Time for Math: 3rd Grade Lesson Plan

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.