Quarter Past :15

Teaching quarter past

Prerequisites: o’clock and half past, and the idea of halves. Quarters build on this: “half of a half”.

Suggested sequence (10–15 min)

1. Fractions first: Fold a paper circle in half, then in half again. Four equal quarters. “One quarter of an hour is 15 minutes.”
2. Model: Start at an o’clock time and turn the blue hand a quarter of the way round to the 3. “Quarter past.”
3. Connect to halves: Compare with half past (6) and o’clock (12): the blue hand is at 12, then 3, then 6.
4. Practice: Use Projector view. Start on “Quarter past”, then use “O’clock, half & quarter past” to mix the times.

Common misconceptions

• Saying “three” or “fifteen”. Children see the blue hand on the 3 and say the time is “three something”. Ask: “Which hand tells us the hour?”
• The hour hand “should” be on a number. At quarter past, it has just moved past the hour number, which is correct.
• Quarter vs. half. Use fractions to link: a quarter is smaller than a half, so the hand has moved less far.

Questions to ask

• “Where is the blue hand? What fraction of the clock has it gone round?”
• “How many minutes is that?” (15)
• “Which hour has the red hand just passed?”

Tip: the pink and blue halves of the clock introduce past (right, blue) and to (left, pink) early. Switch them off with Show hints when you want a harder quiz.

Curriculum links

UK Year 2: tell and write the time to five minutes, including quarter past the hour. US CCSS 2.MD.7: tell and write time to the nearest five minutes; links to 2.G.3 (partitioning shapes into quarters).

What your child is learning

Your child is learning to read quarter past times, such as quarter past 4. The long hand points straight across to the right at 3, and the short hand has just moved past the hour number.

Why it can feel tricky

• The word “quarter” comes from fractions, so some children need to see it in real life first.
• The number 3 on the clock face means “15 minutes”, which is a different job from “3 o’clock”.

Easy ways to help at home

• Cut a pizza, sandwich or pancake into four quarters and talk about “a quarter”.
• Say quarter-past times as they happen: “It’s quarter past eight — time to leave!”
• Ask “How many minutes is a quarter of an hour?” (15)
• Let your child set an analogue clock to quarter past and tell you where the hands are.
• Keep it short and playful. 2 or 3 minutes at a time is plenty.

Try this after school: “It’s quarter past four. What will it be in a quarter of an hour?” (Half past four!)