Math Tip Monday- Tips for Teaching Time & Money


Hi there! I hope you had a wonderful week last week and truly felt appreciated! This month we are going to share some fun ways to teach time or money during our Math Tip Monday Link up.

My school district (and the 1st grade Common Core Standards) doesn't place a huge emphasis on learning about money. While I still think it is important to teach, my focus today is going to be on teaching time.

Anchor Chart

First, like always we start with our "Who Cares About Time" discussion and anchor chart. We brainstorm why knowing how to tell time is important and which professions find it especially important. For example, time is very important in baking (setting a timer so food doesn't burn), sports (certain amount of minutes per game/time-outs), and at airports (making sure planes come and go without accidents). Of course there are tons of other real world examples!

Vocabulary & Concepts

Once we set the stage for learning I make sure my students have a handle of the vocabulary (day, night, clock, analog, digital, face, hand, etc.). We spend a day or two thinking about the order of events in a day and what we do during morning or night.

We then move on to the concept of seconds, minutes, and hours. To show the difference between seconds and minutes I have my kids jump up and down for a minute, see how many letters they can write in a minute, how far they can run, and more. I also make a conscious effort to point out as the hours pass and review what we accomplished in that span of time. As adults we often say "wait one minute" which really turns into 5 or 10 and gives children unrealistic expectations of time.

Clocks

Once we have the basics down, it's time to introduce the clocks! I like making paper plate clocks with my students so they each have one. Simply use a brad fastener to attach hands on the plate and write in the numbers. I make sure we have practice reading the times I show (to the hour and half hour), writing the time in digital form, and having them manipulate the clock hands to show a specific time.

Telling time to the hour comes very easily. Time to the half hour however is a whole different story! To determine which hour it is when the hand is between two numbers I have my kids get in the practice of starting their finger on 12 and racing it around the numbers until they get to the hand. They can see that they passed one number and didn't quite get to the next.

I also incorporate movement when displaying times. Whenever they share the time the point their arms up in the air if it's an o'clock and crouch down the the ground if its _:30.

Centers & Practice

Once I've taught it for awhile we do lots of telling time math centers and matching. One of our favorite activities is a whole grade level scavenger hunt. I used my Pirate Telling Time activity but any clock cards can be used. We hang clock cards around the hallways and give each student a clipboard. They search the  area and record all times. Of course there's a prize for everyone! The treasure chest came from a craft store along with gem shaped Easter eggs I found earlier in the year.
        

I hope you had a great "time" learning a few new tips! Check out the other posts below for even more fabulous ideas!


Wishlist Linky

Today I am joining up with Teaching in the Tongass and tons of other sellers to show you some of our top wish listed items from our Teachers Pay Teachers stores.
All of my top wishlisted items are part of my Highlight & Record Series, but the best buy is the bundle. What I love about these pages is the student engagement! My first graders love learning phonics patterns with the use of highlighters. These pages help young readers identify spelling patterns within text, both at the sentence level and story level. After highlighting words, students then record or sort spelling patterns. I use Words Their Way and Daily 5 so this year-long bundle is a quick way to change out my word work each week. 
Also, if you don't want to print tons of copies I have seen teachers print a few on colored paper and laminate them as a center activity. Students can easily use dry erase markers to do each page.
The set currently includes Short Vowels, Blends & Digraphs, Long Vowels, and R-Controlled Vowels (each is sold separately too). 
             

            

To try it before you buy it, click the picture below for a FREEBIE!

I know many of us are winding down for the school year and have nothing on the brain but summer! But for those of you who like to get a head start on next year, my Ocean Themed Organization & Decor bundle can help you out! This product puts my obsessive need for matching and cuteness to good use ;)

The product includes everything you'll need for an Ocean Themed Classroom and goes beyond just classroom decorations. Tons of labels, Data Notebook Materials, Classroom Forms, Decor, and more are included.

I blogged about my ocean themed classroom before as well as how I have used these materials each year (for the past 8 years!). The summer can be a perfect time to start prepping labels and materials for a seamless transition into a new school year. I also include tons of organizational tips, bulletin board ideas, and photos in use.


Finally, another top wishlisted item is my 1st Grade Word Problem Bundle. This growing bundle is updated each time a new word problem activity is added to my store. This means that once you buy it you will have access to all sets as they are uploaded. It currently includes seasonal favorites and thematic sets for ocean/beach, camping, back to school, safari, pirates, and more!

Sets include word problem cards (using numbers up to 10 or 20), QR code answer cards for easy self correcting and technology integration, and a variety of worksheets/recording sheets to use during centers, homework, or quizzes. Many sets also include open ended word problem mini-books where students can create and solve their own problems.

While the bundle is the best deal (save $10 plus more during the sale) and covers you year-round, a few of my favorite individual sets for this time of year are Camping Word Problems, Carnival Word Problems, Ocean Word Problems, Safari Word Problems, and Pirate Word Problems. I use one of these sets during each of my End of Year Themed Days along with other literacy, science, and art activities.
       
      
I hope you have had fun learning about some of my most wishlisted (and favorite!) products. I hope you have a wonderful Teacher Appreciation Week and realize how important (and appreciated) you are!