Math lesson plan · 4th grade (Year 5 in England) · 30 minutes
Convert between units of time
Measurement
CCSS 4.MD.A.1England: Y4 MeasurementEngland: Y5 Measurement
Objective and success criteria
Students will: Convert between units of time.
- I can answer questions on today's skill on my own, without help.
- I can explain each step and say why it works.
- I can check my answer and spot a mistake.
Before and after
Needs first: Seconds, minutes, hours, days, months and years
Leads to: Elapsed time in hours and minutes, including across noon
Materials: Rulers, scales and measuring jugs, Clock faces, Conversion chart, Mini whiteboards and pens, Printed student sheet (below).
Warm-up · 4 min
- Quick retrieval from earlier learning (Seconds, minutes, hours, days, months and years). Students answer on mini whiteboards.
- Show answers together and note who needs support in the main task.
- How many hours are in 1 day? → 24Prompt: Think of a clock or a calendar.
- How many days are there in July? → 31Prompt: Use the knuckle trick: knuckles are 31-day months.
- How many minutes are in 3 hours? → 180Prompt: Each one has 60.
Hook · 3 min
- Ask the class to estimate the length of the room or the weight of a bag before measuring it.
- Share the objective: Convert between units of time. Read the success criteria together.
I do: model it · 7 min
- Work through the example out loud, saying why you do each step, not just what you do.
- Example: How many minutes are in 1 h 14 min?
- Step 1: 1 × 60 + 14 = 74
- Answer: 74
- Pause after each step and ask a student to say what comes next.
We do: guided practice · 6 min
- Do these together. Students try each step on whiteboards before you reveal it.
- Use the hints as prompts rather than giving the answer.
- How many minutes are in 2 h 1 min? → 121Prompt: 1 hour = 60 minutes.
- A film lasts 140 minutes. How long is that in hours and minutes? Give the number of whole hours. → 2Prompt: How many groups of 60 are in the minutes?
You do: independent practice · 7 min
- Students work on the student sheet. Circulate and check the first two answers of every student early.
- Students who finish: write a question of their own for a partner, with the answer.
The 6 questions are on the student sheet below, with answers in the key.
Exit ticket · 3 min
- Two questions on their own. Sort answers into got it / nearly / not yet to plan the next lesson.
- A film lasts 336 minutes. How long is that in hours and minutes? Give the number of whole hours. → 5Prompt: How many groups of 60 are in the minutes?
- How many minutes are in 1 h 14 min? → 74Prompt: 1 hour = 60 minutes.
Watch out for
- Measuring from the end of the ruler instead of zero.
- Converting units the wrong way (multiplying instead of dividing).
Support and stretch
Support
- Review first: Seconds, minutes, hours, days, months and years.
- Use concrete materials: rulers, scales and measuring jugs.
- Give the first step of each question, or a partly worked example to finish.
- Pair with a confident partner for the guided practice.
Stretch
- Move on to: Elapsed time in hours and minutes, including across noon.
- Explain a common mistake in writing and how to fix it.
- Write a word problem that uses today's skill, then solve a partner's.
Homework and more practice
Free online practice with hints and printable worksheets for this skill: eurekami.com/math/grade-4.
Free lesson plan from eurekami.com/lesson-plan-builder