What Time Is It?

Lesson Plan - Get It!

Audio:

• What is an analog clock?

Most analog clocks are round and have numbers 1-12 going around the outside. This circle is called the face of the clock.

There are two hands on the clock: a shorter hand and a longer hand.

The shorter hand is called the hour hand. It tells you the hour.

The longer hand is called the minute hand. It tells you the minutes.

• So, how do you use the hands to tell time?

When the short hour hand points to a number, it tells you what hour it is. If it points to 4, it’s in the 4 o’clock hour. If it points to 10, it’s in the 10 o’clock hour.

• Easy, right?

Now, here’s where it gets a little tricky. The long minute hand uses those same numbers, but the numbers don’t mean the same thing anymore. When you’re reading the minutes, each number stands for 5 minutes.

Here are some examples.

When the minute hand points to the 1, that’s 5 minutes.

When it points to the 2, that’s 10 minutes.

When it points to the 3, that’s 15 minutes…and so on.

Here is a question for you.

• How many minutes are in 1 hour?

Well, the minute hand has to go all the way around the clock to complete an hour. There are 12 numbers, and each one is worth 5 minutes. So, you could multiply 12 x 5.

• What is 12 x 5?

That's right, 60. So, there are 60 minutes in 1 hour. The 12 is when the minutes start back over at zero. So, when the minute hand points to the 12, say "o'clock."

Look at the clock below to see what this looks like.

• What number is the hour hand pointing to?

Yes! The 7, so the hour is 7.

• What number is the minute hand pointing to?

It is pointing to the 12. Remember, when the minute hand points to the 12, you say "o'clock." So, according to this clock, the time is 7 o'clock.

Try another example.

• What hour is it?

Right! The hour hand is pointing to 11, so it’s 11 o’clock.

• How do you figure out the minutes?

The minute hand is pointing to the 3. Remember, each number is worth 5 minutes. Skip count by fives: 5, 10, 15. That means it’s 11:15.

Here's another trick: You can solve a multiplication problem to figure out the minutes.

If the minute hand points to 7, you can multiply 7 by 5 to get the minutes: 7 x 5 = 35. So the time would be something-thirty-five!

Try one last clock.

• Which number is the hour hand pointing to?

It is a little tricky because it is right between two numbers: 9 and 10. Because it is not to the 10 yet, you would still say it is in the 9 o'clock hour.

• But why is the hour hand not pointing to the number exactly?

This is because the minute hand zooms around the clock, traveling to each number on the clock every single hour. However, the hour hand takes the whole 60 minutes to move to the next number.

This means that if the hour hand is halfway between 9 and 10, it is half past 9 or 9:30.

Double-check by looking at the minute hand. It points to 6. Remember to skip count by fives: 5, 10, 15, 20, 25, 30. That makes the time 9:30.

Another strategy is to multiply 6 x 5 to get your minute value.

• Ready to continue practicing?

Head to the Got It? section for fun activities and games to practice telling time on an analog clock!