Teaching "past" and "till" in telling time.

[5LittleMonkeys]

So I am doing MM with dd8 and she was doing really well with telling time. She even picked up quickly on the "what time would it be 5 minutes later" thing. Yesterday and today we were working on past and till and I am like this :banghead: and she is like this :confused:. She just isn't getting it and I'm wondering if I should just skip it and come back to it or if that is one of those things that you can pick up as you mature.

 

It kind of seems odd to me to just get them used to counting the minutes all the way around the clock and then all of a sudden say no, no, now you need to count the minutes the opposite way but only down to the 6; if its between the 12 and the 6 on the right side of the clock you count the minutes the normal way. Yah, it totally confused her and then she started having trouble telling time the normal way...which she had been doing perfectly before. Any of you have similar issues when you got to this?

[stripe]

I'd teach it with numbers, and then teach the "5 minutes to" and "quarter to" later on, if it's confusing. I don't think "25 to 6:00" is that helpful or easy, frankly!

[mez4family]

I tried to teach the clock section in the first grade curriculum and gave up after a few sheets. It just wasn't clicking. That was about two months ago and we will begin this chapter again tomorrow. I hope she's ready for it now. If not, I'll put it off until the summer.

 

What you describe sounds confusing to me, so maybe just up it off for a few months?

[golfcartmama]

We did the MM 2A clock section. He can do all of the time as well, but had a SUPER hard time with the till and past issue as well. We plowed through it, but I still went a got the blue time book from MM as a reinforcer. I also found they didn't spend enough time on counting change (which is important to everyday life!), so I got the blue book for money too. The money book is awesome and he can now count change for at least up to $20. I start the clock review tomorrow, so we'll see. He can tell time to the minute, which I think is more important than 'till' and 'past', kwim?

[Mom0012]

I am using R&S Math with my son and I used Rightstart with him some when he was little. When he was at the age when all the clock stuff was being taught, he was not able to grasp "past" and "till".

 

I've recently been using some of the MM supplemental materials just to round things out for him in a few areas and we completed the unit on clocks and it was so easy for him to grasp now. Of course it should be since he's in 5th grade, but still, he wasn't ready for it when he was younger. So, I'd vote to just hold off and return to this later. It's not critical information at this point.

 

Lisa

[TracyP]

Same issue here too. DD can tell time to the minute but struggled with past and til. We put it aside for about a month and when she came back to it - it just clicked. I am giving her a time sheet every week or so to help it stick.

 

Definitely not a critical skill at this point IMO. I assume everyone picks up on this at some point and it is probably repeated every year.

[5LittleMonkeys]

I was just telling dh about this over the phone and he said he doesn't think any of us even use the till and past way of telling someone what time it is. I started thinking about it and he's right! So, I guess this is definitely not critical info for us.;)

 

Good to know about the money, golfcartmama. I will keep that in mind when we get there. Thanks!

[HollyB]

My daughter had a really hard time with that lesson too. We switched to looking at it on a time line, and that seemed to make more sense to her. We went back to a clock the next day, and it still made sense! It's been a hard concept to grasp. I'm glad some of you think it's just an age thing. That makes me feel a little better.

[Disney Dreaming]

Thanks to all of you!!!!!!! We have been working on this concept(quarter til, quarter after) for the last few days and dd(7) CANNOT grasp this. She is doing fine telling time but this has me pulling me hair out! I am glad to know that this may be a maturity thing!! We are using BJU 2, which blue MM set do you recommend for reviewing this?

[3peasinapod]

I wanted to add my DD nearly 8 doesn't get these terms either. At all. I don't ever use them when I'm speaking to them either, so it amplifies things. I would just wait a while and do it in a few months or this summer or something.

 

I know what you mean about you pulling your hair out. Sometimes DD thinks I'm frustrated with her because she doesn't get a concept, but its just me, running out of ways to explain it!

[Jenmomof3]

Don't worry too much - you cover it again in 3A. Maybe by then it will have clicked. I find many times my dd struggles with a concept and then has no problem the next year. It's just so hard to know when to keep trying and when to just let it soak in. I feel your pain.

[mothergooseof4]

My 8yo didn't get it either. We moved on for now.

[Create Your Ritual]

Ironically, my ds(8) just did that section in 2A today... and he also was lost. This from a kid who completed the entire Level 1 A & B since September. It was an odd concept for him to grasp as well today, but we muddled through it. I am glad to see we weren't the only ones and that it's alright for it to be a hard concept.

[nmoira]

I start with the hour and half hour, using just the hour hand. We then practice with the hour and minutes hand, but only for the hour and the half hour. Then I buy them a watch and we tell time something like this (the words vary a bit) for the next few weeks:

 

it's (the hour)

it's just past (the hour)

it's past (the hour)

it's almost half past (the hour)

it's half past (the hour)

it's just past half past (the hour)

it's getting closer to (the next hour)

it's nearly (the next hour)

we don't have long to wait till (the next hour)

[LAmom]

Glad to read this. We use MM2 and had to just skip the till and past part. My dd7 was not getting it at all. I am saving for the end of the year and see if she is ready then.

 

Is money reviewed again in 2B or in 3? We quickly did that section, she got it fairly well, but I guess some more review should be in order.

[laughing lioness]

I write on the worksheet pages: at the "3" -15 after, at the "6" - :30, at the "9"- 45 after or "quarter to." I do this over and over. I would even make a large clock and put it on the wall if needed. I am giving her a visual aid until she's internalized it. I just keep reminding her over and over again and writing it down for her and having her repeat it back.

I used to give my kids a "lesson" and then expect them to "know" it. Pudewa suggests that you give the kids the help they need as long as they need it. They will let you know when they don't need it anymore. This radically changed my approach to teaching.

[boscopup]

My son didn't have any issue with these things in the grade 1 book, but we'll find out soon if he has issues with the grade 2 book. Anyway, I notice that someone said they don't use terms like "15 minutes 'til 3" anymore. I still do this, so maybe that's why my son didn't have issues? He's already used to the terminology because I use it around the house. I don't say "half past", but that was easy for him to pick up. I can see where "15 'til" would be more difficult to understand if they aren't used to thinking about time that way.

 

I like the number line idea, and that's certainly something I might try if we run into trouble when we get to that chapter (probably sometime next month).