In this chapter, your student is learning to tell time to the hour and half hour. We will start using only hour hands on an analog clock, then we will use the minute hand. Later, we will use digital clocks. The vocabulary words for this chapter are: analog clock, hour hand, hour, o’clock, half hour, half past, minute hand, minute, and digital clock.

Here are a few situations that you can use to practice telling time.  

• Guide your student to number a paper plate to look like the face of a clock. Start with 12 and 6, then label 9 and 3, and finally fill in the numbers between. Cut out hour and minute hands from paper and attach them to the clock using a metal brad or paper clip. Ask your student to show a given time on the clock. For example, say, “You have a piano lesson at 4 o’clock. Show the time on your clock.” Ask your student to explain how to set the clock. If your student confuses the hands, point out that “minute” is a longer word than “hour,” and relate this to the fact that the minute hand is longer than the hour hand.
• When getting ready for school, have your student watch the clock for given times. For example, say, “We need to eat breakfast at 7 o’clock. What will the clock look like at that time?” Then have your student tell you when the clock shows the given time. Repeat with other times, such as the time your student needs to leave the house.
• Throughout the day, ask your student to look at the clock and tell the time, then explain how he or she knows the time (to the hour and half hour only). If reading an analog clock, have your student tell what the time would look like on a digital clock, and vice versa.

By the end of this chapter, your student should feel confident with the learning targets and success criteria on the next page. Encourage your student to look for clocks and tell the time.

Have a great time practicing telling time together!