On Time
Timothy is always on time to get on the school bus. However,
Timothy also likes to sleep for as long as possible without being
late for school. Timothy gets to the bus stop at 8:00 every
morning.
Here is a list of all the things he does before getting on the bus:
• Make bed: 2 minutes
• Wash face and brush teeth: 4 minutes
• Get dressed and brush hair: 5 minutes
• Eat breakfast: 15 minutes
• Feed dog: 2 minutes
• Feed cat: 2 minutes
• Get snack and book bag ready: 5 minutes
• Free time: 5 minutes
• Walk to the bus stop: 5 minutes
If Timothy does all the things on the list above, what is the
latest time he can wake up and still make it to the bus at 8:00?
On Time
Copyright 2008, Exemplars, Inc. All rights reserved.
1 of 9
On Time
Suggested Grade Span
K–2
Grade(s) in Which Task Was Piloted
2
Task
Timothy is always on time to get on the school bus. However, Timothy also likes to sleep for as
long as possible without being late for school. Timothy gets to the bus stop at 8:00 every
morning.
Here is a list of all the things he does before getting on the bus:
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Make bed: 2 minutes
Wash face and brush teeth: 4 minutes
Get dressed and brush hair: 5 minutes
Eat breakfast: 15 minutes
Feed dog: 2 minutes
Feed cat: 2 minutes
Get snack and book bag ready: 5 minutes
Free time: 5 minutes
Walk to the bus stop: 5 minutes
If Timothy does all the things on the list above, what is the latest time he can wake up and still
make it to the bus at 8:00?
Alternative Versions of Task
More Accessible Version:
Timothy is always on time to get on the school bus. However, Timothy also likes to sleep for as
long as possible without being late for school. Timothy gets to the bus stop at 8:00 every
morning.
On Time
Copyright 2008, Exemplars, Inc. All rights reserved.
2 of 9
Here is a list of all the things he does before getting on the bus:
•
•
•
•
•
Make bed: 1 minute
Wash face and brush teeth: 4 minutes
Get dressed and brush hair: 5 minutes
Eat breakfast: 15 minutes
Walk to the bus stop: 5 minutes
If Timothy wakes up at 7:00 and does all the things on the list above, how much free time will
he have before getting on the bus at 8:00?
More Challenging Version:
Timothy is always on time to get on the school bus. However, Timothy also likes to sleep for as
long as possible without being late for school. Timothy gets to the bus stop at 8:00 every
morning.
Here is a list of all the things he does before getting on the bus:
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Make bed: 2 minutes, 30 seconds
Wash face and brush teeth: 4 minutes, 15 seconds
Get dressed and brush hair: 5 minutes, 5 seconds
Eat breakfast: 15 minutes, 35 seconds
Feed dog: 2 minutes, 8 seconds
Feed cat: 2 minutes, 7 seconds
Get snack and book bag ready: 5 minutes, 25 seconds
Free time: 5 minutes
Walk to the bus stop: 5 minutes, 55 seconds
If Timothy does all the things on the list above, what is the latest time he can wake up and still
make it to the bus at 8:00?
NCTM Content Standards and Evidence
Measurement Standard for Grades Pre K–2: Instructional programs from pre-kindergarten
through grade 12 should enable students to ...
Understand measurable attributes of objects and the units, systems and processes of
measurement.
• NCTM Evidence: Recognize the attributes of length, volume, weight, area and time.
• Exemplars Task-Specific Evidence: This task requires students to understand the
attributes of time and elapsed time.
On Time
Copyright 2008, Exemplars, Inc. All rights reserved.
3 of 9
Number and Operations Standard for Grades Pre K–2: Instructional programs from prekindergarten though grade 12 should enable students to ...
Compute fluently and make reasonable estimates.
• NCTM Evidence: Develop and use strategies for whole-number computations, with a
focus on addition and subtraction.
• Exemplars Task-Specific Evidence: This task requires students to find the sum of
minutes it takes to get ready for school and then to subtract those minutes from 8:00.
Time/Context/Qualifiers/Tip(s) From Piloting Teacher
This task is considered a short-length task in that it took my students only one class period to
complete it.
Links
This task would link well to other Exemplars tasks that involve scheduling time, such as "Let’s
Plan a Party" or "Michael’s Minutes." You could use these two tasks as instructional pieces and
then use the "On Time" task as an assessment piece. Children’s literature that may link well to
this task includes Get Up and Go!, by Stuart J. Murphy.
Common Strategies Used to Solve This Task
Most students begin by adding up the minutes it takes to get ready for school. Most students
use some sort of tally or counting system for achieving a sum. Next, students decide how to
proceed with determining the time Timothy needs to wake up. Most students in this pilot
seemed to require the use of a Judy Clock to determine the time.
Possible Solutions
45 minutes are needed
8:00 – 45 minutes = 7:15
More Accessible Version Solution:
30 minutes are needed
8:00 – 30 minutes = 30 minutes of free time
On Time
Copyright 2008, Exemplars, Inc. All rights reserved.
4 of 9
More Challenging Version Solution:
45 minutes, 180 seconds are needed
180 ÷ 60 = 3 minutes
3 minutes + 45 minutes = 48 minutes are needed
8:00 – 48 minutes = 7:12
Task-Specific Assessment Notes
General Notes
This task assesses students’ ability to determine the sum of a list of minutes and then to
subtract the sum from 8:00 to determine a correct starting time.
Novice
The Novice will not be able to achieve a correct sum and will have no strategy for applying the
sum to the 8:00 bus arrival.
Apprentice
The Apprentice will achieve a correct sum but will incorrectly or incompletely apply the sum to
the 8:00 bus arrival, or an incorrect sum will be achieved but correctly applied to the 8:00 bus
arrival.
Practitioner
The Practitioner will achieve a correct answer to all parts of the problem.
Expert
The Expert will not only achieve a correct answer to all parts of the problem but will also utilize
other good problem-solving skills, such as verifying the solution or extending the solution
beyond the task requirements.
On Time
Copyright 2008, Exemplars, Inc. All rights reserved.
5 of 9
Novice
On Time
Copyright 2008, Exemplars, Inc. All rights reserved.
6 of 9
Apprentice
On Time
Copyright 2008, Exemplars, Inc. All rights reserved.
7 of 9
Practitioner
On Time
Copyright 2008, Exemplars, Inc. All rights reserved.
8 of 9
Expert
On Time
Copyright 2008, Exemplars, Inc. All rights reserved.
9 of 9