This project is a part of the Hispanic & Latinx Heritage Month celebration because
it supports a Latino teacher or a school where the majority of students are Latino.
My Students
By the end of 1st grade, students are required to be able to measure time to the hour and half hour. In the past, I have found this concept to be very difficult for young students. The students need geared clocks to properly follow the pattern of a clock's movement.
Our student population is made of about 60% English Language Learners, 98% free/reduced lunch, and is a Title I school.
Even though these present challenges, our students are eager to learn and love math! Since our funds are limited, we have very little leftover to use toward materials that will help put our best practices into place.
My Project
Telling time is an abstract concept that young students have a hard time understanding. The more hands-on I can make it for them, the better. These geared clocks will let the students observe and find patterns in the way the hands move, and correlate the analog time to digit time with the centers materials. The teaching clock will also let them see the correlation between the two ways of telling time. I have tried in the past to use clocks for the students where the hands move freely, but I found it to be difficult because the students couldn't easily find the pattern of how the minute hand moves with the hour hand. I am optimistic that these geared clocks will help them understand the relationship between minutes and hours.
Even with younger and younger kids using digital media, kids still need to be able to read an analog clock.
It is used in real life, and even as a young student I remember struggling with this concept. These materials will allow the kids to experience, explore, and pracitce telling time so they can reach their math goals.
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As a teacher-founded nonprofit, we're trusted by thousands of teachers and supporters across the country. This classroom request for funding was created by Ms. Wiesemes and reviewed by the DonorsChoose team.
