Reading for Life Lessons

Minnesota ABE Supplemental Services, Linda Strand, 2004-2005

And the Minnesota Literacy Council

Focus: Telling Time (Reading for Life, volume 1, unit 9: Time)

Objectives: Learners will be able to read clock faces and times in numerical form

Key Vocabulary: clock, watch, hours, minutes, hour hand, minute hand, a.m., p.m., to tell time, o’clock (optional: half past, quarter past, quarter to)

Topics to Review: numbers

Materials: clocks or watches of different types, pictures to illustrate different parts of the day, cardboard clock for teaching time-telling from a teacher supply store

Procedure:

Real-life application:

T shows a clock or points to one in the room. T asks: “What is this?” T writes “clock” on the board and students copy into their books. T shows a watch. T asks: “What is this?” T writes “watch” on board and students copy. T asks: “What do we use clocks and watches for?” T writes “to tell time” on the board.  T reviews the three vocabulary items and drills students on them.

T draws a blank clock face on the board with 12 tick marks for the hours. T and students fill in the numbers together. T draws an hour hand on the clock pointing at the one and a minute hand at the twelve. T elicits from students or teaches hour hand and minute hand and what they show. T asks students: “What time is it?” pointing to the clock on the board. T teaches o’clock and writes it on the board. T erases the hour hand and draws it in a new place or uses the cardboard teaching clock to repeat the drill several times.

T erases the minute hand and redraws it pointing at the six. T asks students: “Now what time is it?” (Note: For the purpose of the CASAS test, answers given in numeric form, e.g. Four-thirty, are fine. Half-past, quarter past and quarter to are not on the tests. Students will, however, need the phrases for daily communication at some point.) T drills students using more times that are ___:30. T repeats the structure to teach __:15 and ___:45.

T shows times using the cardboard clock and students write the times using numeric forms.

T gives times in numeric form and students draw the clock faces.

Clock pair dictation: Students work in pairs. One student gives 5 times in numeric form. His/her partner draws the clock face that shows that time.

Progress to Reading for Life, v.1 competency worksheets: Applicable worksheets: RFL v.1, unit 9

Progress to multiple-choice format activities: Some to be created by MLC – coming soon

Extensions: Some to be created by MLC – coming soon