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Telling the Time

Maths: Year 3 & 4 National Curriculum, topic 2.5.3

Telling the Time

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

Hour hand

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.
Example

Example

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

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.
Minute hand

Minute hand

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

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.

O'clock

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.
Past

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.
To

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.
Half past

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.

Test yourself on Telling the Time

  • If the minute hand on a clock goes from 12 to 6, how many minutes have passed?

  • If the minute hand on a clock goes from 12 to 8, how many minutes have passed?

  • If the minute hand on a clock goes from 12 to 2, how many minutes have passed?

  • Which hour of the day does the clock's hour hand show?

  • How many minutes of the minute hand do the small divisions between the numbers represent?

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