Time: Clocks, Months and Seasons

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What this lesson covers

  • Duration is how long something takes, from start to end.
  • There are 60 minutes in an hour.
  • There are 30 minutes in half an hour.
  • There are 12 months and 4 seasons in a year.
Key idea

The 12 months

  • The year has 12 months, always in the same order.
  • In New Zealand, summer is December, January and February.
PlaceMonthSeason
1stJanuarysummer
2ndFebruarysummer
3rdMarchautumn
4thAprilautumn
5thMayautumn
6thJunewinter
7thJulywinter
8thAugustwinter
9thSeptemberspring
10thOctoberspring
11thNovemberspring
12thDecembersummer
Key idea

Try it: which season?

Worked example

The month before and after

  • The month before June is May. The month after June is July.
  • After December, the year starts again with January.
BeforeMonthAfter
MayJuneJuly
AugustSeptemberOctober
NovemberDecemberJanuary
DecemberJanuaryFebruary
Key idea

How long does it take?

  • Duration is the time from the start of something to its end.
  • Pick a unit that fits: short things take seconds, long things take months or years.
EventAbout how long
a clap1 second
brushing your teeth2 minutes
a school day6 hours
the weekend2 days
school holidays2 weeks
from one birthday to the next1 year
Key idea

Hours and minutes

  • There are 60 minutes in an hour.
  • Half an hour is 30 minutes.
  • A quarter of an hour is 15 minutes.
Key idea

Try it: how long is it?

Worked example

Read the clock

  • On a clock face, the long hand shows the minutes and the short hand shows the hour.
  • Long hand on 12: o'clock. Long hand on 6: half past.
  • A digital clock shows the hour, then the minutes.
Long hand onSay itDigital
123 o'clock3:00
3quarter past 33:15
6half past 33:30
945 minutes past 33:45
Key idea

Try it: read the clock

Common mistakes

  • Half past 4 is 4:50.
    Half an hour is 30 minutes, so half past 4 is 4:30.
  • The short hand shows the minutes.
    The long hand shows the minutes. The short hand shows the hour.
  • Winter in New Zealand is in December.
    In New Zealand, winter is June, July and August. December is in summer.

Your turn

1

What month comes after March?

2

What is the 10th month of the year?

3

How many minutes are in half an hour?

4

The long hand is on 12 and the short hand is on 7. What time is it?

5

Which season is July in, in New Zealand?

Show answer

1. April 2. October 3. 30 4. 7 o'clock 5. winter

Summary

What to take away

  • 12 months, in order, in 4 seasons.
  • 60 minutes in an hour, 30 in half an hour.
  • Long hand for minutes, short hand for hours.
  • Duration is from the start to the end.
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More in Measurement

Measuring Length, Mass and CapacityNotesPerimeter and TurnsNotesTime: Clocks, Months and SeasonsNotes

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