Time - Quarter past and quarter to - Planning

In Year 3, students delve into the concept of time, focusing on the specific increments of 'quarter past' and 'quarter to' during the first week of the Summer term. The lesson utilises mini clocks with moveable hands, worksheets, and a presentation as resources to facilitate learning. Key vocabulary such as 'minute', 'hour', 'before', 'after', 'fraction', 'half', and 'quarter' are introduced, with vocabulary cards and definitions available to support understanding. The lesson starts with a review of prior knowledge, linking time to fractions by dividing the clock into four equal parts. Students observe different clocks to identify changes and understand how the minute hand's position at the 3 or the 9 corresponds to 'quarter past' or 'quarter to' the hour, respectively. Through practical activities, children get hands-on experience with clocks to reinforce their learning, and partner work encourages collaborative guessing games to practice telling time.

Following the interactive portion of the lesson, children engage in independent learning through differentiated worksheets that cater to various levels of proficiency. They are prompted with key questions about the positions of the clock hands and the relation to fractions, aiming to solidify their grasp of 'quarter past' and 'quarter to'. The lesson addresses common misconceptions such as confusing the minute and hour hands, or misunderstanding the movement of the hour hand. A reflective exercise, 'Give me five', encourages students to consider what they've learned, the skills they've used, the challenges they've faced, and the key takeaways from the lesson. Depending on their level of understanding, children work towards different objectives, from simply reading and drawing times to calculating future times after adding hours and minutes, thereby deepening their comprehension of time and its measurement.