turned over one at a time on each new day of the month).

For children having birthdays during this first month, write each child’s name and birthday on a Birthday Marker (TR 5) and invite the children to place their markers on the Calendar.

Step 6: Locate the Computations and Connections poster from the Every Day Counts Kit.

See T. Guide, p.20-22, and click on Samples – Photos and Questions 2 at edconline.net

Create slits on slit marks and insert metal paper clips to hold two small clear pockets from the Kit on the left side. Locate Double Ten Grids (TR 12) from Teacher Resource Cardstock and attach some to the right side of mat. Attach paper strips for recording equations across the bottom. Place 10 buttons, pennies, or plastic counters (from EDC Kit) in a container nearby along with red and blue felt marking pens for creating a +0,+1, +2 fact card nearly every day.

You are done!

This is everything you will need to begin sharing the September elements with your students. September requires the greatest preparation time. Next month you will continue to use these materials and add in a couple of new items. By November all the elements will be introduced reducing preparation time for the remaining months.

To see Question Starter Cards click on SAMPLES:
The note cards you see accompanying each photo with starter questions can be printed as PDF files, cut apart, and mounted on 5×7 note cards for your easy reference during Every Day Counts discussions. During the month, please add to your cards questions of your own design or questions from your reading that you want to remember to try out. Some questions should aim at simply having students examine the data and describe what they see. Others questions should require students to engage in higher level thinking, requiring them to reason, analyze, make predictions, and form generalizations about concepts being explored each month.