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Grade Level

3rd Grade

Duration

45 minutes

Class Size

30 students

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Standards Alignment

Common Core State Standards – Mathematics
NC.3.MD.1 – Tell and write time to the nearest minute. Solve word problems involving addition and subtraction of time intervals within the same hour.

Standards for Mathematical Practice (SMP):

• SMP 1: Make sense of problems and persevere in solving them.
• SMP 4: Model with mathematics.
• SMP 5: Use appropriate tools strategically.
• SMP 6: Attend to precision.

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Learning Objectives

By the end of this lesson, students will be able to:

• I can measure time intervals within the same hour using clock models and number lines.
• I can create a daily schedule with timed activities in minutes and hours.
• I can calculate the total duration of my planned activities to visualize how time passes throughout a typical day.
• I can solve word problems involving addition and subtraction of time intervals within the same hour.

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Success Criteria

• Students accurately draw clock hands for given times to the nearest minute.
• Students correctly calculate elapsed time between two times within the same hour using clocks and number lines.
• Students create a daily schedule with activities specifying start times and durations and compute total time spent on those activities.
• Students solve addition and subtraction word problems about elapsed time using appropriate strategies.
• Students explain their reasoning and choose an effective solution strategy.

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Differentiation Strategies

Learners	Strategies	Extension for Advanced Learners	Dyslexia-Friendly Support
Students with learning difficulties	Use large, color-coded clock visuals; provide number lines with clear, spaced increments; allow partner support	Challenge students to add intervals crossing hourly boundaries	Use dyslexia-friendly fonts, provide verbal instructions and repeat key terms
English Language Learners (ELL)	Use visuals, gestures, and sentence frames ("The elapsed time is...")	Have students explain elapsed time in their own words orally	Provide printed schedules and word problems with simplified language
Advanced learners	Create complex daily schedules totaling multiple hours; introduce elapsed time over one hour	Design and solve multi-step elapsed time word problems	Provide multi-modal learning including drawing and manipulating clocks

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Materials Needed

• Analog clock models or printable clock faces
• Number lines labeled 0 to 60 minutes
• Worksheets for daily schedule creation
• Word problem cards involving elapsed time within the same hour
• Stopwatches (optional) for hands-on timing activity
• Whiteboard and markers
• Dyslexia-friendly printed timer vocabulary cards

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Lesson Plan

Anticipatory Activity (10 minutes)

"What Happens in an Hour?"

• Begin by showing an analog clock on the board set at a random time (e.g., 4:00 PM).
• Ask students: "If it is 4:00 now, what time will it be 30 minutes later? 45 minutes later?"
• Invite volunteers to draw clock hands on the board to show those later times.
• Discuss how we can count minutes on the clock face (skip count by 5s plus minutes by 1s).
• Show a number line from 0 to 60 minutes and demonstrate counting intervals.
• Use simple real-world examples from their day (e.g., lunch starts at 12:00, recess lasts 30 minutes).

I can measure minutes on a clock and number line.

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Teacher Instruction (15 minutes)

Modeling Time Interval Calculation with Clocks and Number Lines

• Demonstrate a word problem: "Beth leaves her house at 4:30 and arrives at dance class at 4:55. How long did it take her to get there?"
• Draw clock hands representing 4:30 and 4:55 on two clock models.
• Show how to count the minutes between the two times using the clock face and a number line (start at 30, end at 55).
• Write the addition sentence: 25 minutes elapsed.
• Explain that since both times are within the same hour, we only count minutes (not hours).
• Model a subtraction word problem: "Beth arrived at dance class at 4:55. It took her 25 minutes to get there. When did she leave?"
• Use clock models and number lines to count backward from 4:55 by 25 minutes to find the start time (4:30).
• Reinforce vocabulary like start time, end time, elapsed time, addition, subtraction.

I can solve elapsed time problems using clocks and number lines.

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Student Work / Lesson Application (15 minutes)

Create Your Own Daily Schedule & Find Total Duration

• Distribute daily schedule template worksheets. Ask students to list 5 activities they do daily (e.g., breakfast, school lesson, recess, reading, dinner).
• Have students write the start time and duration (in minutes and/or hours) of each activity, ensuring all start/end times fall within the same hour or several hours (for visualization).
• Using clock models or number lines, students calculate elapsed time for each activity and add to find total time spent on all activities.
• Encourage students to draw times on clocks for at least two activities.
• Ask students to answer: "How much time do you spend on your activities? How do you know?"
• Circulate and support students needing help with reading or calculating times.

I can apply time intervals to model my day and calculate elapsed time.

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Small Group / Differentiated Instruction (5 minutes)

• Group students by learning needs:

  • Group 1 (needs extra support): Use hands-on clocks and guided number line practice to solve basic elapsed time problems in pairs.
  • Group 2 (on-level): Work independently or in pairs to solve word problems involving time intervals using clocks and number lines.
  • Group 3 (advanced): Solve multi-step problems combining addition/subtraction within and across hours; create and present a "perfect day" schedule, explaining elapsed times.

• Use sentence frames to scaffold explanations, e.g., "I found the elapsed time by... because..."

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Exit Ticket / Assessment (5 minutes)

• Give students a brief word problem to solve individually:
  "Jamal starts his homework at 3:20 PM and finishes 30 minutes later. What time did he finish his homework?"
• Students draw clock hands for start and end time and write the elapsed time calculation.
• Collect for evaluation.

I can solve word problems involving addition of minutes within the same hour.

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Extension Activities for Advanced Learners

• Create a timetable that includes multiple activities spanning several hours and solve problems crossing the hour mark (prepares for Grade 4).
• Design a story problem involving elapsed time in minutes and hours and present it to the class.
• Use digital timers and convert between analog & digital times related to elapsed intervals.

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Dyslexia-Friendly Reading Options

• Use large, clear font such as OpenDyslexic on worksheets.
• Provide audio versions of word problems or text read aloud for students who benefit.
• Highlight key words in word problems (start time, end time, elapsed time, plus, minus).
• Use visual timers and colored clock hands to differentiate hour and minute hands.

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Reflection and Teacher Notes

• Encourage students to verbalize their thinking and reasoning during activities to solidify concepts.
• Use manipulatives throughout to anchor abstract time concepts to concrete visuals.
• Reinforce the importance of ‘same hour’ in problems to reduce confusion.
• Address common misconceptions such as counting hours instead of minutes or incorrectly subtracting time.

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Summary

This 45-minute lesson engages 3rd graders in understanding elapsed time within the same hour by using analog clocks and number lines, solving addition and subtraction word problems, and applying their skills by creating personal daily schedules. The lesson follows NC.3.MD.1 closely with built-in differentiation and supports mathematical practice standards to develop deep conceptual understanding and real-world application of time intervals.