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.

If you possess an older HMH EDC Kit in a yellow box, you may already have many of the items mentioned below. The suggested times are for teams creating new materials or replacements to display at the start of the year.

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. 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.

Step 3: (15 min. prep) Begin 1st day of school or catch up to present Day of School

See T Guide, p. 23-24 and click on Gr. 5 – EDC Photos & Question Cards at edconline.net

1. Scout ahead a location in room to put up 25 continuous feet of the blank 3-in. wide adding machine tape or sentence strips. See Sept. Photos and Questions for intro lesson idea for putting up the Counting Tape.

2. Use 1 pad of sticky notes in each of 2 colors or cut 8 sheets of yellow and 8 sheets of light blue 9” x 12” construction paper into 3” squares. The colors will alternate on the tape every ten days.

NOTE: It is important that the entire 25 ft of tape (enough for 100 3-inch sticky notes) be displayed so that sticky-notes accumulating each day of school can be seen as a growing fraction or percent of the whole tape. For example, on Day 7, 0.07 or 7% of the tape is covered with sticky notes and 0.93 or 93% of the tape remains uncovered.

3. Display one commercial Hundred Chart. If you do not have a commercial Hundred Chart, enlarge and copy TR 11 from the back of the T. Guide to create a 10″ x 10″ grid or use TR 3 and mount two 5″ x 10″ grids side-by-side on large paper to create the blank Hundred Chart.

NOTE: The spaces need to be 1-inch squares in order to use the Fraction/Decimal Pieces (TR 4-9).

4. Make 1 copy of Today We Have Record (TR 10) from back of T. Guide and place it in a sheet protector to use with dry erase. Display it beside or below blank Hundred Chart.

5. Before Day 10 print 2 copies of Tenths (TR 4) from back of T. Guide on red copy paper. Cut them into tenth strips. You will   use them to show equivalence between 0.10 and 0.1 on Day 10. See Teacher’s Guide, Sept, p. 25-28.

Step 4: (10 minutes prep)

See T. Guide, p. 21-24 and click on Gr. 5 – EDC Photos & Question Cards at edconline.net

NOTE: If your school year starts in August, wait to introduce the Depositor on September 1. If you begin school in September have the Depositor ready to introduce within the first week of school.

Option 1: Create your own

1. Use 3 sheets of white, 3 sheets of yellow, and 1 sheet of green 8 ½” x 11” copy paper or cardstock to create the pockets. Laminate with thin 1.5 mil laminate if available. Fold each paper the long way. Then fold up bottom 2 inches and staple on each side. Tape pockets together on backside to create a place value pocket chart. (See photo.)

2. Have sticky-notes handy to record the digit above each place value pocket for the number of bills of that denomination.

3. Make 18 copies of Play Money Bills (TR 2) from back of T Guide on light green copy paper. Or print 18 copies on each of 6 different colors to create denominations of different colors. (This will be enough for 6 grade 3-5 classrooms to share.) For easy access, group them by denomination into 7 library pockets or snack ziplocks, displaying a supply of bills below each pocket of the Depositor. (See photo Organize 4)

4. Make 10 copies of Inch Squared Paper (TR 3) from back of T. Guide. Place one copy near the Depositor to record the results of subtracting each day’s withdrawal for the first week.

Option 2: Use Gr. 3-5 Depositor and Play Money Bills download available for purchase at payhip.com/everydaycounts

1. Use downloaded templates to print 7 Depositor Pockets for ones to millions using 3 sheets of white for the ones period, 3 sheets of yellow for the thousands period, and one sheet of green for one million. Laminate with thin 1.5 mil laminate, if available. Use the directions printed on each copy to fold and staple each pocket. Tape pockets across the back to create a place value pocket chart. (See photo.)

2. Have sticky-notes handy to record the digit above each place value pocket for the number of bills collected of that denomination.

3. Use downloaded b/w template for each denomination of bills to print 18 copies of each denomination on a different color of copy paper listed at the bottom of each template or use the color templates to print bills in color, if color printing is an option. For easy access, group them by denomination into 7 library pockets or snack Ziplocs, displaying a supply of bills below each pocket of the Depositor. (See photo).

4. Make 10 copies of Inch Squared Paper (TR 3) from back of T. Guide. Place one copy near the Depositor to record the results of adding each day’s deposit for the first week of school.

Step 5: (10-20 minutes prep) Begin at the start of school. If you begin school in August, use the August pieces. August and September reveal the same shape pattern with different colors.

See T. Guide, p. 18-21 and click on Gr. 5 – EDC Photos & Question Cards at edconline.net

1. Prepare any school or office supply large cardstock wall calendar by creating slits at the top of each space using an Exacto knife or box cutter. Then slide a paper clip into each slit. (See photo.) Some teachers prefer to display a nylon classroom calendar with clear pockets. Models from Eamay and Arzog accommodate the size of the calendar pieces and are among the least expensive brands.

2. Pull out the three sheets of Calendar pieces for your first month of school, available both in print and as a download to print at payhip.com/everydatcounts. Display the pattern pieces on the Calendar from the 1st up to the present day of the month. Place the remaining pieces face down, so they can be revealed one day at a time.

Step 6: (10 min. prep)

See T. Guide, p. 28-29, and click on Gr. 5 – EDC Photos & Question Cards at edconline.net

1. Copy, cut, and tape together Grid Paper (TR __) to create a graph 2 spaces wide by 40 spaces long for recording the results of this draw and replace experiment.

2. Pull out the 2 green squares and 1 purple rectangle (with no numbers) from the September Calendar Pieces. A paper lunch sack, small bag, or box can be used to hold the pieces. (See photo.)

3. Place purple and green crayon near the graph.

4. Display a large piece of paper somewhere to record students predictions and to record the results of each set of draws as fractions as well as the cumulative fractions, simplifying whenever possible.

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 Gr. 5 – EDC Photos & Question Cards at edconline.net
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.

Every Day Counts® is a registered trademark of Gillespie Kanter Group, LLC

To purchase teacher guides, calendar pieces, and other display items, visit: payhip.com/everydaycounts