Time to the Nearest Hour and Half Hour Unit of Study: Money and Time Global Concept Guide: 4 of 5

Content Development The goal of this GCG is to build students understanding of time by first telling time on a number line using only an hour hand. While this may be new to some teachers, research (NCTM) shows that first developing the concept of the hour hand using a number line increases student understanding of time. See “Directions to Number Line Clock” link in GCG. This link also has pictures as shown below to build teacher understanding. The teacher can take the number line and make it into a circle to show how the clock is also a number line. This helps students understand that when the hour hand is between the 3 and 4, the hour is 3 and it is half way to 4. The time would be about 3:30.

Day 1  The goal of Day 1 is to build student understanding of the clock as a number line and to show students they can estimate the time by looking at the hour hand.  Using only the hour hand students can make statements as shown to the right.  Teachers will want to imbed AM/PM throughout lessons on time and throughout out the school day. “We arrive at school in the A.M. and dismiss in the P.M.” “What happens when the hour hand moves past the 12?”  Once students demonstrate understanding of time and the hour hand (using the number line) see the link “Student Practice” under Lesson Ideas on the GCG. This can be used for independent practice or mini assessment.

Day 2  The goal of Day 2 is to build understanding of time to the hour and half hour.  Building on the learning from Day 1, students can estimate the time to the hour and half hour without even looking at the minute hand!  When using parts of the Go Math lesson in 7.8 the teacher will want to focus on the placement of the hour hand.  After students understand how they can use the hour hand to estimate the time, facilitate student discussion about how the location of the hour hand relates to the position of the minute hand. See Math Talk in Action TE p.367.

Enrich/Reteach/Intervention  Enrich – Provide students opportunities to relate time to real life events, for example, making a daily schedule and create corresponding times/clock faces.  Reteach – Give students more opportunities to build understanding with the number line and hour hand before moving on to include the minute hand.

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