Telling Time (O'Clock)

1Summary 重點摘要

Short hand = hour, long hand = minute. Long hand at 12, short hand at a number = that o clock.

2Vocabulary cards Vocabulary

3Step by step Steps

1. Step 1: Know the two handsA clock has a short hand and a long hand, and telling them apart comes before reading. The short fat hand is the hour hand; going round once takes 12 hours. The long thin hand is the minute hand; going round once takes only 1 hour, so the minute hand runs fast and the hour hand runs slow. Remember the rule 'short hand for hours, long hand for minutes', and reading stays tidy. A common mistake is swapping the two hands, for example reading 3 o'clock just because the long hand points at 3; the long hand tells minutes, and the hour always comes from the short hand.
2. Step 2: Look at the faceThe clock face holds 12 numbers from 1 to 12, arranged in order in a circle, with one big step between two neighbouring numbers. Example: when the hour hand moves from 12 to 1, one hour has passed, and moving from 1 to 2 passes another hour. When the hour hand stands exactly on a number, that number is the hour it is now. For practice, count clockwise from 1 to 12 and become familiar with the order. A common mistake is ignoring the arrangement of the numbers, yet they always run clockwise in the order 1, 2, 3 up to 12, and knowing this order makes reading smooth.
3. Step 3: Reading o'clockWhen the time is exactly on the hour, the minute hand always points at 12; then the number the hour hand points to gives the hour. Example: the long hand at 12 and the short hand at 3 mean 3 o'clock, also called three o'clock sharp; the long hand at 12 and the short hand at 8 mean 8 o'clock. Check the long hand first: only when it points at 12 is it exactly on the hour, and then read the short hand; this order prevents mistakes. A common error is reading on the hour when the long hand is elsewhere, say at 6, but then half an hour has already passed and it is not the hour any more.
4. Step 4: More examplesMore practice makes reading the clock easier and easier. Example: minute hand at 12 and hour hand at 7 mean 7 o'clock; both hands pointing at 12 mean 12 o'clock, which is how noon and midnight both look. Practise by looking at a real clock at a few on-the-hour times every day, for example getting up at 7 and going to school at 8. A common mistake happens at 12 o'clock, when the two hands lie on top of each other and some pupils think the hour hand has disappeared; remember, both hands stacked on 12 mean exactly 12 o'clock.
5. Step 5: Order of readingReading a clock needs a fixed order to avoid mistakes: first look at the long hand, and its pointing at 12 means exactly on the hour; then look at the short hand, and the number it points to is the hour; finally put the two results together, for example the short hand at 4 means 4 o'clock. Just as word problems need steps, a fixed reading order improves both speed and accuracy. A common mistake is reading the short hand at first sight and forgetting to check whether the long hand is at 12, which turns a half-past time into an on-the-hour one; never mix up the order.
6. Step 6: How long is one hourWhen the hour hand moves from one number to the next, exactly one hour has passed, and this is a good way to feel how long an hour is. Example: from 2 o'clock to 3 o'clock the short hand moves from 2 to 3, and that stretch is one hour; during this hour the long hand makes one full round, because one hour has 60 minutes. A helpful link: one children's programme lasts about half an hour, so two programmes make an hour. A common mistake is thinking the short hand takes one round for one hour, yet one round of the short hand is 12 hours, and only one step is an hour.

4Diagrams Diagrams

5Worked example Example

6Common mistakes Mistakes

7Quick check Quick check

8Recap Recap

• Short hand = hour; long hand = minute.
• Face numbers 1 to 12 run clockwise.
• Minute hand at 12 means o'clock.
• Check the minute hand first, then the hour.
• From 2 to 3 o'clock is one hour.