Telling the Time
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Does telling time in English seem complicated to you? Not anymore! This simple and brilliant infographic makes learning how to tell time easy and intuitive. By visually dividing the clock into two halves, "past" and "to," it offers students a clear mental model so they'll never make a mistake again. It's the perfect tool for mastering an essential daily skill in a fun and memorable way.
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Pedagogical Guide
Objective & Resource Content
The objective is to learn and practice asking for and telling time in English, using the structure with "**past**" and "**to**."
The document is a visual guide titled "**TELLING THE TIME**". Its main element is a large clock face that visually divides the minutes. The right side is dedicated to the minutes "**past**" the hour (e.g., *It's five past ...*, *It's a quarter past ...*), and the left side is for the minutes "**to**" the next hour (e.g., *It's twenty to ...*, *It's a quarter to ...*). It clearly indicates the expressions *It's ... o'clock* (for the hour) and *It's half past ...* (for the half-hour). The infographic also includes example questions ("What time is it?") and answers, including the use of **a.m.** and **p.m.** for different times of the day.
Suggested Lesson Flow
Before the Activity (~5 min): THE CLOCK ON THE BOARD
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Draw a simple clock on the board. Review numbers 1 to 12. Point out the hour and minute hands and ask students to name them in English (*hour hand, minute hand*).
During the Activity (~10-15 min): "PAST" OR "TO"?
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Project the infographic. Focus first on the right side ("**past**"). Use a real or drawn clock to move the minute hand to 5, 10, 15, 20, 25, and 30, repeating the corresponding phrase in chorus ("It's five past!", "It's ten past!").
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Do the same thing for the left side with "**to**."
After the Activity (~10 min): THE HUMAN CLOCK
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Draw a large clock circle on the floor with chalk or tape. Two students act as the hands.
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The teacher announces a time ("It's a quarter past three!"). The two students must position themselves correctly. The rest of the class validates whether the time is correct.
Adaptations
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To Simplify: Focus only on "**o'clock**" and "**half past**" in the first lesson. Introduce the "**past**" side in a second lesson, and the "**to**" side in a third. Use individual cardboard clocks that students can manipulate themselves.
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To Extend: Ask students to write their daily schedule (e.g., "I wake up at...", "I have lunch at...") using the complete time expressions from the sheet.