2.5.3

Telling the Time

Test yourself

Telling the Time

The position of the hands of a clock tells us what the time is.

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Hour hand

  • Look at the hour hand first.
  • The hour hand tells you the hour of the day.
  • Once the hour hand passes a number, that number is the hour of the day until the hour hand passes the next number.
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Example

  • The hour hand is between 5 and 6.
  • That means the hour of the day is 5.
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Minute hand

  • The minute hand moves around the clock to show how many minutes have gone by.
  • When it goes all the way round it is 60 minutes (1 hour).
  • Each small division between the numbers, shows 1 minute of the minute hand.
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Minute hand

  • Each of the big numbers the minute hand passes, shows 5 minutes.
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Example

  • The minute hand is pointing to 8 minutes.

Telling the Time

The position of the hands of a clock tells us what the time is.

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O'clock

  • When the minute hand is exactly on the 12 it is the exact hour.
  • In the clock shown, the hour hand is on the 7 and the minute hand is on the 12.
    • That means it is seven o'clock.
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Past

  • When the minute hand has left the 12 and is not yet at the 6, we say past.
  • The hour hand will be just past the number.
  • In the clock shown, the hour hand is just past the 7 and the minute hand is on on the 2.
    • That means it is ten minutes past seven, or ten past seven.
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To

  • When the minute hand has left the 6 and is not yet back to the 12, we say to.
  • This means it needs some more minutes to get to the exact hour.
  • The minute hand is on the 8 and the hour hand has not quite reached the 7.
  • It is twenty minutes to seven, or twenty to seven.
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Half past

  • The minute hand is on the 6 and the hour hand is halfway between 7 and 8.
  • The minute hand has gone halfway round the clock.
  • This is 30 minutes or half an hour.
  • We say it is half past seven.
  • We don’t say a half past, 30 minutes past or half to.

Jump to other topics

1Year 3 - Number

1.1Number & Place Value

1.1.1Multiples

1.1.2Counting in Multiples

1.1.3Recognising Three-Digit Numbers

1.1.4Finding 10 More or Less than a Number

1.1.5Finding 100 More or Less than a Number

1.1.6Ordering & Comparing Numbers up to 1,000

1.1.7Writing & Reading Numbers

1.1.8Representing Numbers

1.2Addition & Subtraction

1.2.1Mental Addition & Subtraction

1.2.2Column Method

1.2.3Estimating Calculations

1.2.4Inverse Operations

1.2.5Missing Number Problems

1.2.6Real-Life Problems

1.3Multiplication & Division

1.3.1Times Tables

1.3.2Using Times Tables

1.3.3Multiplying Numbers

1.3.4Missing Number Problems

1.3.5Real-Life Problems

1.4Fractions

1.4.1Tenths

1.4.2Fractions

1.4.3Fractions Equal to a Whole

1.4.4Equivalent Fractions

1.4.5Fractions of Shapes

1.4.6Fractions of Amounts

1.4.7Add & Subtract Fractions

1.4.8Compare & Order Fractions

2Year 3 - Measurement

2.1Length

2.1.1Length

2.1.2Comparing Lengths

2.1.3Add & Subtract Lengths

2.1.4Perimeter

2.2Mass

2.2.1Mass

2.2.2Comparing Masses

2.2.3Add & Subtract Masses

2.3Volume & Capacity

2.3.1Volume & Capacity

2.3.2Comparing Volumes

2.3.3Add & Subtract Volumes

2.4Money

2.4.1Money

2.4.2Counting Money

2.4.3Adding & Subtracting Money

2.5Time

2.5.1Units of Time

2.5.2Clocks

2.5.3Telling the Time

2.5.4Time of the Day

2.5.512-Hour & 24-Hour Clocks

2.5.6Measuring Time

3Year 3 - Geometry

3.1Angles

3.1.1Angles in Degrees

3.1.2Types of Angle

3.2Properties of Shapes

3.2.12D Shapes

3.2.23D Shapes

3.3Straight Lines

3.3.1Straight Lines

3.3.2Parallel & Perpendicular Lines

4Year 3 - Statistics

4.1Statistics

4.1.1Statistics

4.1.2Pictograms & Bar Charts

5Year 4 - Number

5.1Number & Place Value

5.1.1Counting in Multiples

5.1.2Recognising Four Digit Numbers

5.1.3Find 1,000 More or Less than a Number

5.1.4Negative Numbers

5.1.5Ordering & Comparing Numbers Over 1,000

5.1.6Representing Numbers

5.1.7Rounding Numbers

5.1.8Roman Numerals

5.2Addition & Subtraction

5.2.1Written Methods for Adding Large Numbers

5.2.2Written Methods for Subtracting Large Numbers

5.2.3Estimation & Inverse Operations

5.2.4Solving Two-Step Problems

5.3Multiplication & Division

5.3.1Times Tables

5.3.2Using Times Tables

5.3.3Multiplication Rules

5.3.4Column Method

5.3.5Factors

5.4Fractions & Decimals

5.4.1Identifying Equivalent Fractions

5.4.2Adding & Subtracting Fractions

5.4.3Hundredths

5.4.4Decimals

5.4.5Converting Between Decimals & Fractions

5.4.6Rounding Decimals

5.4.7Ordering Decimals

6Year 4 - Measurement

6.1Units

6.1.1Metric Measurements

6.1.2Adding & Subtracting Money

6.2Time

6.2.1Converting Units of Time

6.2.2Changing the 12-Hour Clock to the 24-Hour Clock

6.2.3Changing the 24-hour Clock to the 12-Hour Clock

7Year 4 - Geometry

7.1Properties of Shapes

7.1.1Symmetry

7.1.2Types of Triangle

7.1.3Quadrilaterals

7.2Perimeter & Area

7.2.1Perimeter

7.2.2Area

7.3Position & Direction

7.3.1Coordinates

7.3.2Translation

8Year 4 - Statistics

8.1Statistics

8.1.1Types of Data

8.1.2Pictograms & Bar Charts

8.1.3Line Graphs

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Clocks

Time of the Day