Choral Counting

About this tool

Choral Counting is the beloved whole-class routine — count aloud together while the teacher records — without the hand-drawn chart that drifts, smudges, and ends up in the recycling. You choose where to start, what to count by, and how many columns (the secret planning lever: columns decide which patterns line up). Then the class chants and you tap: each tap inks the next number onto the chart with a warm pen-pop, and a coral halo keeps the current number findable from the back row. The tool never advances on its own — every pause for a turn-and-talk belongs to you. Flip on spoken numbers and the room hears each numeral in your language while the digits stand on the chart.

When the counting stops, the noticing begins. Pick up a marker and wash any cell, tap a column header to highlight the whole line, or tint every ones digit at once — “the ones repeat, the tens climb” becomes something children can point at. Tap any empty cell to leave a wonder mark: a friendly “?” the class watches until the count arrives there and the number simply inks in — no right or wrong, just arrival. Counting by 1s and 10s is free forever, with wonder marks and spoken numbers included; all skips and starts, counting down, the markers and digit tints, planned counts by grade, and saved counts to revisit tomorrow are part of Premium.

How to use it in class

• Choose a start number, a skip, and a column count — or open the planned counts and pick one for your grade.
• As the class chants, tap Next (or press Space) to ink each number; pause anywhere to talk — the chart waits.
• Tap an empty cell to leave a wonder mark: “what will go here?” — then keep counting until the number arrives.
• After the count, arm a marker to highlight cells, columns, or every ones digit — and ask: what do you notice?

Classroom ideas

• Morning circle warm-up: three quick counts — forward by 1s, by 10s, then backwards from 20 — with the class conducting the pace.
• The off-decade classic: start at 7 and count by 10s. Tint the ones digits and watch the frozen 7 astonish your class.
• Save Tuesday’s count mid-grid, and on Wednesday resume it: “where were we? What comes next?” — the halo remembers.