2
Minute hand and five-minute steps
Discover Mathematics P2: Term 1, Lessons 51–60
GoalTell the time to five minutes by counting by fives round the clock.
New words
minute · a small part of an hour, 60 minutes make 1 hourpast · after the hourcount by fives · say 5, 10, 15, 20 and so on
Explanation
There are 60 minutes in 1 hour. The big numbers on the clock are 5 minutes apart. When the minute hand is on 1 it is 5 minutes past. On 2 it is 10 minutes. On 3 it is 15, on 4 it is 20, and so on, counting by fives: 5, 10, 15, 20, 25, 30, 35, 40, 45, 50, 55, 60. Read the hour hand first (the hour that has just passed), then the minutes. A minute hand on 2 and an hour hand just after 4 means 4:10. On a digital clock 5 minutes is written 05, as in 4:05.
Worked examples
The minute hand is on 2, so it is 10 minutes past. The hour hand is just after 4. The time is 4:10.
The minute hand is on 5, so 5 × 5 is 25 minutes, counting 5, 10, 15, 20, 25. The time is 7:25.
The minute hand is on 10, so the minutes are 50. The hour hand has not reached 9 yet, so it is still after 8: the time is 8:50.
Class activity
Clock walk. Draw a big clock face with chalk on the ground or on paper on the floor. The child stands in the middle and points an arm like the minute hand. The grown-up calls a time such as 3:20 and the child points to 4. Then swap. Count by fives together each time.
Practice
1
What time does the clock show?
2:10.
2
What time does the clock show?
5:35.
3
How many minutes past the hour when the minute hand is on 4?
20 minutes.
4
What time does the clock show?
11:55.
5
Count by fives from 35 to 60. Write the numbers you say.
35, 40, 45, 50, 55, 60.