time

reading an analogue clock

An analogue clock has hands that move around a circle. The minute hand and the hour hand work together.

• The minute hand shows how many minutes have passed in the hour.
• The hour hand shows which hour we are inside.
• When the hour hand has passed 3, we are inside the 3 o’clock hour. We are not inside the 4 o’clock hour until the hour hand reaches 4.
• The hands move together. When the minute hand is halfway around the clock, the hour hand is halfway to the next hour.

clock fractions

The clock face can be split into equal parts, just like a fraction model.

• A quarter of the way around the clock is 15 minutes.
• Halfway around the clock is 30 minutes.
• Three quarters of the way around the clock is 45 minutes.
• A whole trip around the clock is 60 minutes, or 1 hour.

ways to write time

The same time can be shown in different ways. We can use words, analogue clocks, digital time and 24-hour time.

organising time

Different tools help us organise and measure time in real life.

• Clocks help us read the time of day.
• Stopwatches measure how long something takes.
• Timers count down to zero.
• Calendars organise days, weeks, months and years.
• Timetables show when events start or finish.