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Time to the Minute

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Time to the Minute
CCSS.MATH.CONTENT.3.MD.A.1

Basics on the topic Time to the Minute

Telling Time to the Minute

You need to know the time to leave the house so that you can be at school on time. You may also need to know the time to go to bed. Therefore, you need to be able to read the time on an analog clock or watch.

An analog clock or watch shows the time by using the movement of a short and long hand. The short hand shows the hour and is sometimes called the hour hand while the long hand shows the minutes and is sometimes called the minute hand.

An analog clock or watch looks like this:

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##To Tell the Time to the Minute – Step by Step Instructions

To tell the time to the minute, we need to look at the hour hand and the minute hand separately. Then we put the two numbers that we get together to tell the time.

You can follow these steps to tell the time to the minute:

  • Step 1: Start by finding the hour. We can find the hour by looking for the last number that the hour hand has passed. If we use the clock above as our example, we notice that the hour hand has just passed two.

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This means that the hour is two which we can write as 2.

  • Step 2: Find the number of minutes that have passed after the hour. To do this, we can skip count by five and then count on until we reach the minute hand. We can demonstrate this with our example. We count by fives until we reach 7 which gives us 35. Then we count on by one until we reach the minute hand. This gives us 37.

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Therefore, it is 37 minutes past the hour.

  • Step 3: We now put the hour and the minute together by first writing the hour and then the minute. We separate them using a colon :. This will give us the exact time. Therefore, our time is 2:37.

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Telling Time to the Minute – Summary

Let’s repeat what we learned about how to tell time to the minute.

Telling time to the minute requires us to look at the hour hand, the minute hand, and to count on. First, we tell the hour by looking at the last number that the hour hand has just passed. Next, we skip count by fives and count on until we reach the minute hand. We put these two numbers together, making sure that we write the hour first and then the minute to give the time.

Use our interactive exercises and even your clock or watch at home to master the skill of telling time to the minute.

Telling Time to the Minute – Frequently Asked Questions

What is an analog clock?
How do I tell the time to the minute on an analog clock?
What is the difference between the hour hand and the minute hand?
How do you skip count by fives on a clock?
What do you do after skip counting by fives to find the minutes?
How do you write the time once you have the hour and the minutes?
What does it mean when the minute hand is on the 6?
How can I practice telling time to the minute?
Why is it important to know how to tell time to the minute?
What should I do if I'm still having trouble telling time to the minute?

Transcript Time to the Minute

"Do you hear that noise?" : "Yeah, what is that?" : "I don't know (...) it sounds cool, let's go check it out!" : "Welcome one, welcome all to the annual snail race!" : "A snail race? Wohoo!" While Zuri and Freddie watch the snail race, they will need to use the analog clock tower in the park to tell time to the minute. "Time to the Minute" How can you tell time to the exact minute? You can tell time to the exact minute by skip counting and counting up. : "Look at the time, we're already at the ant obstacle." Let's help Zuri and Freddie figure out what time the clock says. Step one: start by finding the hour hand. We can do this by finding the last hour the HOUR hand (or the short hand) passed. Here the last number the HOUR hand (or the short hand) passed, was two. So the hour is two. Now we need to find out how many MINUTES of the hour have passed. We can skip count (... ) and count up to find how many minutes have passed. Let's skip count by fives together until we reach the minute hand. Remember, skip counting is when you count forward by a certain number. Five, (...) ten, (...) fifteen (...) twenty (...) twenty-five (...) thirty (...) thirty-five Now we can find the exact minute by counting up. Thirty-six (...) thirty-seven. The minute is thirty-seven. Step three: put the hour and minute together to find the exact time. If we do that, the time is 2:37. : "Now we're at the butterfly obstacle!" : "What time is it?" Let's help Zuri and Freddie figure out what time it is. Remember, step one is to find the hour (...) by looking at what number the HOUR hand last passed. What is the hour? The last number the RED hour hand passed was three (...) so the hour is three. What is the minute? Remember, step two is to find the minute by skip counting, or, counting up. We can skip count, or count up until we reach the BLUE minute hand. Let's count together! Five (...) ten, (...), fifteen (...) Now we count up to the exact minute. Sixteen (...) seventeen, (...) eighteen. The minute is eighteen. Finally step three, put the hour and minute together. So the time is 3:18. : "Next up is the ladybug obstacle." : "Wow! They got there so fast!" : "No way! What time is it now?" We know that some time has passed, but can you help Zuri and Freddie find the exact time? (...) Great! Remember, step one is to find the hour. Here the last number the hour hand (or the short hand) passed was four, so the hour is four. Next, find the minute by skip counting and counting up. What minute did you get? (...) Lastly, put the hour and minute together. What time did you get? (...) Did you get 4:43? (...) : "Oh no! The green snail got caught in the tricky spider web; that obstacle is always difficult." : "Look! it's the blue snail pulling ahead!" : "Is the blue snail going to win this now? She's my favorite!" : "Yeah, she's the best!" Now it's YOUR turn to help Zuri and Freddie figure out what time it is. What time do you see? (...) The hour hand passed SIX, so the hour is six. If you skip count forward, you should get the number twelve. So, the minute is twelve. The time is 6:12. Remember (...) When you're telling time to the exact minute, you can use the HOUR hand, MINUTE hand, and SKIP COUNTING to help figure out the exact time. First, find the hour by looking at what number the HOUR hand (or short hand) LAST passed. Next, find the minute by skip counting and counting up. Finally, put the hour and minute together to find the exact time. : "AND WE HAVE A WINNER!" : "At last after five hours of racing we can FINALLY anounce that the winner is" (...) Oh great, now NO ONE will know the winner!

Time to the Minute exercise

Would you like to apply the knowledge you’ve learned? You can review and practice it with the tasks for the video Time to the Minute .
  • What time is it?

    Hints

    Remember, the last number the hour hand (or short hand) passed tells you the hour.

    Find the minutes by skip counting and counting up to the minute hand (or long hand).

    Solution
    • The last number the hour hand (or short hand) passed was 4.
    • After skip counting and counting up to the minute hand (or long hand), you stop at 43 minutes.
    • So, the time is 4:43.
  • Find the clocks that match.

    Hints

    Find the minutes by skip counting and counting up to the minute hand (or long hand).

    Remember, the last number the hour hand (or short hand) passed tells you the hour.

    Solution

    • The last number the hour hand (or short hand) passed was 2.
    After skip counting and counting up to the minute hand (or long hand), you stop at 37 minutes.
    So, the time is 2:37. _____________________________________________________________________________________ For the other clocks:
    • The last number the hour hand (or short hand) passed was 3.
    After skip counting and counting up to the minute hand (or long hand), you stop at 18 minutes.
    So, the time is 3:18.

    • The last number the hour hand (or short hand) passed was 9.
    After skip counting and counting up to the minute hand (or long hand), you stop at 22 minutes.
    So, the time is 9:22.

    • The last number the hour hand (or short hand) passed was 7.
    After skip counting and counting up to the minute hand (or long hand), you stop at 53 minutes.
    So, the time is 7:53.

  • Match the time to the clock.

    Hints

    Remember, the last number the hour hand (or short hand) passed tells you the hour.

    Find the minutes by skip counting and counting up to the minute hand (or long hand).

    Solution

    The first clock:

    • The last number the hour hand (or short hand) passed was 10.
    • After skip counting and counting up to the minute hand (or long hand), you stop at 48 minutes.
    • So, the time is 10:48.
    _____________________________________________________________________________________ For the other clocks:
    The second clock:
    • The last number the hour hand (or short hand) passed was 5.
    • After skip counting and counting up to the minute hand (or long hand), you stop at 12 minutes.
    • So, the time is 5:12.
    The third clock:
    • The last number the hour hand (or short hand) passed was 2.
    • After skip counting and counting up to the minute hand (or long hand), you stop at 32 minutes.
    • So, the time is 2:32.
    The last clock:
    • The last number the hour hand (or short hand) passed was 12.
    • After skip counting and counting up to the minute hand (or long hand), you stop at 38 minutes.
    • So, the time is 12:38.

  • What time is it?

    Hints

    Put a : between the hour and minute.
    Example: 2:30

    If the minutes are less than 10, make sure to put a 0 in the tens place.
    Example: 2:04

    Remember, the last number the hour hand (or short hand) passed tells you the hour.

    Find the minutes by skip counting and counting up to the minute hand (or long hand).

    Solution

    The first clock:

    • The last number the hour hand (or short hand) passed was 1.
    • After skip counting and counting up to the minute hand (or long hand), you stop at 48 minutes.
    • So, the time is 1:48.
    _____________________________________________________________________________________ For the other clocks:
    The second clock:
    • The last number the hour hand (or short hand) passed was 11.
    • After skip counting and counting up to the minute hand (or long hand), you stop at 7 minutes.
    • So, the time is 11:07.
    The third clock:
    • The last number the hour hand (or short hand) passed was 6.
    • After skip counting and counting up to the minute hand (or long hand), you stop at 28 minutes.
    • So, the time is 6:28.
    The last clock:
    • The last number the hour hand (or short hand) passed was 8.
    • After skip counting and counting up to the minute hand (or long hand), you stop at 33 minutes.
    • So, the time is 8:33.

  • Sort the steps for how to read a clock.

    Hints

    Think back to what step comes before you find how many minutes have passed.

    Before you start skip counting and counting up, what must you find?

    Solution
    1. First, find the hour by looking at the last number the hour hand (or short hand) passed.
    2. Now we need to find how many minutes of the hour have passed by looking at the minute hand (or long hand).
    3. We can skip count and count up to find how many minutes have passed.
    4. Put the hour and minute together to find the exact time.
  • Which times are wrong?

    Hints

    Remember, the last number the hour hand (or short hand) passed tells you the hour.

    Find the minutes by skip counting and counting up to the minute hand (or long hand).

    Solution

    The last time is 2:52, not 10:14.

    • The last number the hour hand (or short hand) passed was 2.
    • After skip counting and counting up to the minute hand (or long hand), you stop at 52 minutes.
    • So, the time is 2:52.
    ____________________________________________________________________________________________ For the other clocks:
    The first time is 9:22, not 4:42.
    • The last number the hour hand (or short hand) passed was 9.
    • After skip counting and counting up to the minute hand (or long hand), you stop at 22 minutes.
    • So, the time is 9:22.
    The second time is 4:03, not 4:13.
    • The last number the hour hand (or short hand) passed was 4.
    • After skip counting and counting up to the minute hand (or long hand), you stop at 3 minutes.
    • So, the time is 4:03.
    The third time is 11:23, not 12:23.
    • The last number the hour hand (or short hand) passed was 11.
    • After skip counting and counting up to the minute hand (or long hand), you stop at 23 minutes.
    • So, the time is 11:23.