ProQuest Standards-Based Learning Activity

Circles & Clocks, Shapes & Time

Teacher Procedures
APPROPRIATE FOR: Math, grades 3-5
TIMELINE: 2-3 class periods
NCTM STANDARDS FOR GRADES 3-5 ADDRESSED THROUGH THIS LESSON:
(source: http://standards.nctm.org/document/appendix/numb.htm)
Understand meanings of operations and how they relate to one another.
Understand various meanings of multiplication and division.
Understand the effects of multiplying and dividing whole numbers.
Identify and use relationships between operations, such as division as the inverse of
multiplication, to solve problems.
Compute fluently and make reasonable estimates.
Develop fluency in adding, subtracting, multiplying, and dividing whole numbers.
Develop and use strategies to estimate the results of whole-number computations and to
judge the reasonableness of such results.
Select appropriate methods and tools for computing with whole numbers from among mental
computation, estimation, calculators, and paper and pencil according to the context and
nature of the computation and use the selected method or tools.
Represent and analyze mathematical situations and structures using algebraic symbols.
Express mathematical relationships using equations.
Analyze characteristics and properties of two- and three-dimensional geometric shapes and
develop mathematical arguments about geometric relationships.
Identify, compare, and analyze attributes of two- and three-dimensional shapes and develop
vocabulary to describe the attributes.
Classify two- and three-dimensional shapes according to their properties and develop
definitions of classes of shapes such as triangles and pyramids.
Investigate, describe, and reason about the results of subdividing, combining, and
transforming shapes.
Explore congruence and similarity.
Make and test conjectures about geometric properties and relationships and develop logical
arguments to justify conclusions.
Use visualization, spatial reasoning, and geometric modeling to solve problems.
Build and draw geometric objects.
Identify and build a three-dimensional object from two-dimensional representations of that
object.
Use geometric models to solve problems in other areas of mathematics, such as number and
measurement.
Recognize geometric ideas and relationships and apply them to other disciplines and to
problems that arise in the classroom or in everyday life.

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Understand measurable attributes of objects and the units, systems, and processes of
measurement.
Understand such attributes as length and select the appropriate type of unit for measuring
each attribute.
Understand the need for measuring with standard units and become familiar with standard
units in the customary and metric systems.
Explore what happens to measurements of a two-dimensional shape such as its perimeter
and area when the shape is changed in some way.
Select and apply appropriate standard units and tools to measure length, area, volume,
weight, time, temperature, and the size of angles.
Select and use benchmarks to estimate measurements.
Develop, understand, and use formulas to find the area of rectangles and related triangles
and parallelograms.
Develop strategies to determine the surface areas and volumes of rectangular solids.
Formulate questions that can be addressed with data and collect, organize, and display
relevant data to answer them.
Problem Solving
Build new mathematical knowledge through problem solving.
Solve problems that arise in mathematics and in other contexts.
Apply and adapt a variety of appropriate strategies to solve problems.
Monitor and reflect on the process of mathematical problem solving.
Communication Standards
Organize and consolidate their mathematical thinking through communication.
Communicate their mathematical thinking coherently and clearly to peers, teachers and
others.
Connections Standards
Recognize and use connections among mathematical ideas.
Understand how mathematical ideas interconnect and build on one another to produce a
coherent whole.
Recognize and apply mathematics in contexts outside of mathematics.

LEARNING EXPECTATIONS/OBJECTIVES

Students will investigate clocks and time, reviewing/learning how to tell time on an analog clock
and examining a tool that helps students tell time more easily.
Students will use ProQuest SIRS Discoverer or eLibrary Elementary to conduct research on
clocks and telling time.
Students will create a tool that helps students tell time more easily, applying their Web research
to design this tool.
Students will investigate circles, learning how to measure and draw them with a compass. They
will learn how radius and diameter are related, and how to measure them.
Students will conduct research in groups, discussing, writing about and presenting their ideas to
the rest of the class. They will apply their discoveries in discussion, presentation and in written
work, both in groups and individually.

MATERIALS

Computer with access to ProQuest SIRS Discoverer or eLibrary Elementary

Printer and printer paper (optional -- to print out clocks to color, etc.)
Handouts (one set per group)

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Paper, pens, pencils

Compass -- one small compass per group, large is optional
String
Stiff paper for creating clock rings
Magic markers and other materials for decorating clock rings

ACTIVITY PROCESS: DIRECTIONS TO THE TEACHER

Description of Activity
Students will work in groups to conduct research on clocks and telling time. They will look at specific
resources from ProQuest and may also investigate new material they discover during their research. They
will explore the circle, including radius and diameter, and practice drawing circles using a compass.
Finally, they will apply their understanding of clocks and circles to design and create a clock ring. A Clock
Celebration, in which clock rings are displayed in the classroom and given to other classrooms, will
culminate the activity.
Background Information/Scenario
Often students learn mathematical concepts in a vacuum, unable to apply their discoveries to the world
they know. This activity engages students in a variety of activities to see the use in learning to tell time;
and after solidifying this skill, it provides students with an opportunity to create a time-telling tool.
In so doing, students learn about the properties of circles and the techniques for drawing and measuring
circles. The motivation for learning, then, arises out of a hands-on project that culminates with a creative
and beautiful product, one that can not only be displayed, but also used, in your classroom.
Outline of Procedures
This activity follows an inquiry-based model. Students work together with guidance from the classroom
teacher, but are responsible for generating a focus for their research, for conducting that research and for
applying and presenting their findings.
If your students do not have access to the Web in your classroom, you can use ProQuest Elementary to
find materials and have your students work from downloaded copies of those materials. If your access to
the Web is limited to one or only a few computers, you can modify the lesson to work more as a class,
with students still guiding the search using the structure in the handouts.
Before you begin this mini-unit, you should read through all the student handouts in order to understand
the tasks for each day so you can be an effective guide. You should also visit ProQuest Elementary and
follow the searches outlined in the student handouts to familiarize yourself with the online resources.
You should also determine groupings for the cooperative learning component of the unit. Select groups to
fulfill your goals for heterogeneous or homogeneous groupings, for breaking up cliques, for helping
students learn how to work with different members of the classroom community, etc. Each group should
include 2-4 students.
Day One
1. Begin class with a short prewriting task to help your students focus on the lesson to come. If your
students are used to working cooperatively, use a guided task related to the lesson, such as,
"Why do we need to have clocks and watches?" If your students are not yet skilled in cooperative
learning, use a writing task to help them think about how to work together effectively, such as,
"What happens when you work in a group? What roles do you usually play?" Ask a few students
to read their written responses as a way of opening a discussion about the day's tasks.
2. Today students will visit ProQuest editor selected website to help them practice telling time.
They'll also examine photos of an invention that helps children learn to tell time. They'll use the
handouts to structure their research and to record their findings. (The handouts provide both
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structure and accountability.) The handouts for today, "You Know What Time It Is!" are divided
into two parts. If you are short on time, you can divide these two parts into two different class
periods. Go through the handout(s) with your students before they begin to make sure they
understand each task, adding any specific expectations you have. Finish by asking a student to
re-explain the task to make sure your expectations are clear.
3. Announce groups and ask students to gather in the groups. After groups have gathered, give
each group one set of handouts and help them set up at a computer station with access to the
Web. Even if you can offer each student a computer of his/her own, it may be more effective to
have members of each group work at just one or two computers. This will ensure that they work
together. If students within groups are working at individual computers, make sure that each
student has a clear role for contributions to group research.
4. As students work, you should circulate actively, troubleshooting, listening in on discussions to
gauge student progress and participating in discussions in order to validate them.
5. Ten or 15 minutes before the end of the period, ask students to wrap up their investigations and
to be ready to present their findings. Then allow 5-10 minutes for groups to discuss the day's
discoveries, including comments on the cooperative learning experience. Generate a guide on
the board of "How to Tell Time." Keep a copy of this guideline to hang in the classroom.
NOTES:
One of the Web links students will explore includes a time estimation activity. If your students are not
familiar with this concept, you may need to discuss this skill with your students.
If you have a class period longer than 45-50 minutes, you may be able to complete both sections of
the activity in one day. For final drafts of the clock rings, you should provide an additional day for
students to work on their rings.
Day Two
You'll need to decide if you want students to create clock rings individually or in groups,
depending on needs and time. If students are to create clock rings individually, make sure you
adapt the handout expectations in advance.
Begin class with a short prewriting task to help your students focus on the lesson to come. "What
did you discover yesterday about clocks and telling time? What else do you want to know?" Ask a
few students to read their written responses as a way of opening a discussion about the day's
tasks. You might want to refer to the guide generated yesterday to open the activity, asking them
to consider how we tell time in the design of their clock rings.
Make sure you've read through the student handouts so that you can be a guide for the lesson
without being the center of it. Today students will be investigating circles in order to create a clock
ring similar to the one they examined on the Web yesterday.
Ask students to gather in their groups from yesterday. Give each group one set of handouts and
go through it with them, adding any specific expectations you have. Ask a student to re-explain
the task to make sure your expectations are clear. Give each group one set of handouts, a
compass, pencils, etc. To draw the larger clock ring, they'll need large pieces of stiff paper, string,
pencils and (optional) large compasses. If you plan to measure the classroom clock yourself,
you'll need to have prepared for that in advance; otherwise, plan to have a ladder, etc., so that
you can measure the clock with your students guiding you.
As students work, you should circulate actively, troubleshooting, listening in on discussions to
gauge student progress and participating in discussions in order to validate them. Make sure that
students are progressing through the research so that they are ready to share their discoveries
ten minutes before the period ends.
Reserve the last ten minutes of class for students to wrap up their discussions, clean up their
work stations and share some of the day's discoveries, problems, successes, etc. Generate a list
on the board describing their discoveries about drawing circles and creating the clock rings.
Conclusion/Finished Work
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Provide time for students to create rough copies of the clock rings. You may also want to provide
time for students to examine each other's rough copies in a constructive critique before starting
final drafts. If students are creating the rings in groups, make sure that every student has a role
and that every student is able to draw something on the ring. You may also want to have students
write out the complete numbers on their clock rings, such as "forty-five" for "45." Clarify your
expectations in advance and make sure that students understand the task.
Discuss with your students how you will decide which ring(s) to hang on the classroom clock. You
may want to vote as a class, or rotate all the rings. You could also present the rings to other
classrooms as part of a "Clock Celebration." Your class might even be able to make a
presentation to younger students, explaining how to tell time using these clock rings; and
presenting the younger students with clock rings for their classrooms.

ASSESSMENT
Use or adapt the Clocks & Circles Grade Sheet for assessment. You should give out this Grade Sheet
and/or clarify your assessment expectations before the end of the unit, so that students understand what
they must accomplish as they go. You may also want to require that students write a self-assessment,
exploring not only what they learned during the unit, but also their experience during the unit, including an
evaluation of their own work.

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Clocks & Circles Portfolio Grade Sheet

You did it! You finished our activity on clocks and time and circles. This page will show how I
figured out your score for the activity.
Component

Score

Group Work
Everyone in your group gets the same score for group work. If you
were absent, you can't get credit for group work! I figured out your
group work scores by looking at your notes from each day and by
listening to your presentations to the class each day.
You Know What Time It Is! Part I
Written Work

____out of ____

You Know What Time It Is! Part II

Written Work

____ out of ____

You Know What Time It Is! Parts I and II

Presentations/Participation in Class Discussion

____ out of ____

Ring Around the Clock

Written Work
Presentations/Participation in Class Discussion

____ out of ____

____ out of ____

Individual Work
What did you do to help your group?

____ out of ____

Your Clock Ring Rough Draft

Before you create your clock ring, you need to
complete a rough draft.
____ out of ____
Your Clock Ring Final Draft
Is it right?
Is your clock ring correct? Did you put the right
numbers in the right spots so that your clock ring will
help kids learn to tell time? Is your clock ring a real
circle? Does it fit well around the clock?

____ out of ____

How does it look?

Your final draft should show off the best work you
can do. That means that you should check all
spelling and make sure you wrote the numbers
properly. It also means that you worked hard to
make your clock ring look beautiful.

____ out of ____

TOTAL Clocks and Circles Mini-Unit Score:

____ out of ____

Comments

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YOU KNOW WHAT TIME IT IS!

PART I
(PAGE ONE)

The members of our group are:

________________________________
________________________________
________________________________
________________________________
Our group captain is: ________________________________________
Our group note taker is: ______________________________________
1. What does your group already know about time? Describe at least three things that
your group knows about time.

2. Do you know how to read an analog clock? Analog clocks have numbers arranged in
a circle and two hands to "read" the time. Digital clocks just show the numbers in a line
with a colon in the middle. Describe what your group knows about reading the time on
an analog clock.

3. Why do you think people need to be able to keep track of the time? List at least five
reasons.

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YOU KNOW WHAT TIME IT IS!

PART I
(PAGE TWO)

4. Ready to learn more about time? Head over to the computer to use ProQuest eLibrary
Elementary.
Youll see a page that lets you look for information under "Search."
Up at the top of the page, you'll see two other headings, "Topics" and "Reference."
Click Topics.
5. Type "Clocks" in the empty rectangle that says, "Start by typing a word or topic here" and
then click Start.
You'll see a whole bunch of subjects that have something to do with clocks and time.
List some of the subjects you see in the space below.
In SIRS Discoverer: Type clocks and telling time in the key word search box. Also go to this
editor selected website: http://www.superteacherworksheets.com/time.html

6. Now take a closer look at time!

Find the topic listing that says, "Kidlinks > Time > Telling Time."
Click Telling Time.
Click Time Estimation Activity. This is a fun test to see why we need clocks in the first
place. Estimate means to form an opinion about somethings value or size
Every time you think (or estimate) that 30 seconds has passed, click the button on the
page. The program will tell you how much time has really passed. (If you don't want to
wait 30 seconds, click the number of seconds you like better on the side; you might try
10 or 15 seconds so you dont have to wait as long.) Dont cheat by looking at any real
clocks!
In the space below, describe what happened when you tried this activity.

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YOU KNOW WHAT TIME IT IS!

PART II
(PAGE ONE)

If you tried the "Time Estimation" activity, you probably figured out why you need a real clock to
tell time! Ready to practice telling time?
1. You'll need to be in ProQuest again, and to get back to where you were before you chose the
Time Estimation activity. For eLibrary Elementary:
If you can't just close the window or hit the back button, start over.
From the main Search page, click Topics at the top of the page.
On the "Topics" page, type "clocks" into the empty rectangle and then click Start.
Find the topic that says, "Kidlinks > Time > Telling Time."
Click Telling Time.
You can see a clock that shows the digital time and the analog time by clicking Tell the
Time first. In the space below, explain what you saw on this page and what you learned
about telling time. Which parts of the page were changing? Do you know why? Explain.
For SIRS Discoverer: Type clocks and telling time in the key word search. Also go to this editor
selected website: http://www.superteacherworksheets.com/time.html

2. Close the window for "Telling Time" so you can get to the next activity! Next, click Time Teller.
On this page, you can use your mouse to move the hands of the clock to the right time;
this is a good way to practice telling time! Click OK to begin each time you move the
clock hands and each time you want to check if you put them in the right place.
Next, underneath the clock, click on the line that says, "Don't forget about our clock
coloring pages!"
This will bring up a page with many clock pictures. You can click on any of the clocks you
see to get a picture you can print out and color in. Or print out the whole page of clock
faces!
In the space below, explain what you did with "Time Teller" and what you learned about
telling time.

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YOU KNOW WHAT TIME IT IS!

PART II
(PAGE TWO)

3. Now you can take a look at a cool invention that someone made to help kids tell time.
With ProQuest eLibrary Elementary open, click the "back" button on your browser until
you get back to the page that shows "Tell the Time," "Time Teller" and the other sites in
the gray box under Editors Choice Website. Click Kid Klok and take a look at the
picture of this special kind of clock.
Click on the button See the Kid Klok in action!
You can change the times the Kid Klok shows by using the buttons on the left.
Next, use the spaces below to draw a picture of the "Kid Klok" next to a regular clock to
show how they are different.
Kid Klok

Regular Analog Clock

How is this clock different from a regular analog clock? Describe what makes this clock
different than the clocks you looked at with Time Teller in the space below.

Now examine the photo of the Kid Klok on the Web and your drawings on this page. Talk
with your group to figure out why that extra ring of numbers can help kids tell time.
Explain your group's ideas in the space below.

You learned a lot about telling time! Next, you'll be making a time-telling ring for your
classroom clock.

Before you finish for the day, talk about how your group did (or didn't) work together
today. What did you do well together? What problems did you have? How did you solve
those problems?

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RING AROUND THE CLOCK

(PAGE ONE)

Write the names of all group members here:

With the other group activities and the work you did in ProQuest Elementary for You Know
What Time It Is! you all made sure you know how to tell time. Now it's time to make a "Ring
Around the Clock," just like the "Kid Klok" you saw in the ProQuest yesterday.
To make a ring, you need to know a little something about circles!
1. Start by explaining what you already know.
What is a circle? Draw one (without using any tools) and explain how it is different from
other shapes.
Drawing of a Circle

How is it different from other shapes?

What circle shapes can you see right now in your classroom?

What other circle shapes could you find during an average day? List at least three.

2. In the space below, use a compass to draw a circle.

Put the point of the compass where you want the middle of the circle to be.
You can set the compass to the size you want the circle to be. Make sure it fits on this
page!

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3. Are you ready to learn the parts of a circle?

Lay your compass on its side.

- The two sides should make a sort of triangle shape.
- Can you see how the distance between the two sides of the triangle shape made
your circle the size that it is?

That distance between the two compass sides is called the radius of the circle; it
measures the distance between the middle point of the circle and the circles outer edge.
- If that distance -- the radius -- was one inch, your circle was two inches wide.
- If that distance -- the radius -- was two inches, your circle was four inches wide.

Make another circle in the space below. It will need to be less than three inches wide in
order to fit into the box.
Now draw a line through the middle of the
circle, using a ruler. Your line should cross
over the circles middle point.
The line you just drew is the diameter
of the circle. The diameter tells you
how wide the whole circle is.
Measure the diameter of the circle you
drew and write that number below.
Don't forget to use the units
(centimeters or inches).
The diameter of this circle is:_____________

4. Can you figure out the relationship between the radius and the diameter? Use the space
below to explain how you can figure out the diameter of the circle if you know the radius.

5. You must be a circle expert by now! So you're ready to make a ring for your classroom clock.

To figure out how big your ring needs to be, measure your classroom clock's diameter or
find out from your teacher what the clocks diameter is.
In the space below, write the diameter of your classroom clock. Next to it, write the
radius. Don't forget to use units of measurement (inches or centimeters)!

DIAMETER OF OUR CLASSROOM CLOCK

RADIUS OF OUR CLASSROOM CLOCK

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12

6. To make a ring for your clock, you'll need a to draw a circle that is bigger than your classroom
clock. Why can't your ring be the same size as your classroom clock? Explain why in the space
below.

7. Figure out how wide you want the ring for the clock to be.
It will need to be wide enough for you to write numbers.
You may want to write out some of the numbers in words, such as "forty-five" for
"45." Then you'll need an even wider ring!
Use the chart below to figure out how wide to make the circle for your clock ring. Use
measurement units!
A
How wide do you
want the ring to be?

B
What is the diameter
of the classroom
clock?

Add the number in column A to the number in

column B. This is how wide your circle must
be for the outer ring of your clock ring.

8. You're almost ready to make the ring for your clock. But first, figure out what you want to put
on your ring.
Practice how you'll write the numbers, what colors you'll use and what other designs
you might want to include. Use the space below to practice or write down your
decisions.
If youre working by yourselves to make clock rings, use a separate sheet so each
person in your group can practice for the final clock rings.

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13

9. To make the ring, you can use a piece of string that is the length of the radius of the circle you
want to draw. It's kind of like a compass! (You can also use a very big compass if your teacher
has one.)
Tie a pencil to the end of the string; then measure from that knot so that your string is
the right length.
One team member can hold the edge of the string down while the other draws the
circle.
You can also draw two circles; one the size of the classroom clock and one the size
of the ring. Then you can cut out the middle, where the clock will be.
Otherwise, you'll have to hang the whole circle behind the clock so that the ring
sticks out around the outside.
10. What did you learn today about circles? Write down at least four things your group learned.

11. Before you finish for the day, talk about how your group did (or didn't) work together today.
What did you do well together?
What problems did you have?
How did you solve those problems?

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14