· Grade 1 lesson · 2 min read
Lesson: Telling Time to the Hour (Grade 1)
A clock has two hands. The short hand tells the HOUR.
Meet the hands
- The short hand (pink) is the hour hand.
- The long hand (purple) is the minute hand.
When the long hand points straight up to 12, it is something o'clock.
Read these clocks
Clock 1: the short hand points to 3. It is 3 o'clock.
Clock 2: the short hand points to 7. It is 7 o'clock.
Two ways to write it
3 o'clock can be written as 3:00. The 3 is the hour. The :00 means "zero minutes", so the long hand is on 12.
| Clock says | We write |
|---|---|
| 3 o'clock | 3:00 |
| 7 o'clock | 7:00 |
| 12 o'clock | 12:00 |
Easy mistake
Kids often read the long hand as the hour. Remember: short hand, short word, "hour".
Practice at home
Ask "What time is it?" at breakfast, at lunch and at bedtime. On the hour, let your child read the clock first.
Practice
Try the Telling Time worksheets, then Reading a Clock.