Mathematics
Intermediate
50 mins
Teacher/Student led
Learning Goals
Learning Outcomes
Lesson Files
+80 XP
What you need:
IWB/Projector/Large Screen
Stopwatch

Units of Time and How They Relate

Learn how seconds, minutes, hours and days fit together as nested units of time. Explore the relationships between them and practise converting from one unit to another using a classroom clock.

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    1 - Getting Started ~4 mins

    Key point

    We are going to sit in complete silence for exactly one minute. Keep your eyes on the clock at the front of the room as the time goes by.

    Illustration for Getting StartedWhen the minute is up: how many seconds do you think passed? And how many of those quiet minutes would it take to fill one whole hour?

    👇 Mark your steps as done as you complete them.

    +5 XP

    2 - Watch and Notice ~8 mins

    Look at the clock. The second hand goes all the way around, a full 60, just to move the minute hand on by one notch. So 60 seconds make one minute.

    Look at the minute hand. It goes the whole way around, 60 minutes, to complete one hour. And a whole day is 24 hours: the hour hand goes right around the clock twice. Then 7 of those days make one week.

    Each bigger unit is built from a fixed number of the next smaller one.

    👇 Mark your steps as done as you complete them.

    +10 XP

    3 - Try It Together ~10 mins

    Key point

    Today we drive the clock together to show the units nesting. First we sweep the minute hand once right around to make one whole hour. Then we move the hour hand on one notch to show that hour passing. After that we take the hour hand around twice to show one whole day. And 7 of those days would make one week.

    Show one whole hour, then a day

    +15 XP

    4 - Build the Fact List in Your Copy ~3 mins

    COPYBOOK MOMENT

    In your maths copy, copy out and complete this fact list, filling in each blank:

    • 1 minute = ___ seconds
    • 1 hour = ___ minutes
    • 1 day = ___ hours
    • 1 week = ___ days

    Then write one time fact of your own underneath.

    +10 XP

    5 - Class Challenge ~8 mins

    Key point

    Converting just means saying the same length of time using a different unit, like saying 2 minutes as 120 seconds.

    Using the fact list we built, we work through conversions together on the board.

    First we do one full example together so everyone can see the method end to end:

    • How many minutes are in 120 seconds?

    Decide the direction first: seconds to minutes is a bigger unit, so the number gets smaller and we divide. Use the fact 60 seconds = 1 minute. Write 120 ÷ 60 = 2, so 120 seconds = 2 minutes.

    Then we try these four together, each a little harder than the last:

    • How many seconds in 3 minutes?
    • How many minutes in 2 hours?
    • How many hours in 2 days?
    • How many hours in 120 minutes?
    Tip

    For each one, decide first: are we changing into a smaller unit or a bigger one? A smaller unit needs a bigger number, so we multiply. A bigger unit needs a smaller number, so we divide (we share it out).

    Hands-on Task

    +15 XP
    Pupil practice
    Module 6 · Time and Money Measures
    Lesson 69 · Units of Time and How They Relate
    Download Activity Book page (PDF)
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