Teaching students to tell time can be a struggle each year, especially with how digital our world has become. Students need a lot of exposure and practice with this much-needed skill. I've found the best way to help students fully grasp the standard is by incorporating telling time throughout the year and not just when it hits in the pacing guide. Here are 5 easy-to-implement telling time centers that can be used throughout the year for repeated practice.
Students will love to make their own personal telling time clock. This set comes with everything you need, besides markers or crayons! I love how the hour numbers flip up to help support students who struggle with understanding the minutes. I like to have students color the minute hand blue and the hour hand red. This helps to make sure all students are using the correct hand during whole group lessons. Start off the year creating this clock and have students pull it out daily for a quick lesson.
Another great way to incorporating telling time into the classroom daily is by implementing the Dry Erase Clocks. Students can record the digital and analog time on a clock using a dry erase marker. This is a great way to quickly assess who grasps the skill. Students will love to hold up their own special clock paddle!
Math center time is a perfect time to add in more practice with telling time. Students love to practice telling time to the hour, half hour, and quarter-hour using this adorable Hickory Dickory Dock Time Matcing Puzzles. This is perfect for small groups to quickly assess a student, also!
Teaching Time Magnetic Activity Set is a self-checking activity that students love! This center can be used to have students read a digital clock card and then create the analog clock using the magnetic hands. Or students can read the analog clock and create the digital clock using magnetic numbers. This is an amazing center that allows you to differentiate to meet all learner's needs.
Elapsed time is a very difficult concept for students to understand. The Elapsed Time Dry Erase Boards provide everything that is needed to meet the needs of all learners with this standard. Students will be able to calculate the elapsed time using a number line. Students then will be able to create both times on the analog clocks and record both in digital format. The Elapsed Time Dry Erase Boards is also a great way to have students figure out how much time was spent on a lesson. By making the concept hands-on and connected to the classroom's daily schedule, students are more likely to master this standard!