Read between the fives
The minute hand does not always land exactly on a number.
2:17
Count the small minute marks after the nearest 5-minute point.
Year 3
Estimate and read time with increasing accuracy to the nearest minute
Read analogue clock times more precisely to the nearest minute.
Lesson overview
Time
On an analogue clock, each number is 5 minutes apart, but each small minute mark counts as 1 minute. Reading to the nearest minute means using the exact minute mark, not only the nearest 5 minutes.
Estimate first
A quick estimate helps before reading the exact minute.
about quarter to 10, exactly 9:43
Estimate the nearest 5 minutes, then refine to the exact minute.
The hour hand moves too
The hour hand creeps forward as the minutes pass.
5:28
The hour hand is not fixed exactly on the number except at o'clock.
Worked example
Read the time when the minute hand is 3 small marks after the 4 and the hour hand is between 1 and 2.
1:23
- The 4 on the clock means 20 minutes.
- Three more minute marks make 23 minutes.
- The hour hand is between 1 and 2, so the hour is 1.
- So the time is 1:23.
Try it
Estimate the nearest 5-minute point first, then count the extra minute marks carefully.
Question 1
What time is shown?
?
Question 2
What time is shown?
?
Question 3
Write the minute number in 9:43.
Question 4
Which time is about quarter to 10?
about quarter to 10
Question 5
Why do we estimate first?
Common mistakes
Watch for these when working through the lesson.
- Reading only the nearest 5 minutes and ignoring the extra marks.
- Using the next hour instead of the current hour for past times.
- Counting from the wrong 5-minute point.
Related topics
These ideas fit closely with this lesson.
- Tell and write the time from 12-hour and 24-hour clocks.
- Record and compare time in terms of seconds, minutes and hours.