Lesson 11

Tell Time with Halves and Quarters

Lesson Purpose

The purpose of this lesson is for students to tell time with an analog clock using the words half past, quarter past, and quarter till.

Lesson Narrative

In grade 1, students learned to tell and write time to the hour and half-hour. They related representations of time to the half-hour on analog clocks to circles partitioned into halves. In previous lessons, students partitioned shapes, including circles, into halves and quarters.

In this lesson, students connect their understanding of partitioning a circle into equal pieces to using the words “half past,” “quarter past,” and “quarter till” to tell time (MP2). Some students may already be familiar with telling time to the nearest 5-minute increments. If they read a clock as 4:15 rather than quarter past 4, ask if they can find another way to state the time using these phrases.

  • Representation
  • MLR8

Learning Goals

Teacher Facing

  • Tell time from an analog clock using the words half past, quarter past, and quarter till.

Student Facing

  • Let’s tell time with halves and quarters.

Required Materials

Materials to Gather

Materials to Copy

  • Halves and Quarters Clock Sort

Required Preparation

Activity 1:

  • Gather an analog clock (large wall clock or a Judy clock) or video of an analog clock that can be used to demonstrate the movement of the hour hand as the minute hand moves round the clock face in the activity synthesis. Video: https://vimeo.com/454805326

Activity 2:

  • Create a set of cards from the blackline master for each group of 2. 

CCSS Standards

Building On

Addressing

Building Towards

Lesson Timeline

Warm-up 10 min
Activity 1 15 min
Activity 2 20 min
Lesson Synthesis 10 min
Cool-down 5 min

Teacher Reflection Questions

What connections did students make between partitioning circles into halves and quarters and identifying halves and quarters of the clock? How did these connections allow students to more easily tell time using “half past,” “quarter after,” and “quarter till?” 

Suggested Centers

  • How Are They the Same? (1–5), Stage 2: Grade 2 Shapes (Addressing)
  • Can You Draw It? (1–5), Stage 2: Grade 2 Shapes (Addressing)
  • Which One? (K–5), Stage 3: Grade 2 Shapes (Addressing)

Print Formatted Materials

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Additional Resources

Google Slides

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PowerPoint Slides

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