Time
🎯 In this topic you will
- Explain how to read o’clock and half past times on an analogue clock
- Identify the correct positions of the hour and minute hands for o’clock and half past
- Name the days of the week and the months of the year
- Recognise and use repeating patterns in days and months
🧠 Key Words
- afternoon
- clock
- evening
- half past
- hands
- hour
- minute
- morning
- o’clock
- today
- tomorrow
- week
- yesterday
- month
- year
Show Definitions
- afternoon: The part of the day between midday and evening.
- clock: A device used to measure and show the time.
- evening: The later part of the day between afternoon and night.
- half past: A time expression meaning 30 minutes after the hour.
- hands: The moving parts of a clock that point to the hour and minutes.
- hour: A unit of time equal to 60 minutes.
- minute: A unit of time equal to 60 seconds.
- morning: The early part of the day from sunrise until midday.
- o’clock: A term used to show an exact hour with no minutes past.
- today: The current day.
- tomorrow: The day after today.
- week: A period of seven days.
- yesterday: The day before today.
- month: A unit of time that divides the year into about 12 parts.
- year: A period of 12 months or about 365 days.
🕒 Why Learning Time Matters
Telling the time is an important skill to learn and can be very useful. Clocks can help you wake up in time for school, know when it is time for lunch, and find out when your favourite TV show is about to start. Once you have learned how to read a clock, you can use this skill every day of your life.
❓ EXERCISES
1. Complete each sentence by drawing a line from the word to the space.
In the __________________ I get out of bed.
In the __________________ I get into bed.
Today is __________________.
Tomorrow will be __________________.
Yesterday was __________________.
👀 Show answer
In the evening I get into bed.
Today is (answers will vary).
Tomorrow will be (the next day).
Yesterday was (the previous day).
❓ EXERCISES
2. There are $7$ days in a week. Write the missing days. Use the list to help you.
👀 Show answer
3. Write the times under these clocks.
👀 Show answer
4. Write the o’clock time under each clock.
👀 Show answer
5. What o’clock time does the clock show?
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6. Draw a ring around the correct time.
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7. The long hand is pointing to $6$. What half past time does the clock show?
👀 Show answer
8. The long hand is pointing to $6$. What half past time does the clock show?
👀 Show answer
🧠 Think like a Mathematician
Task: Work through the clocks and decide what time each one could be showing.
All of these clocks have a hand missing. Sometimes it is the hour hand. Sometimes it is the minute hand.
Write the time you think the clock is showing.
Follow-up Question:
👀 show answer
- 1: You check whether the visible hand matches the correct position for the time you chose. For example, if the minute hand points to $12$, the time must be an o’clock time. If it points to $6$, the time must be half past. The hour hand should also be in the correct position for that time.
🕰️ Looking Closely at Clock Hands
Look more closely at the position of the hands on a clock. Many years ago, clocks only had one hand. The days of the week and the months of the year always come in the same order, just like numbers.
❓ EXERCISES
1. What time is it? Write the time in words below each clock.
👀 Show answer
2. What time is it? These clocks only have one hand. Write the time in words below each clock.
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3. Today is Monday. What day will it be tomorrow? __________
Today is Friday. What day was it yesterday? __________
Today is Thursday. What day will it be in $2$ days’ time? __________
Today is Monday. What day was it yesterday? __________
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4. Complete these sentences.
There are __________ days in a week.
Two days of the week begin with S.
They are __________ and __________.
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❓ EXERCISES
5. It is February.
What is the next month? __________
It is August.
Which month was it last month? __________
It is October.
Which month was it last month? __________
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6. Complete these sentences.
There are __________ months in a year.
Two months begin with the letter A.
They are __________ and __________.
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🧠 Think like a Mathematician
Task: What is your age in months and years?
Use your months of the year wheel to help you find out.
Are you older or younger than Zara?
Follow-up Question:
👀 show answer
- 1: Zara is $6$ years and $3$ months old. Compare your age (in years and months) with $6$ years $3$ months to decide whether you are older or younger.