Grade Level: First
Content Area: Mathematics
TEKS: 111.3(b)(7)(E) tell time to the hour and half hour using analog and digital clocks.
Summary: This video teaches an instructor a rhyme or chant titled The Clock Song and shows how to teach and sing it with students. In the video, the presenter uses a clock manipulative as he chants the song. The song goes over rhymes for ways to remember whether the minute hand is pointing at each of the following times: o’clock, :15, :30, and :45. It includes both the number names and “half past” terms to help students also remember which are connected with each other.
Instructional Strategy:
I noticed that the first grade students in my classroom had an especially hard time once the half hour was introduced to them after learning to tell time on the hour. I feel as though they would have benefited from learning this rhyme to use along with their clock manipulatives when approaching the task of telling time on the hour combined with on the half hour. As a teacher, it might be difficult to aide students in remember the connections between :30 and calling that a “half hour” as students continue to try to grasp the concept of time and fractions. Therefore, if you teach them a memory aide, they might have an easier time remembering it at first until they get the larger concept and the reasons behind the names as they continue to grow in their understanding of deeper math concepts. I feel as though my students would have definitely benefited in being provided with a way to remember what time it was when the minute hand was pointing in a certain direction.
I really enjoyed this video! And like you mentioned, I like how the songs used multiple vocabulary terms. Learning to tell time is an important concept and it is importnat to know multiple ways to state what time it is. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, I love lessons that incorporate songs! I know I love singing songs in the classroom and I love lessons that teach through song.
Something that I really like about your post is how you talked about the students in your classroom. I didn’t see other posts mention their students and I think that it’s good that you based your lesson around real kiddos. Granted, all students have to learn the TEKS, but you really put thought into how to incorporate them from what you know. Your lesson is great and hopefully you’ll be able to teach it one day!
I think this video was great. I agree that the kids in our first grade class had a very hard time learning math. Once I thought they grasped the concept I realized they were taking steps back as the teacher introduced new things. I love using songs as a strategy to learn I believe it is so much easier for students to remember things when there’s a fun song to go along. I definitely agree with you that a memory aide is what they need to grasp the concept a little better.