1st Grade Telling Time to the Hour and Half Hour Lesson (Free PDF)
This telling time lesson for 1st Grade covers telling time to the hour and half hour (Common Core 1.MD.B.3), with a free PDF to print.
To tell time to the hour and half hour, look at the two hands of a clock. When the long minute hand points to 12, it is an o’clock time. When it points to 6, it is half past. The short hour hand shows the hour. A digital clock shows the same time as numbers, such as 4:00 or 4:30.
Grade 1 · Common Core State Standards: 1.MD.B.3
Key facts in this telling time lesson
- The short hand is the hour hand. The long hand is the minute hand.
- Minute hand on 12 means o’clock, written with :00.
- Minute hand on 6 means half past, written with :30.
- At half past, the hour hand is halfway between two numbers.
- A digital clock shows the hour, a colon, and two digits for the minutes.
What is telling time?
A clock helps us know when things happen. School starts at a time. Lunch is at a time. Bedtime is at a time. In first grade, we tell time to the hour and to the half hour.
How do you read a time on the hour?
When the minute hand points straight up to the 12, it is an o’clock time. Look at the hour hand. It points to the hour number.
The first clock shows 3 o’clock. The second clock shows 9 o’clock. We write them as 3:00 and 9:00.
How do you read a time on the half hour?
The first clock shows half past 2, written 2:30. The hour hand has passed the 2 and has not reached the 3. The second clock shows half past 11, written 11:30.
- Find the minute hand, the long one.
- If it points to 12, say o’clock. If it points to 6, say half past.
- Find the hour hand, the short one. Say the hour it points to or has just passed.
- Write the time with a colon: the hour, then two digits for the minutes.
How do digital clocks show the time?
A digital clock uses numbers. The number before the colon is the hour. The two numbers after the colon are the minutes. Minutes 00 mean o’clock. Minutes 30 mean half past.
Both clocks show hour 5. The first has 00 minutes, so it is 5 o’clock. The second has 30 minutes, so it is half past 5.
What stays the same and what changes?
From 1:00 to 1:30 the hour stays 1. Only the minute hand moves, from the 12 to the 6. The hour hand moves a little, too, and ends halfway toward the 2.
Telling time lesson: questions and answers
What is the difference between the hour hand and the minute hand?
The hour hand is short and tells the hour. The minute hand is long and tells the minutes. For o’clock and half past times, the minute hand points to 12 or to 6.
How do you tell o’clock on an analog clock?
Check that the long hand points straight up to the 12. Then read the number the short hand points to. If the short hand is on 8, the time is 8 o’clock, or 8:00.
How do you read half past on an analog clock?
The long hand points straight down to the 6. The short hand is halfway between two numbers. Use the smaller number. If it sits between 4 and 5, the time is half past 4, or 4:30.
How do you write a time on a digital clock?
Write the hour, then a colon, then two digits for the minutes. Use 00 for o’clock and 30 for half past. So half past 9 is written 9:30.
Why is the hour hand between two numbers at half past?
In half an hour, the hour hand moves halfway to the next number. So at half past 6 it stands between the 6 and the 7.
How to use this telling time lesson
Read the definitions first, then follow the worked method line by line and redo the example on paper without looking. When every step makes sense, move on to the worksheet, then check yourself with the quiz.
Download the telling time lesson as a PDF with the button below and keep it with your notes.
Download the telling time lesson as a PDF with the button below and keep it with your notes.
All Grade 1 chapters: Grade 1 math.
