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Got the Time?
(Math Word Problems)


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Return to It's About Time: Teaching Students to Tell Time

Subjects

  • Mathematics:
    Applied Math
  • Mathematics:
    Arithmetic
  • Mathematics:
    Measurement

Grades

  • 3-5
  • 6-8

Brief Description

Math word problems put students' telling-time/clock skills to practical use.

Objectives

Students will

  • work with peers to solve word problems related to time.
  • independently solve word problems that involve calculating time.

Keywords

Time, measurement, hours, minutes, telling time, word problems

Materials Needed

Lesson Plan

In this lesson, students demonstrate their grasp of telling time by solving word problems involving addition and subtraction of time.

Prior to handing out the work sheet, introduce students to a few word problems involving time. (See below.) You might do the first problem together, and then let students solve the remaining problems with a partner -- one they can talk with about the processes involved in solving the problems. Before giving out the work sheet, which will be completed independently, review the problems with students to make sure they understand how they are solved.

Write the following problems on the board or a chart:

  • Brandon left school at 3:15 p.m. He walked to the library to work on his homework. It took 15 minutes to walk to the library. Brandon's father picked him up at the library one hour after he arrived. What time did Brandon's dad pick him up?(4:30 p.m.)
  • Emily and Sarah live at opposite ends of the neighborhood. It takes each of them 20 minutes to walk to school. If they have to be at school at 8:15 a.m., what is the latest time they can leave home and still make it to school in time without running? (7:55 a.m.)
  • Marcus met Max at the movies at 7:00 p.m. The movie started at 7:10 and lasted 1 hour and 35 minutes. What time did the movie end? (8:45 p.m.)
  • Heather had two exams today. The first exam lasted from 8:30 a.m. to 9:15 a.m. She had to wait 3 hours and 25 minutes from the end of the last exam to the beginning of the next exam. What time did the second exam begin? (12:40 p.m.)
  • Latifa had a dancing lesson after school. School let out at 2:55 p.m. and it took Latifa 15 minutes to walk to her lesson. She made it just in time. After the 1-hour lesson, it took Latifa 15 minutes to walk home. What time did she arrive home? (4:25 p.m.)

After reviewing the problems, distribute to each student a copy of the Got the Time? work sheet. Have students work independently to solve each word problems on the work sheet. The answer key appears in the Assessment section below. Review the problems in class.

Assessment

Students will correctly answer at least 4 of the 5 questions on the work sheet.

ANSWER KEY for Got the Time? work sheet:
1. 11:55 a.m.
2. 1:10 p.m.
3. 9:35 a.m.
4. 7:15 p.m.
5. 11:25 a.m.

Lesson Plan Source

Education World

Submitted By

Gary Hopkins

National Standards

MATHEMATICS: Number and Operations
GRADES 3 - 5
NM-NUM.3-5.1 Understand Numbers, Ways of Representing Numbers, Relationships Among Numbers, and Number Systems
NM-NUM.3-5.2 Understand Meanings of Operations and How They Relate to One Another
NM-NUM.3-5.3 Compute Fluently and Make Reasonable Estimates
GRADES 6 - 8
NM-NUM.6-8.1 Understand Numbers, Ways of Representing Numbers, Relationships Among Numbers, and Number Systems
NM-NUM.6-8.2 Understand Meanings of Operations and How They Relate to One Another
NM-NUM.6-8.3 Compute Fluently and Make Reasonable Estimates
GRADES 9 - 12
NM-NUM.9-12.1 Understand Numbers, Ways of Representing Numbers, Relationships Among Numbers, and Number Systems
NM-NUM.9-12.2 Understand Meanings of Operations and How They Relate to One Another
NM-NUM.9-12.3 Compute Fluently and Make Reasonable Estimates

MATHEMATICS: Measurement
GRADES 3 - 5
NM-MEA.3-5.1 Understand Measurable Attributes of Objects and the Units, Systems, and Processes of Measurement
NM-MEA.3-5.2 Apply Appropriate Techniques, Tools, and Formulas to Determine Measurements
GRADES 6 - 8
NM-MEA.6-8.1 Understand Measurable Attributes of Objects and the Units, Systems, and Processes of Measurement
NM-MEA.6-8.2 Apply Appropriate Techniques, Tools, and Formulas to Determine Measurements
GRADES 9 - 12
NM-MEA.9-12.1 Understand Measurable Attributes of Objects and the Units, Systems, and Processes of Measurement
NM-MEA.9-12.2 Apply Appropriate Techniques, Tools, and Formulas to Determine Measurements

MATHEMATICS: Problem Solving
GRADES Pre-K - 12
NM-PROB.PK-12.1 Build New Mathematical Knowledge Through Problem Solving
NM-PROB.PK-12.2 Solve Problems That Arise in Mathematics and in Other Contexts
NM-PROB.PK-12.3 Apply and Adapt a Variety of Appropriate Strategies to Solve Problems
NM-PROB.PK-12.4 Monitor and Reflect on the Process of Mathematical Problem Solving

Find more activities for teaching basic math skills in Education World's Math Subject Center. There you will find lesson plans for teaching math skills by using the phone book and many more fun activities.

Click to return to this week's Lesson Planning article, It's About Time: Teaching Students to Tell Time.

Originally published 05/09/2003
Last updated 07/17/2008