Check the Clock

Goal: Figure out what time the next activity begins

Grades: 3, 4, 5, 6, 7

Group size: Any

Time: 10 minutes or less

Spotlight: Adding with time—5 minutes at a time

Materials:

A clock or watch that display minutes

Prerequisites:

Some familiarity with telling time

1. Talk through the time

As you review the afternoon schedule, make sure that children know:

• What time it is now (round to the nearest 5 minutes).

• How long until the next activity begins.

It’s 4:25 now. It’s our turn to go out to the playground in 20 minutes. What time will that be?

2. Figure out the starting time

Ask children to hold their answers until everyone has found a solution.

If needed, help them count up 5 minutes at a time.

What time will it be in 5 minutes? What will that look like on my watch? And then we’ll have 15 minutes left. What’s 15 minutes after 4:30?

Variations

Sticking with Choices (Grades 3, 4)

At choice time, ask children to stick with a particular choice for at least 10 minutes. They check the clock to figure out when they may move on to something else.

24-hour Time (Grades 3, 4, 5, 6, 7)

Spend an afternoon with the children using 24-hour time (used by the U.S. military and in many other nations). The hour after 12 noon is 13:00, instead of 1:00 p.m.; the next is 14:00, instead of 2:00 p.m.; and so on.

Departure Time (Grades 5, 6, 7)

Children plan and schedule a short field trip. For instance, plan a library visit that includes 10 minutes on the bus each way and a 30-minute stay at the library. They figure out when to leave in order to be back by 5:00.

Books and Other Resources

Book ideas to come!

Spotlight

Adding with time—5 minutes at a time

Multiples of 5 minutes are a practical way to work with time. Counting by fives is a familiar sequence, and many analog clocks are numbered for each 5-minute interval.

clock Working with time also helps children learn about the structure of 60 minutes in one hour:

It’s 3:55 in the afternoon, so …

in 5 minutes it will be 4:00
in 60 minutes, it will be 4:55.

By contrast, with numbers:

355 + 5 = 360
355 + 60 = 415

Connections

Time Management

“When can we leave?” When children ask questions like this, help them figure out the answers. That way, they begin to learn time management skills: keeping track of time, determining how much time is available, learning what’s possible to accomplish in a certain period, and breaking time into manageable chunks such as 5, 15, or 30 minutes.

Time management also involves knowing when it makes sense to be early or late. Arriving early for a concert may ensure that you get a good seat, but leaving too much time to wait alone at a bus stop at night could be dangerous.

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