Counting in ones, and writing down numbers in ones is called unary. It is called base1. This means 1 is the highest, and only, mark you can make before you need to add another unit.
Counting to 5 in Unary
1 ★
2 ★★
3 ★★★
4 ★★★★
5 ★★★★★
Expanded value - Unary
Below is a really complicated looking table for a really simple thing - counting objects one at a time.
This kind of table is more helpful when the numbers get harder.