3
Morning or afternoon?
Discover Mathematics P2: Term 1, Lessons 51–60
GoalTell if a time of day is a.m. or p.m. and match daily activities to a.m. or p.m.
New words
a.m. · the time from midnight until noonp.m. · the time from noon until midnightnoon · 12 o’clock in the middle of the daymidnight · 12 o’clock in the middle of the night
Explanation
A day has 24 hours, but a clock shows only 12 hours. So every number on the clock happens two times a day. We use a.m. for the hours from midnight until noon: waking up, breakfast, and morning school. We use p.m. for the hours from noon until midnight: lunch after noon, football after school, dinner and going to sleep. 7:00 a.m. is in the morning. 7:00 p.m. is in the evening. The same number, but a different time of day.
| a.m. (midnight to noon) | p.m. (noon to midnight) |
|---|---|
| waking up, breakfast | lunch, football, dinner |
| morning school | going to sleep |
Worked examples
Youssef wakes up at 7:00 in the morning, so he writes 7:00 a.m.
The family eats lunch at 1:00 after noon, so we write 1:00 p.m.
Hana goes to sleep at 9:00 at night. That is 9:00 p.m. The sun goes down before that.
Class activity
My day on a strip. Fold a paper into two halves. On one half draw three things you do in the a.m. and on the other half three things you do in the p.m. Write the time under each drawing and a.m. or p.m. Show your day to someone and let them guess which half is which.
Practice
1
Breakfast is at 7:30 in the morning. Is it a.m. or p.m.?
a.m.
2
Dinner is at 8:30 in the evening. Is it a.m. or p.m.?
p.m.
3
Marwan goes to bed at 9:00 at night. Is it a.m. or p.m.?
p.m.
4
Mariam plays football in the street at 4:00 after school. Is it a.m. or p.m.?
p.m.
5
The sun comes up at 6:00. Is it a.m. or p.m.?
a.m.