First Grade · Math · week 28

Clock parts; time to the hour

Name the parts of a clock and read and tell time to the hour.

A clock has two hands: the SHORT hand points to the hour, and the LONG hand points to the minutes. When the long hand points straight up at the 12, and the short hand points right at a number, it is exactly that hour o'clock.

To read time to the hour, find the short hand first -- that number IS the hour. Then check that the long hand is on the 12.

📋 For the teacher
Teach it (10–15 min):
  • Use a real clock with hands, or a play clock, so your child can move the hands themselves.
  • Always name the hands by length (short and long), not left and right or big and small, to stay consistent.
  • Practice setting the clock to o'clock times you call out.
  • Connect o'clock times to your child's real daily schedule -- "we eat dinner at 6 o'clock."
Talk about it:
  • What does the short hand tell you?
  • Where does the long hand point at an exact o'clock time?
  • What time do you usually go to bed?

Mastery looks like: They correctly read and set a clock to any exact hour, o'clock, time.

Common stumbles: Mixing up which hand is which; reading the number the long hand is near instead of checking that it is on the 12.

Homework for this lessonType it, write it with a stylus, or print it for pencil & paper.open →
Records attendance + 15 min of Math for this learner.
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