Telling Time and Elapsed Time

Reading Analogü and Digital Clocks#

Knowing how to read and tell time is one of the most important life skills you will learn. In Grade 3, you will learn to read both analogü clocks (with hands) and digital clocks (with numbers) to the nearest minute.

Analogü Clock Review#

An analogü clock has a round face with:

• 12 numbers around the edge (1 through 12)
• 60 minute marks (small marks around the edge)
• A short hour hand (moves slowly)
• A long minute hand (moves faster)
• Sometimes a second hand (thin, moves fastest)

Reading the Hour Hand#

The short (hour) hand tells you the hour:

• When it points directly at a number, that is the hour
• When it is between two numbers, the hour is the smaller number (the one it has already passed)

Reading the Minute Hand#

The long (minute) hand tells you the minutes:

• When it points to 12 → 0 minutes (or :00)
• When it points to 1 → 5 minutes
• When it points to 2 → 10 minutes
• When it points to 3 → 15 minutes (quarter past)
• When it points to 6 → 30 minutes (half past)
• When it points to 9 → 45 minutes (quarter to)
• When it points to 12 → 60 minutes (next hour)

Each number on the clock = 5 minutes. To read to the nearest minute, count the small tick marks between numbers.

Reading to the Nearest Minute#

Example: Minute hand is between 3 and 4, 2 tick marks past the 3.

• The 3 = 15 minutes
• 2 more ticks = 2 more minutes
• Total: 17 minutes

Digital Clocks#

A digital clock shows time as numbers: hours : minutes

• 3:47 means 3 hours and 47 minutes
• 12:00 means noon (or midnight)
• AM = morning (midnight to noon)
• PM = afternoon and night (noon to midnight)

Writing Time#

Time is written as: hours:minutes

• 7:05 (7 hours, 5 minutes — write the zero for single-digit minutes!)
• 11:42 (11 hours, 42 minutes)