Objectives:
Student will calculate elapsed time, given beginning and ending time.
Student will develop social and cooperation skills.
Materials Needed (for a class of 20 students):
Model clock (for teacher's use)
4 Paper plates
4 Time lines
4 Pieces of cardstock
4 Pairs of sissors
4 Fasteners
Method:
I. I will introduce the concept of elapsed time. Using the example of every day
school activities and the time they take place, I will explain that elapsed time
can be calculated by subtracting the start time from the end time.
II. In 4 groups of 5, students will construct their own clock. Each group will be
given their own timeline. Groups will then be assigned 3 sets of start and end
times. They must set up and solve subtraction problems to find the elapsed time
as a group. I will then go over the answers with the class as a whole.
III. Students will then be assessed individually by completing a worksheet with
related problems.
This lesson is based on the cooperative learning strategy. Before beginning the
group activity, I will clearly define rules for group work (i.e. appropriate voice
levels and participation of every member of each group). I will manage the
classroom by monitoring students during the activity. I feel that this is a fun
way to approach math from a practical and unique angle.
