Overview

Age group: Year 4 (8-9 years old)
Duration: 35 minutes
Class size: 30 pupils
Curriculum links:

• Mathematics – Year 4, Numbers:
  • Solve problems involving converting between units of time [National Curriculum for England, Year 4]
• White Rose Maths Scheme Alignment:
  • Block: Time
  • Step: Convert between different units of time (seconds, minutes, hours, days) and solve problems.

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Learning Objectives

By the end of this lesson, pupils will:

• Understand the relationship between seconds, minutes, hours, and days.
• Convert between units of time confidently to solve word problems.
• Apply reasoning to explain their methods and solutions clearly.

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Success Criteria

Pupils can:

• Convert seconds to minutes and vice versa with accuracy.
• Convert minutes to hours and hours to days correctly.
• Solve multi-step problems involving converting time.
• Explain and justify how they solved time conversion problems using appropriate mathematical vocabulary (e.g. ‘multiply’, ‘divide’, ‘units’, ‘equal parts’).

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Lesson Structure

1. Engaging Introduction (5 minutes)

Context: Tell a story about planning a school trip where they must calculate how long different parts of the journey take (e.g., walking, bus rides). Introduce the challenge: “If our bus ride lasts 90 minutes, how many hours and minutes is that? What if the next part is given in seconds?”

Active reasoning question:

• “How would converting the time help us plan better?”
• “What makes understanding time in different units important when we are in a hurry or planning?”

Layered questioning:

• Can someone explain what they think ‘converting time’ means and why it might be tricky?
• How do minutes, hours, and seconds relate to each other?
• If you have 120 seconds, can you tell me how that is expressed in minutes and seconds? Why?

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2. Teaching and Modelling (10 minutes)

Modelling example for copying:

Problem: Convert 150 seconds into minutes and seconds.
Step 1: I know there are 60 seconds in one minute.
Step 2: Divide 150 by 60 to find how many whole minutes there are.
150 ÷ 60 = 2 remainder 30
Step 3: So, 150 seconds = 2 minutes and 30 seconds.

“So the answer is 2 minutes and 30 seconds.”

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Modelling with explanation:

• Explain division with remainder.
• Identify units carefully.
• Use visual aids such as clocks or time bars.

Targeted Whole Class Questions (Bloom’s Taxonomy):

• Remembering: How many seconds are in one minute?
• Understanding: Why do we divide by 60 when converting seconds to minutes?
• Applying: Can you convert 240 seconds to minutes and seconds? Explain your steps.
• Analysing: How do you know when you need to find a remainder?
• Evaluating: Which is faster, counting seconds or using division? Why?
• Creating: Can you create your own time conversion problem and explain the solution to a partner?

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3. AfL (Assessment for Learning) Checks (throughout modelling)

• Immediate observational AfL: Watch facial expressions and engagement during explanation.
• Mini whiteboard check: Pupils convert 180 seconds to minutes and seconds on their whiteboards and hold them up.
• Verbal reasoning check: Use a timer (1 minute) for pairs to discuss and explain aloud the steps they took; listen to selected pairs report their reasoning to class.

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4. Prove It Reasoning Question (5 minutes)

Question:
Convert 3 hours and 90 minutes into hours only. Explain your thinking.

Sentence stems for explanation:

• “First, I know that 60 minutes equals 1 hour.”
• “Since 90 minutes is more than 60, I can...”
• “Therefore, to convert 3 hours and 90 minutes, I...”

Set a timer for 2 minutes for pupils to explain verbally in pairs before writing their answer. Select 3-4 pupils to share their sentences aloud.

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5. Guided Task - Increasing Complexity (10 minutes)

Task outline:

| Step 1 (Basic): Convert 360 seconds into minutes and seconds.
| Step 2 (Intermediate): Convert 2 hours and 45 minutes into minutes only.
| Step 3 (Challenging): Sally jogged for 1 hour and 120 minutes. How long did she jog in total (in hours and minutes)?
| Step 4 (Application): A film lasts 2 hours 15 minutes. If you arrive 50 minutes late, how much of the film is left in minutes?

Children complete individually or in pairs with teacher support.

AfL: Circulate with targeted questioning, e.g. “How did you decide to split the time?”; “Can you explain why you multiplied or divided here?”

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6. Common Misconceptions and Difficulties

• Thinking that 90 minutes is always 90 minutes instead of converting to 1 hour 30 minutes.
• Forgetting that 60 seconds = 1 minute, instead just dividing without considering remainder.
• Confusing units (e.g., treating seconds as minutes).
• Difficulty in reading and breaking down multi-step word problems.
• Not explaining reasoning clearly or skipping steps in calculations.

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7. Plenary (5 minutes)

• Review key learning points by asking: “Why is it important to convert time correctly?”
• Quickfire oral quiz: Call out times to convert (e.g., 75 minutes to hours and minutes, 240 seconds to minutes) and have pupils respond verbally or on mini whiteboards.
• Reflective question: “What was the most challenging part of today’s lesson and why?”
• Challenge: “Can you think of other situations in daily life where converting time is useful?”

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Resources

• Mini whiteboards and markers
• Visual aids (clocks, time bars)
• Printed task sheets
• Timer for verbal reasoning sessions

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Summary

This lesson plan meets Year 4 expectations for solving problems involving converting units of time, with a focus on developing deeper reasoning, explanation skills, and problem-solving strategies. It integrates White Rose Maths principles and National Curriculum standards, utilising active, layered questioning and AfL strategies to engage and support all pupils.