Telling Time Recap

Overview

This 40-minute lesson revisits telling time to the o’clock, half past, and quarter past hours, ensuring Year 2 pupils build confidence and fluency. The lesson is closely aligned with the National Curriculum for England requirements for time-telling skills by the end of Key Stage 1.

National Curriculum Links

• Mathematics (Year 2) - Number – Measurement: Pupils should be taught to:
• Tell and write the time to five minutes, including quarter past/to the hour and draw the hands on a clock face to show these times.
• By the end of Year 2, children are expected to: Tell the time to the nearest 15 minutes (quarter past, half past, and quarter to) on analogue clocks.

Learning Objectives

By the end of the lesson, all pupils will be able to:

• Recognise and tell the time to o’clock, half past, and quarter past on analogue clocks.
• Draw hands accurately on clocks to represent o’clock, half past, and quarter past times.

Success Criteria

• Verbally say time displayed on a clock to the nearest quarter hour correctly.
• Draw hands on clocks to show given times to o’clock, half past, and quarter past.
• Use the language “o’clock,” “half past,” and “quarter past” confidently.

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Lesson Structure

1. Starter (5 minutes) – Quick Recall and Hook

• Begin with a whole-class flashback quiz: Show digital times on the board (e.g., 3:00, 7:30, 1:15) and ask pupils to shout out the time using correct terms.
• Use a catchy time-telling chant or rhyme to invigorate focus. Example: “When the big hand’s on the 12, it’s o’clock, don’t you know, When the big hand’s on the 6, it’s half past, nice and slow, When the big hand’s on the 3, it’s a quarter past, let’s go!”

2. Teaching Input (10 minutes) – Concrete Demonstration

• Use a large analogue clock model, preferably one with moveable hands.
• Teacher models:
• O’clock (e.g., 4:00) – big hand on 12, little hand on 4.
• Half past (e.g., 4:30) – big hand on 6, little hand between 4 and 5.
• Quarter past (e.g., 4:15) – big hand on 3, little hand between 4 and 5.
• Explain the position of the “big hand” (minute hand) and “little hand” (hour hand) in each case.
• Emphasise key vocabulary: “o’clock”, “half past”, “quarter past.”
• Using questioning, check understanding: “Where will the big hand point for quarter past?”
• Show a playful antagonist clock demonstration: what if the hands are in the wrong place? Pupils help correct it.

3. Guided Practice (10 minutes) – Application

Activity 1:

• Distribute individual paper clock faces with blank hands (pre-drawn clock face without hands).
• Call out times - pupils draw the big and little hands. Times called include o’clock, half past, quarter past times, e.g., 2:00, 5:15, 7:30.
• Teacher circulates and offers immediate feedback.

Activity 2:

• Partner work with pairs having small plastic clocks. They take turns calling out times and setting clocks for each other to read aloud.

4. Adaptations (for 5-6 pupils needing additional support)

• Provide clock face templates with the big hand labelled “minute hand” and little hand “hour hand.”
• Use coloured hands (e.g., red big hand, blue little hand) for visual clarity.
• Use physical movement: pupils act out the clock hands by holding up arms to show the big and little hand positions.
• Provide one-to-one or small group focused support during drawing activity, using tactile clocks or large wall clock.

5. Challenge (for confident pupils)

• Introduce ‘quarter to’ time for a greater challenge, linking to their previous understanding.
• Ask pupils to write time in words and digital format for given analogue clocks showing o’clock, half past, quarter past, and quarter to.
• Introduce short problem-solving questions like: “If the clock shows quarter past 3, what time will it be in 15 minutes?”
• Encourage pupils to create their own clock face showing a specified time and explain it to the class.

6. Plenary and Assessment (5 minutes)

• Quickfire round: Show different clock times on the big analogue clock and ask individual pupils to say the time.
• Oral questioning to reflect on the lesson: “What does ‘quarter past’ mean on a clock?” “How do you know when it’s half past?”
• Use a thumbs-up/down signal check for confidence in telling o’clock, half past, and quarter past times.
• Collect the drawn clock faces to assess individual success against lesson objective.

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Resources

• Large model analogue clock with movable hands.
• Paper clock face templates for each pupil.
• Small plastic clocks or DIY paper clocks for pairs.
• Coloured pens or pencils.
• Visual aids/charts showing positions of clock hands for o’clock, half past, quarter past.
• Challenge question cards for confident pupils.

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Reflection and Next Steps

After the lesson, evaluate which pupils need more reinforcement of quarter past and half past. Plan small group intervention or a follow-up lesson focusing on ‘quarter to’ and telling time to five minutes, building towards the Year 2 curriculum expectation.

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This lesson blends visual, auditory, and kinaesthetic learning styles, supports inclusion with scaffolds, and extends learners through challenge tasks. It builds firm foundations in time-telling, a vital life skill and curriculum requirement.