Elapsed Time
By: Brielle Newman
Abstract

Are your students having troubling finding
the amount of time that has elapsed? Are
you running out of ways to teach it?
Come and learn several approaches to
help children find elapsed time while you
meet the common core standards.
CHUNKING TIME
APPROACH
Chunking Time
How do you chunk 3
hours and 30
minutes?
How do you chunk 2
hours and 45 minutes?
1h
1h
1h
10 m
10 m
10 m
1h
10 m 5 m
1h
10 m
10 m
10 m
Chunking Time Problem
Joe starts walking at
6:25a.m. and gets
done walking at
7:50a.m. How long
did Joe walk for?
6:25
7:25
7:35
7:45
7:50
1h
10 m
10 m
5m
1 hour 25 minutes
Chunking Time Problem
Caitlyn goes to the
store at 1:00. She
is in the store for
2 hours and 45
minutes. What
time does Caitlyn
leave the store?
1:00
2:00
3:00
3:10
3:20
3:30
3:40
3:45
1 hr.
1 hr.
10 m
10 m
10 m
10 m
5m
Caitlyn leaves the store
at 3:45
NUMBER-LINE
APPROACH
Starting Time: 3:45p.m.
Ending Time : 8:40p.m.
NUMBER-LINE
Elapsed Time
15 min.
3:45 4:00
1 hr
1 hr
5:00
1 hr
6:00
1 hr
7:00
40 min.
8:00
8:40
Time elapsed: 4 hours and 55 minutes
Number-Line
Paul leaves to go to the store at 3:05p.m and gets back
home at 5:30p.m. How long was Paul gone?
2h
30 m
5m
3:00 3:05
4:00
3:00 -> 5:00 = 2 hours
3:05 -> 3:00 = - 5 minutes.
5:00
5:30
5:00 -> 5:30 = 30 minutes.
30 minutes – 5 minutes = 25 min.
Paul was gone for 2 hours and 25 minutes.
Number-Line
1
Sally’s class looks at the
clock when the hands
look like clock 1. They
want to know how
much Sally
time is
left in until
has
they get
go home.
25 to
minutes
until
she
They get
out
when the
gets out
clock looks
likeofit does
school.
on clock
2. How long
until they get out of
school?
2
10m
3:00
10m
3:10
5m
3:20
3:25
T CHART APPROACH
Start time: 2:34p.m
End time: 8:45p.m
T Chart
Hours
2:34
3:34
4:34
5:34
6:34
7:34
8:34
1
1
1
1
1
1
6 hours
Minutes
8:34
8:40 6
8:45 5
11 minutes
6 hours 11 minutes
T Chart
Minutes
7:50
7:40
7:30
7:20
7:10
7:05
10
10
10
10
5
Craig wants to go to the movie
that starts at 7:50p.m. Right now
it is 7:05p.m. How much longer
does Craig have until the movie
starts?
Craig has 45 minutes until the movie
begins.
TIME RULER
APPROACH
Elapsed Time Ruler
In Peter’s classroom they
started a science lesson at
the time shown on clock 1.
He wanted to know how long
it would be until dinner. He
knew
Peterhis
must
family
waitalways
4 hours
ate
dinner
and 15atminutes
the time
until
shown
he can
on
clock
eat dinner.
2. How long will Peter
have to wait until dinner?
2
1
1h
1h
1h
1h
15 m
COMMON CORE
STANDARDS
Where Do The Standards Fit In?
Third Grade: 3.MD.A.1
Tell and write time to the nearest minute and measure time
intervals in minutes. Solve word problems involving addition and subtraction
of time intervals in minutes, e.g., by representing the problem on a number
line diagram.
Fourth Grade: 4.MD.A.2
Use the four operations to solve word problems involving
distances, intervals of time, liquid volumes, masses of objects, and money,
including problems involving simple fractions or decimals, and problems that
require expressing measurements given in a larger unit in terms of a smaller
unit. Representing measurement quantities using diagrams such as number
line diagrams that feature a measurement scale.