Grade 4 › G4U11 Time: Duration

Grade 4 › G4U11 Time: Duration › L1
GRADE 4 · ALBERTAOUTCOME AB-G4-4T1

L1 · Time of Day in Fractions: Quarter Past, Half Past, Quarter To

Learning goal

“I can read an analog clock and say the time three ways: with the hands, in words like 'quarter past' and 'quarter to,' and as a digital time - and I know 'quarter to' names the hour that is coming next.”

Quarter past — 15 minutes after the hour. The minute hand points at the 3, one quarter of the way around the clock.
Half past — 30 minutes after the hour. The minute hand points at the 6, halfway around the clock.
Quarter to — 15 minutes before the next hour. The minute hand points at the 9, and we name the hour that is coming, not the hour that has passed.
Minute hand — the long hand. Where it points tells how many minutes have passed in the hour: at the 3 it is 15 minutes, at the 6 it is 30 minutes, at the 9 it is 45 minutes.
Worked example

A clock has its hour hand just past the 4 and its minute hand pointing at the 3. Step 1: Read the minute hand first. At the 3 means 15 minutes have passed - that is one quarter of the full turn, so this is "quarter past." Step 2: Read the hour hand. It has just passed the 4, so the hour we name is 4. Step 3: Say it and write it: quarter past 4 = 4:15. Timeline check: on a timeline from 4:00 to 5:00, the mark for this time sits one quarter of the way along - the clock quarter and the timeline quarter are the same 15 minutes. Say it plainly: "quarter past" always goes with the hour that has JUST passed, and the digital time always ends in :15.

Check yourself — explain it

The minute hand points at the 6. Why do we call that 'half past'?

Paired problem — example still visible

A clock's minute hand points at the 6 and its hour hand is halfway between the 7 and the 8. Say the time in words and write it digitally. -> Half past 7 = 7:30

Faded completion — last step is yours

"The minute hand points at the 3 and the hour hand is just past the 9. It is quarter past ___ , which is written ___ :15." -> 9; 9:15

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