O'clock, Parts of the Day and Units of Time
What this lesson covers
- We measure time in seconds, minutes, hours, days, weeks, months and years.
- Clocks can be analogue, with hands, or digital, with numbers.
- Before, after, yesterday, tomorrow, next and last put events in order.
- A day has morning, midday, afternoon, evening, night and midnight.
Units of time
- Short things take seconds. Long things take months or years.
- Pick the unit that fits how long it takes.
| Unit | Something that takes about that long |
|---|---|
| seconds | a clap, a sneeze |
| minutes | brushing your teeth |
| hours | a school day |
| days | a weekend |
| weeks | the school holidays |
| months | waiting for your next birthday |
| years | growing up |
Try it: which unit of time?
Two kinds of clock
- An analogue clock has hands. The short hand shows the hour. The long hand shows the minutes.
- A digital clock shows numbers, like 3:00.
- Both tell the same time.
O'clock
- When the long hand points straight up to 12, it is o'clock.
- The short hand points to the hour.
- On a digital clock, o'clock ends in :00.
| Short hand points to | Long hand points to | Digital | Say |
|---|---|---|---|
| 3 | 12 | 3:00 | 3 o'clock |
| 7 | 12 | 7:00 | 7 o'clock |
| 9 | 12 | 9:00 | 9 o'clock |
| 12 | 12 | 12:00 | 12 o'clock |
Try it: set the clock to o'clock
Parts of the day
- Midday, also called noon, is 12 o'clock in the middle of the day.
- Midnight is 12 o'clock in the middle of the night.
| Part of the day | What might happen |
|---|---|
| morning | wake up, eat breakfast, go to school |
| midday (noon) | lunchtime is near |
| afternoon | after lunch, home time |
| evening | dinner, bath time |
| night | sleeping |
| midnight | fast asleep |
Try it: when does it happen?
Before, after, yesterday, tomorrow
- I eat breakfast before school. I go home after school.
- Yesterday was the day before today. Tomorrow is the day after today.
| If today is | Yesterday was | Tomorrow is | The day after tomorrow is |
|---|---|---|---|
| Monday | Sunday | Tuesday | Wednesday |
| Thursday | Wednesday | Friday | Saturday |
Common mistakes
- The short hand shows the minutes.The short hand shows the hour. The long hand shows the minutes.
- 7:00 means seven minutes.7:00 means 7 o'clock.
- Midnight is in the middle of the day.Midday is in the middle of the day. Midnight is in the middle of the night.
- Tomorrow came before today.Yesterday came before today. Tomorrow comes after.
Your turn
1
The long hand points to 12 and the short hand points to 4. What time is it?
2
A digital clock shows 9:00. What time is that?
3
Which unit would you use for how long a clap takes?
4
Today is Tuesday. What day was yesterday?
5
What do we call 12 o'clock in the middle of the day?
Show answer
1. 4 o'clock 2. 9 o'clock 3. Seconds 4. Monday 5. Midday, also called noon
What to take away
- Long hand on 12 means o'clock.
- The short hand points to the hour.
- Pick a unit that fits: seconds for quick things, years for long ones.
- Yesterday, today, tomorrow.
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