Our classroom clock has a surprise. Half past three is after school. Look at the tall hand: that is the long hand, the minute hand. It points straight down. Where has the short hand slipped to?
Two half-past times on the board. First find the long hand: at half past it always points straight down to 6. Next look at the short hand. At 3 o'clock it sits on the 3. At half past 3 it has slipped halfway between 3 and 4. Half past means halfway to the next hour, so the short hand has moved halfway too. Check half past 8 the same way.
Today we set half-past times on the clock. We will set half past 4, then half past 7, then half past 10 (yard time). Long hand first, straight down to 6. Then slip the short hand halfway between the two numbers so it sneaks toward the next hour.
On a printed clock face (or draw a simple clock face in your maths copy), write half past 3. Put the long hand straight down to 6. Put the short hand halfway between 3 and 4.
Today we work through these half-past times together: half past 2, half past 6, half past 9, half past 11. Long hand on 6 every time; watch where the short hand sits. If we have time, half past 12 is lunch.
You're previewing this lesson. Get full access to this lesson and hundreds more — each one ready to teach, with interactive activities, printable resources and pupil progress tracking built in.