IntroducingTime
Measuring
Continents
How to use these notes
discussion points
These teacher notes and independent activities can
be used to introduce pupils to the concept of time
and measuring time. These activities are suitable for
Reception to Year 2 pupils. All the activities included
are stand alone but by using them alongside the books
in the series Measuring Time, children can explore the
topics in more detail.
Ask children how they know when time is passing. What
are some different things that happen during different
times of the day (i.e., We wake up in the morning. We
have lunch around noon.)? How do we know what time
it is? Discuss that we can use our senses to observe and
look at clues in the environment to know things like
the time of day and the season of the year. Discuss that
we also use tools such as clocks and calendars to tell
time more specifically. Have children look around their
environment and identify both observational clues as
well as tools that tell them about time.
Curriculum links
Mathematics: Measures
General activities
KS1: Year 1 Pupils should be taught to:
• compare, describe and solve practical problems for time
(quicker, slower, earlier, later)
• measure and begin to record time (hours, minutes,
seconds)
• sequence events in chronological order using language
such as: before and after, next, first, today, yesterday,
tomorrow, morning, afternoon and evening
• recognise and use language relating to dates, including
days of the week, weeks, months and years
• tell the time to the hour and half past the hour and
draw the hands on a clock face to show these times.
Times of the day
KS1: Year 2 Pupils should be taught to:
• compare and sequence intervals of time
• Write the words morning, noon, afternoon, evening
on the board in random order. Ask children which
comes first in a day, and write morning again as the
first item of a list. Discuss some things that happen in
the morning (e.g., wake up, eat breakfast, go to school).
Continue this exercise with the other words, adding
them to the list in sequential order and discussing
general times associated with these terms (12:00 is
noon, After 12:00 is afternoon, etc.).
• Have children complete Activity 1: Timeline of your
day. This exercise helps children use time words, place
events in a logical sequence, and connect the content
with their own experience.
Science: Seasonal changes
Seasons of the year
KS1: Year 1 Pupils should be taught to:
• Ask children what season it is. How do they know? What
do the trees look like? What sort of clothes do they
wear in this season? What season is next? How might
the trees look different in that season? Will they wear
different clothes? Continue the discussion to cover all
four seasons and their characteristics.
• Have children complete Activity 2: Changing seasons.
• observe changes across the four seasons
• observe and describe weather associated with the
seasons and how day length varies.
©Raintree Publishers 2013. This page may be photocopied for classroom use.
www.raintreepublishers.co.uk
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Hours, minutes and seconds
• Online tool where children can advance time on a
digital and analogue display by hours and minutes:
http://mathszone.webspace.virginmedia.com/
mw/time/clocks.swf
• Online game where children identify the correct time
on a clock and sequence events: www.bbc.co.uk/
schools/digger/5_7entry/4.shtml
• Have children put their heads down and ask them to
raise their hand when they think a minute has passed.
This will help them develop a better sense of the
duration of a minute. Discuss the length of a second
and explain that there are 60 seconds in a minute.
Show a clock with a second hand and have children
observe the full rotation of the second hand.
• Have children complete Activity 3: What can you do in
a minute? This activity can be done as a whole class, in
small groups, or in pairs.
• Continue the discussion of how long an hour is by
explaining that there are 60 minutes in one hour.
Discuss what sort of activities take an hour to complete.
further reading
Other books in the Measuring Time series include:
• Clocks and Calendars
• Days of the Week
• Hours, Minutes and Seconds
• Months of the Year
• Times of the Day
• Seasons of the Year
To view these titles, visit our website: www.
raintreepublishers.co.uk/product/9781406223064
Websites
Use these websites to help children develop and practise
their skills and understanding of time:
• Collection of teacher resources on the theme of
seasons: www.earlylearninghq.org.uk/themes/
seasons
©Raintree Publishers 2013. This page may be photocopied for classroom use.
www.raintreepublishers.co.uk
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3
noon
afternoon
Learning outcome: Identify and sequence times of the day.
©Raintree Publishers 2013. This page may be photocopied for classroom use.
www.raintreepublishers.co.uk
morning
Write the times of day in order on the timeline below. Draw a picture that shows something you do during each time of the day.
Name ______________________________________ Date ______________________
Activity 1: Timeline of your day
evening
Activity 2: Changing seasons
Name ______________________________________ Date ______________________
Draw what the tree looks like for each season. On the person, draw what
clothes you might wear during each season.
Learning outcome: Identify and illustrate how seasons affect us and
our environment.
©Raintree Publishers 2013. This page may be photocopied for classroom use. www.raintreepublishers.co.uk
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Activity 3: What can you do in a minute?
Name ______________________________________ Date ______________________
Have a friend or adult keep time for one minute as you do each of the
activities below. Write your answers on the chart.
Activity
How many star jumps can
you do in a minute?
Amount
How many times can you write your
name in a minute?
How many times can you
hop across the room?
Learning outcome: Develop an understanding of the length of a minute.
©Raintree Publishers 2013. This page may be photocopied for classroom use. www.raintreepublishers.co.uk
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