Grade 1 · Time & Money · MAT-01-TIME-002
Tell Time to the Half Hour
Read analog and digital times to the half hour.
Learning objectives
What you should be able to do
- Read analog and digital times to the half hour.
- Explain that half an hour is 30 minutes.
- Place the hour hand appropriately between hour marks at :30.
Prerequisite check
Make sure the foundation is ready.
Checks hour/minute hand roles.
Learn
Build the idea from meaning, not memorization.
Half an hour equals thirty minutes
An hour contains 60 minutes. Half of 60 is 30, so halfway through an hour the digital minutes read :30.
At :30 the minute hand points to 6
From 12 to 6 is halfway around the clock face. That path represents thirty minutes.
The hour hand moves continuously
At 4:30, the hour hand is halfway from 4 toward 5. It should not still point exactly at 4 because half of the hour has passed.
Read the hour that has already begun
4:30 is four thirty or half past four. The hour hand has not reached 5 yet, so the hour name remains four.
Interactive math lab
Change it. See what stays true.
Interactive practice
Use the lesson tasks below to manipulate and explain the concept.
- move minute to six
- place hour between
- match digital
- half hour forward back
- move minute to six
- place hour between
- match digital
- half hour forward back
Worked examples
Twenty different ways to see the concept work.
Minute hand at 6; hour hand halfway from 1 to 2.
1:30Thirty minutes have passed after hour 1.
Minute hand at 6; hour hand halfway from 2 to 3.
2:30Thirty minutes have passed after hour 2.
Minute hand at 6; hour hand halfway from 3 to 4.
3:30Thirty minutes have passed after hour 3.
Minute hand at 6; hour hand halfway from 4 to 5.
4:30Thirty minutes have passed after hour 4.
Minute hand at 6; hour hand halfway from 5 to 6.
5:30Thirty minutes have passed after hour 5.
Minute hand at 6; hour hand halfway from 6 to 7.
6:30Thirty minutes have passed after hour 6.
Minute hand at 6; hour hand halfway from 7 to 8.
7:30Thirty minutes have passed after hour 7.
Minute hand at 6; hour hand halfway from 8 to 9.
8:30Thirty minutes have passed after hour 8.
Minute hand at 6; hour hand halfway from 9 to 10.
9:30Thirty minutes have passed after hour 9.
Minute hand at 6; hour hand halfway from 10 to 11.
10:30Thirty minutes have passed after hour 10.
Minute hand at 6; hour hand halfway from 11 to 12.
11:30Thirty minutes have passed after hour 11.
Minute hand at 6; hour hand halfway from 12 to 1.
12:30Thirty minutes have passed after hour 12.
Read 7:30.
seven thirty / half past sevenThirty minutes have passed after seven.
What does :30 mean?
30 minutes past the hourIt is a half hour.
Where is the minute hand at :30?
6Six is halfway around the clock.
Should the hour hand point exactly at 4 at 4:30?
NoIt should be halfway toward 5.
Thirty minutes after 2:00.
2:30Advance half an hour.
Thirty minutes after 2:30.
3:00Two half-hours complete one hour.
Two half-hours equal what?
1 hour30+30=60 minutes.
Explain 9:30.
Thirty minutes after 9; hour hand halfway toward 10The analog and digital representations agree.
Practice
Guided practice with hints
01Minute at 6; hour halfway 3 to 4.
Hint: Minute at 6 means :30.
Answer: 3:30
02Write half past eight.
Hint: Use :30.
Answer: 8:30
03Minutes in half hour?
Hint: Half of 60.
Answer: 30
04Where minute hand at :30?
Hint: Halfway around clock.
Answer: 6
05Thirty minutes after 5:30.
Hint: Another half-hour completes the hour.
Answer: 6:00
06Why is hour hand between numbers?
Hint: Half of the hour has elapsed.
Answer: It moves continuously.
Practice
Independent practice
014:30
Answer: four thirty / half past four
02half past 7
Answer: 7:30
03minute hand at :30
Answer: 6
04minutes in half-hour
Answer: 30
0530 minutes after 9:00
Answer: 9:30
0630 minutes after 9:30
Answer: 10:00
07two half-hours
Answer: 1 hour
08hour hand at :30
Answer: halfway toward next hour
Common mistakes
Learn to catch the error, not just the answer.
Move it halfway toward the next hour.
At this stage, recognize 6 as the half-hour position: 30 minutes.
Use the hour that has already begun: four thirty.
Applications & challenge
Use the idea beyond a single exercise.
Applications
- Read schedules that begin on the hour or half hour.
- Reason about events that last half an hour.
Challenge problems
Ninety minutes after 2:00?
3:30
How many half-hours in 2 hours?
4
Why does minute hand at 6 mean 30 minutes?
It is halfway through the 60-minute cycle.
Half an hour before 7:00?
6:30
Flashcards
Retrieve it from memory.
Flashcards
Card 1 of 4
Game mode
Clock Match: Half Hour
Match analog half-hour positions with digital and spoken times.
Practice
Mastery check
01Half past 3
Answer: 3:30
02Read 8:30
Answer: eight thirty
03Minutes in half-hour
Answer: 30
04Minute hand at :30
Answer: 6
05Hour hand at 5:30
Answer: halfway between 5 and 6
0630 minutes after 10:30
Answer: 11:00
07Two half-hours equal?
Answer: 1 hour
08Why not point hour hand exactly at 5 at 5:30?
Answer: Because half the hour has elapsed toward 6.
Terminology
Words to know
- half hour
- Thirty minutes, half of one hour.
- half past
- Thirty minutes after an hour.
- minute
- A unit of time; 60 minutes make one hour.
- elapsed
- Having passed in time.
Continue learning
Connected concepts
Curriculum references
Standards and instructional references
California Common Core State Standards for Mathematics — Grade 1 Measurement & Data
Grade 1 time-to-hour and half-hour progression.