- Minute hand on 12, hour hand on 7. The minute hand says o'clock; the hour hand says 7 → 7 o'clock.
- Minute hand on 6, hour hand halfway between 4 and 5. The minute hand says half past; the hour started at 4 → half past 4.
- Minute hand on 3, hour hand just past 9. The minute hand says quarter past → quarter past 9.
- Minute hand on 9, hour hand nearly at 6. The minute hand says quarter to; the next hour is 6 → quarter to 6.
Year 2 Mathematics · AC9M2M04
Read analog clocks to the hour, half-hour and quarter-hour
Learn what each hand tells you, connect the clock face to halves and quarters, and read o'clock, half past, quarter past and quarter to confidently
Ready to project and teach
Key conceptTeach from the board
Clean visual examplesOne-page board
Clean one-page examples
AC9M2M04 - Read analog clocks to the hour, half-hour and quarter-hour
Example 1
Minute hand on 12, hour hand on 7. The minute hand says o'clock; the hour hand says 7 → 7 o'clock .
Example 2
Minute hand on 6, hour hand halfway between 4 and 5. The minute hand says half past; the hour started at 4 → half past 4 .
Example 3
Minute hand on 3, hour hand just past 9. The minute hand says quarter past → quarter past 9 .
Example 4
Minute hand on 9, hour hand nearly at 6. The minute hand says quarter to; the next hour is 6 → quarter to 6 .
Curriculum examplesCurriculum examples
- Content description: recognise and read the time represented on an analog clock to the hour, half-hour and quarter-hour.
- E1: build an analog clock, place the numbers and two hands, and explain what each hand measures.
- E2: connect movement of the hands with duration, including the halfway position for half past.
- E3: divide the clock face into halves and quarters and connect these parts to quarter past, half past and quarter to.
Questions and answersWith answers
Minute hand first → hour hand second → say the time → check.
- 12 = o'clock
- 3 = quarter past
- 6 = half past
- 9 = quarter to
- At half past, the hour hand is halfway between two hours.
- At quarter to, name the hour that is coming next.
- One clock number = 5 minutes for the minute hand.
Quick mastery: Explain why a clock with the minute hand on 9 and hour hand almost at 8 is quarter to 8.
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