This Year 3 time lesson is written for pupils aged 7-8 and follows the National Curriculum. In short, it shows you how to tell the time to the nearest minute, use Roman numerals and compare durations of events. Before you start, it helps to revise equivalent fractions and comparing fractions and length, perimeter, mass and capacity, because this lesson builds on them.
Year 3 time lesson: what you will learn
Hello, I am Otto! Time is all around us: when the school bell rings, when a film starts, how long a journey takes. In Year 3 you learn to read clocks to the nearest minute, to use Roman numerals, to tell the time on 12-hour and 24-hour clocks and to work out how long things take.
Starter activity
Look at the clock in your classroom. What time is it now? What time will it be in 20 minutes? Break time starts at 10:30 and lasts 15 minutes. When does it end? Say the times aloud, for example "half past ten" and "a quarter to eleven". Telling the time and working out durations are the two big ideas of this chapter.
Telling the time on an analogue clock
Definition: analogue clock
An analogue clock has a round face and two hands. The short hand is the hour hand and the long hand is the minute hand. The minute hand takes 60 minutes to go once round the clock. The hour hand takes 12 hours to go once round.
The clocks show 3 o’clock, half past 4 and a quarter to 8. At 7:45 the minute hand points to 9 and the hour hand is nearly at 8.
Key fact: the minute hand
- Each number on the clock face stands for 5 minutes: 1 is 5 minutes, 2 is 10 minutes, 3 is 15 minutes and so on.
- When the minute hand points to 12 it is o’clock. At 3 it is quarter past. At 6 it is half past. At 9 it is quarter to.
- Between the numbers, count the small marks one minute at a time.
Method: telling the time to the nearest minute
- Look at the hour hand to find the hour. If it has not yet reached a number, use the number before it.
- Look at the minute hand. Count in fives to the nearest number, then count on in ones.
- Write the time as hours and minutes, for example 6:23, or say "twenty-three minutes past six".
- If the minute hand is past the 6, you can also say "to the next hour": 6:50 is ten to seven.
Example 1
The hour hand is just past 5 and the minute hand points to 4 and then 3 small marks more. What is the time?
The hour is 5. The minute hand is at 4 (20 minutes) and 3 more marks: 20 + 3 = 23 minutes. The time is 5:23, which we say as "twenty-three minutes past five".
Roman numerals on clocks
Definition: Roman numerals
Roman numerals use letters instead of digits. Some clocks and watches show the hours in Roman numerals.
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| I | II | III | IV | V | VI | VII | VIII | IX | X | XI | XII |
Rule: reading Roman numerals up to 12
- I is 1, V is 5 and X is 10.
- If a smaller letter comes after a bigger one, add: VI = 5 + 1 = 6, VIII = 5 + 3 = 8.
- If a smaller letter comes before a bigger one, subtract: IV = 5 − 1 = 4, IX = 10 − 1 = 9.
Example 2
A clock shows the numerals XI and VII. Which numbers are they?
XI = 10 + 1 = 11. VII = 5 + 2 = 7.
a.m., p.m. and the 24-hour clock
Definition: a.m. and p.m.
A day has 24 hours. The 12-hour clock uses a.m. for times from midnight to noon, and p.m. for times from noon to midnight. 7:30 a.m. is in the morning and 7:30 p.m. is in the evening. Midday is 12 noon, and midnight is 12 a.m.
Definition: 24-hour clock
The 24-hour clock counts the hours from 00:00 (midnight) to 23:59. Times are written with four digits, such as 07:30 or 19:30. Digital clocks, train timetables and airports use the 24-hour clock.
Rule: changing between 12-hour and 24-hour time
- Morning times (a.m.) stay the same: 9:15 a.m. is 09:15.
- Afternoon and evening times (p.m.): add 12 to the hour. 3:30 p.m. is 15:30 and 8:45 p.m. is 20:45.
- 12 noon is 12:00 and midnight is 00:00.
- To go back, subtract 12 from the hour if it is 13 or more.
Example 3
Write 4:20 p.m. in 24-hour time and 21:05 as a 12-hour time.
4:20 p.m.: 4 + 12 = 16, so 16:20. 21:05: 21 − 12 = 9, so 9:05 p.m.
Watch out
Do not mix up 12 a.m. and 12 p.m. 12:00 p.m. is noon (midday) and 12:00 a.m. is midnight. In 24-hour time, 12:30 is half past noon and 00:30 is half past midnight. Also write the minutes with two digits: 7:05, not 7:5.
Seconds, minutes, hours, days
Key fact: units of time
- 60 seconds = 1 minute
- 60 minutes = 1 hour
- 24 hours = 1 day
- 7 days = 1 week
- 12 months = 1 year; 365 days in a year and 366 in a leap year (every 4 years)
Key fact: days in each month
- 30 days: April, June, September and November.
- 31 days: January, March, May, July, August, October and December.
- February has 28 days, or 29 days in a leap year.
A good way to remember the months with 30 days is the rhyme: "Thirty days has September, April, June and November. All the rest have thirty-one, except February alone."
Example 4
How many minutes are in 3 hours? How many seconds are in 2 minutes?
3 hours = 3 × 60 = 180 minutes. 2 minutes = 2 × 60 = 120 seconds.
Working out how long things take
Definition: duration
The duration of an event is how long it lasts, from its start time to its end time. We can find the duration using a time number line, jumping from the start to the next whole hour, then to the end time.
A number line for minutes in an hour: from 10 to 30 is a jump of 20 minutes, and from 30 to 60 a jump of 30 minutes.
Method: finding how long
- Draw a number line and mark the start time and the end time.
- Jump to the next hour, or the next multiple of 5 or 10 minutes.
- Jump in whole hours if needed, then add the last jump to the end time.
- Add up all the jumps to find the total duration.
Example 5
A film starts at 2:40 p.m. and ends at 4:15 p.m. How long is the film?
From 2:40 to 3:00 is 20 minutes. From 3:00 to 4:00 is 1 hour. From 4:00 to 4:15 is 15 minutes. In total: 1 hour + 20 + 15 = 1 hour 35 minutes. The film lasts 1 hour 35 minutes.
Method: finding the end time
- Start with the start time.
- Add the hours first.
- Add the minutes. If you pass the hour, count up to the hour and continue.
Example 6
Lunch starts at 11:50 and lasts 35 minutes. When does it end?
11:50 + 10 minutes = 12:00. There are 25 minutes left to add (35 − 10 = 25). 12:00 + 25 minutes = 12:25.
Did you know?
The Ancient Egyptians used shadow clocks and water clocks. The first mechanical clocks appeared in Europe about 700 years ago. In the UK we put the clocks forward one hour in spring and back one hour in autumn so that we have more daylight in the evenings of summer.
Otto’s tip
For duration questions, always draw a time number line. Jump to the next hour first. It turns a tricky subtraction into easy steps and you can check your answer by adding the jumps.
How to use this Year 3 time lesson
First, read the key points so that you know where the Year 3 time lesson is going. Then work through each definition and worked example, and cover the solution before you read it. After that, practise with the time: telling the time and durations worksheet and check every question with the worksheet answers. When you feel ready, test yourself with the multiple choice questions or the quick quiz. Finally, sit the time: telling the time and durations test and mark it with the test answers.
Also, the starters are a good warm-up, so you can keep the key facts fresh. Moreover, all the pages of this chapter work together, so you can move between them at any time. For example, many pupils read the lesson on Monday, practise on Wednesday and test themselves on Friday. In short, this Year 3 time lesson gives you everything you need for the chapter.
To sum up, regular practice works better than one long session. For instance, ten minutes a day is often enough. Besides, mistakes are useful, because they show what to revise next. Then, once a method feels easy, try a harder question. As a result, you build confidence step by step.
Similar pages
WorksheetTime: telling the time and durations – Year 3 maths worksheet with answers to download as PDF
AnswersTime: telling the time and durations – Year 3 maths worksheet answers to download as PDF
Multiple choice questionsTime: telling the time and durations – Year 3 maths multiple choice questions to download as PDF
QuizTime: telling the time and durations – Year 3 maths quiz to download as PDF
TestTime: telling the time and durations – Year 3 maths test to download as PDF
Test answersTime: telling the time and durations – Year 3 maths test answers to download as PDF
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