Grade 3 › G3U12 Time: Telling Time

GRADE 3 · ALBERTAOUTCOME AB-G3-3T1

L1 · Seconds, minutes, hours: relationships on the analog clock (base 60)

Learning goal

“I can explain how seconds, minutes, and hours fit together on an analog clock: the second hand's full turn is 60 seconds = 1 minute, and the minute hand's full turn is 60 minutes = 1 hour.”

Analog clock — a clock with hands that move around a round face numbered 1 to 12.
Hour hand — the short hand. It points at the hour and creeps slowly from number to number.
Minute hand — the long hand. It points at the minutes and makes one full turn every hour.
Second hand — the thin hand. It moves the fastest and makes one full turn every minute.
Worked example

Watch the second hand on an analog clock. Step 1: The second hand is the thin, fast hand. Start it at the top (12). Step 2: It ticks past every small mark on the face. One full turn passes 60 marks - that is 60 seconds. Step 3: When the second hand finishes one full turn, exactly 1 minute has been measured, and the minute hand has crept forward just one small mark. Say it plainly: 60 seconds = 1 minute. Time does NOT group by 100 like centimetres do - it groups by 60.

Check yourself — explain it

Why does the second hand make a full turn so much faster than the minute hand?

Paired problem — example still visible

The second hand makes 3 full turns. How many seconds is that? How many minutes? -> 180 seconds - and 180 seconds is 3 minutes, because each turn of 60 seconds is 1 minute

Faded completion — last step is yours

"One full turn of the second hand is 60 seconds, and 60 seconds = ___ minute." -> 1

Ready to practise?

10 scored questions with a 3-rung hint ladder. Mastery needs 8/10 plus both gate questions.