Max Maths, Year 2, Learn together, Reading the time to the half hour (2)

In the Max Maths curriculum for Year 2, children learn how to read time to the nearest half hour. A key concept taught is the movement of the minute hand on a clock face. It takes 60 minutes for the minute hand to complete one full rotation around the clock, which represents one hour. When the minute hand has reached the halfway point on the clock, making it point to the 6, this indicates that it is half past the hour. For example, if the hour hand is just past the 9 and the minute hand is at the 6, the clock is telling us that the time is half past 9.

Understanding the concept of half past the hour is also reinforced by connecting the position of the minute hand to the amount of time that has passed. When the minute hand is at the 6, it signifies that 30 minutes have passed since the start of the hour. This is visually represented on both analogue and digital clocks. On a digital clock, half past the hour is displayed numerically, such as 9:30 for half past 9. This helps children to make the link between the two formats and become more confident in reading and understanding time.