Teachers--need advice on lesson plan

[Blueeyes101817]

I am doing my field experience in a first grade classroom and have been working with the students on telling time. Most of the class understands 1:00, 2:00 and so on, but are having a hard time with the concept of "a quarter of" and " a quarter after."
After talking with the teacher, we thought we would try to use an analogy of 4 quarters in a dollar to compare to the clock as the intro to the lesson, but i need to think of an activity that would help them on this...
All the ones i have thought of/found are for the "basic" times (1:00, 2:00..) i really want to focus on the quarter of and quarter after..

any ideas?

*also , the teacher has small clocks for each child that i can draw the hands for the time on..or i can write a time and they can draw the hands on!

 

[teacherforhi]

I let the students color the four "quarters" of the clock...each a different color. Then we discuss which color is a "quarter till" the hour and which color is a "quarter after".

I usually introduce it by explaining that the word quarter means "four parts". I explain it means the division of anything into four parts would be a quarter. Someone always mentions that four quarters are in a dollar, but I would really emphasize that time and money are divided into different "size" quarters.

 

[barkley]

try comparing the clock to a pie cut into 4 peices. a quarter of the pie gone is a quarter after, half gone is half past and so on. i think it's an easier visual concept for that age. you can have them make pies that fit over thier own clock face and manipulate the peices to make the time changes.

 

[Blueeyes101817]

Thanks! those are both great ideas!

 

[CrazedDisFan]

My brother's teacher used quarters to teach time to the class, as in 25¢ pieces. For years and years and years the poor boy thought a quarter after was 25 minutes after because there is 25¢ in a quarter. I can't tell you how many time he missed curfew. He is an otherwise bright guy but it took forever to get rid of the confusion.

 

[Marla Hellwig]

I can remember my daugther coming home with a little cardboardclock where the hands moved - there was one of the pong thingie's pushed through the middle of the clock - we worked so hard in learning how to tell time - now all the schools have digital clocks - lol

 

[Disneycrazymom]

I like the coloring idea. Also if you could get some of the soft cookies. (The big sugar ones) They could each have a cookie and you could cut them in 1/4's. They can eat 1/4 at a "time". Have them begin by putting all 4 1/4 on top of the little colored clock. Take of the 1st 1/4 and eat it. We are at quarter past. Now eat the next quarter, we are at half past,......and so on. You can always get them to focus when food is involved! Have fun!

 

[paigevz]

Good ideas so far, I don't have much to add, but just wanted to say, I only just learned this year what "quarter of" meant. We use "quarter 'til". I always thought, "quarter of" meant a quarter of the hour was already gone, as in a quarter after!