3.MD.1: Telling Time and Measuring Time Intervals

Visual Models to Use

• Clock Face Breakdown - Use a clock face to show that each number represents 5 minutes (1 = 5 minutes, 2 = 10 minutes, etc.), each small mark between numbers represents 1 minute, and a full rotation of the minute hand equals 60 minutes or 1 hour
• Number Line for Elapsed Time - Draw a number line to show elapsed time by marking the starting time and ending time, then counting by hours and minutes
• Time Interval T-Chart - Create a T-chart with hours and minutes to calculate elapsed time (e.g., Start time: 3:25, End time: 5:10, Difference: 1 hour and 45 minutes)

Everyday Activities

1. Time Scavenger Hunt

Hide clocks or drawings of clocks around your home showing different times. Give your child a worksheet to record each time they find in both analog and digital formats.

2. Cooking Time

When cooking or baking, have your child calculate when a dish will be ready based on the current time and cooking duration. For example, "If it's 5:20 now and the pizza needs to bake for 25 minutes, what time will it be ready?"

3. Time Diary

Have your child keep a time diary for one day, recording start and end times for different activities and calculating how long each activity took.

4. Time Bingo

Create bingo cards with digital times. Call out times in verbal format ("quarter past four") or show analog clock faces, and have players mark the corresponding digital time on their cards.

Strategies When Your Child Struggles

1. Use a Teaching Clock

A manipulative clock with movable hands helps children visualize time. Move the hands to show different times and time intervals.

2. Skip Counting by 5s

Practice skip counting by 5s around the clock (5, 10, 15, 20, etc.) to help your child quickly identify minute positions.

3. Break Down Elapsed Time

For elapsed time problems, teach your child to:

• Count to the next hour boundary
• Count the remaining full hours
• Count the final minutes

Example: 2:40 to 4:15 = 20 min + 1 hour + 15 min = 1 hour 35 minutes

4. Digital/Analog Connection

Show both digital and analog representations of the same time to help your child connect the two formats.

5-Minute Practice Activities

1. What Time Is It?

Draw different clock faces showing various times to the nearest minute. Ask your child to write the time in digital format (e.g., 3:42).

2. Time Jumps

Start with a time (e.g., 2:15) and ask your child to determine what time it will be after a given interval (e.g., 45 minutes later).

3. Daily Schedule

Create a simple schedule with start and end times for daily activities. Ask your child to calculate how long each activity lasts.

Example:

• Breakfast: 7:15 - 7:40
• School: 8:30 - 3:15
• Soccer practice: 4:00 - 5:30

Mid-Year Expectations

By the middle of third grade, your child should be able to:

• Tell time to the nearest 5 minutes on an analog clock
• Convert between simple analog and digital time formats
• Calculate elapsed time within the same hour
• Understand that there are 60 minutes in an hour
• Solve simple word problems involving time

End-of-Year Expectations

By the end of third grade, your child should be able to:

• Tell and write time to the nearest minute using analog and digital clocks
• Identify the hour and minute hands on an analog clock
• Convert between analog and digital time formats
• Calculate elapsed time in minutes and hours, even across hour boundaries
• Solve word problems involving addition and subtraction of time intervals

Mastery Signs

Your child has mastered this standard when they can:

• Quickly identify the time on both analog and digital clocks to the nearest minute
• Fluently convert between different time formats
• Calculate elapsed time across hour boundaries without counting by ones
• Apply time concepts to solve real-world problems
• Create and solve their own time interval problems
• Use appropriate time vocabulary (quarter past, half past, quarter to)

Below Grade Level

For students who need additional support with basic time concepts.

Download Practice Worksheet

At Grade Level

For students who are working at the expected level for this standard.

Download Grade Level Worksheet

Above Grade Level

For students who are ready for more challenging time measurement problems.

Download Challenge Worksheet