Telling time to the minute (age 8+)
Tell and write time to the nearest minute using analogue and digital clocks
What a learner can do afterwards
- Read 7:43 from an analogue clock face
- Write 11:06 on a digital display given a clock with hands
- Match analogue and digital times to the nearest minute
1 · Read
You already know that each number on a clock stands for 5 minutes. Look closer and you will see small tick marks between the numbers. Each tick is one minute.
Ben's clock shows the minute hand 1 tick past the 1. The 1 means 5 minutes, so it is 6 minutes past the hour. On a digital clock he writes 11:06, not 11:6. The zero holds the empty tens spot.
When the minutes are less than 10, always write a zero first, like 06 or 04. Digital clocks always show two digits for minutes.
Count the ticks past the last number to find the exact minute, and always write minutes under 10 with a leading zero.
2 · Watch
Take it off screen
Where it sits
This opens up
Where this leads
18 questions wait behind this lesson, each with its answer explained. Every answer feeds the sky: stars light as they are learned, and dim when it is time to come back.