Time & Elapsed Time | Teacher Guide

Florida B.E.S.T. Standards

MA.3.M.2.1

Using analog and digital clocks, tell and write time to the nearest minute using a.m. and p.m. appropriately.

Key Points:

Students must read BOTH analog and digital clocks
Time to the NEAREST MINUTE (not just 5-minute intervals)
Must correctly use a.m. (midnight to noon) and p.m. (noon to midnight)

MA.3.M.2.2

Solve one- and two-step real-world problems involving elapsed time.

Key Points:

Find elapsed time (how much time passed)
Find ending time (start + duration)
Find starting time (end - duration)
Use number lines and T-charts as tools
Problems can have two steps

Essential Time Concepts

Hour hand: Short hand, moves slowly, points to the hour
Minute hand: Long hand, moves faster, points to minutes (multiply by 5 for numbers)
a.m.: Midnight (12:00) to just before noon - "morning"
p.m.: Noon (12:00) to just before midnight - "afternoon/evening"
60 minutes = 1 hour: Critical for elapsed time calculations
Elapsed time: The amount of time that passes between two events

Common Misconceptions & Fixes

Misconception: Reading the minute hand as hours

Student sees minute hand on 3 and says "3 minutes" instead of 15 minutes.

Fix: Practice counting by 5s around the clock. Use a clock with minute marks labeled 5, 10, 15... Then add individual minutes past those marks.

Misconception: Confusing a.m. and p.m.

Students don't connect a.m./p.m. to actual daily activities.

Fix: Create an anchor chart with daily schedule: "Waking up (7:00 a.m.), Lunch (12:00 p.m.), Dinner (6:00 p.m.), Bedtime (9:00 p.m.)." Use real-life context!

Misconception: Adding elapsed time like regular numbers

Student calculates 8:45 + 30 minutes = 8:75 instead of 9:15.

Fix: Use a number line! Jump to the next hour first, then add remaining minutes. Teach: "When minutes go past 60, start a new hour."

Misconception: Hour hand always points directly at a number

At 4:30, student doesn't realize the hour hand is between 4 and 5.

Fix: Show how the hour hand moves gradually between numbers. At 4:30, it's halfway between 4 and 5. Use a demonstration clock!

Misconception: Not accounting for a.m./p.m. changes

Movie starts at 11:00 a.m. and is 2 hours long - student says it ends at 1:00 a.m.

Fix: Emphasize the noon transition. Crossing 12:00 switches a.m. to p.m. (or vice versa). Use a timeline showing the full day.

Elapsed Time Strategies

Strategy 1: Number Line (T-Chart)

Start: 9:45 a.m. End: 11:20 a.m. How much time passed? 9:45 ---(+15 min)---> 10:00 ---(+1 hr)---> 11:00 ---(+20 min)---> 11:20 15 min + 60 min + 20 min = 95 minutes = 1 hour 35 minutes

Strategy 2: Count by Hours, Then Minutes

Start: 2:30 p.m. Duration: 2 hours 45 minutes Find end time. 2:30 + 2 hours = 4:30 4:30 + 45 minutes = 5:15 p.m.

Strategy 3: Work Backwards (for finding start time)

End: 3:15 p.m. Duration: 1 hour 30 minutes Find start time. 3:15 - 1 hour = 2:15 2:15 - 30 minutes = 1:45 p.m.

5-Day Lesson Sequence

Day 1: Telling Time to the Nearest Minute

Review hour and minute hands, counting by 5s
Practice reading analog clocks to nearest minute
Match analog to digital times
Introduce "past" vs. "before" language (e.g., 3:47 is "47 minutes past 3")

Day 2: A.M. and P.M.

Create a daily timeline from midnight to midnight
Sort activities by a.m. or p.m.
Write times with correct a.m./p.m.
Practice: "Is 7:00 breakfast time a.m. or p.m.?"

Day 3: Introduction to Elapsed Time

Define elapsed time: "time that passes"
Use number lines to count forward
Start with within-the-hour problems (e.g., 2:15 to 2:45)
Progress to crossing the hour (e.g., 2:45 to 3:15)

Day 4: Finding End Time and Start Time

Given start and duration, find end time
Given end and duration, work backwards to find start
Use T-charts and number lines
Practice with real-world contexts (movies, classes, events)

Day 5: Two-Step Problems & Mixed Practice

Two-step problems: "The movie started at 4:30 and lasted 2 hours. Then we had dinner for 45 minutes. When did dinner end?"
Mix all problem types
Practice FAST-format questions
Include both a.m./p.m. contexts

Differentiation Strategies

For Struggling Learners

Use physical demonstration clocks with movable hands
Start with 5-minute intervals before moving to individual minutes
Provide number lines for every elapsed time problem
Use visual schedules showing a.m./p.m. activities
Practice with small elapsed times (15, 30 minutes) before larger ones

For Advanced Learners

Calculate elapsed time across noon/midnight
Multi-step problems with multiple activities
Create schedules with specific time constraints
Problems involving converting between hours and minutes
Have them write their own elapsed time word problems

FAST Test Tip:

FAST problems often show an analog clock and ask students to identify the time, or give a scenario and ask for elapsed time. Watch for problems where students must determine if the answer should be a.m. or p.m. based on context clues in the word problem.

Teacher Guide: Time & Elapsed Time