Ashley Wilson, Stephanie Groves, Ann Gross, Kim Tucker Grade Level: Kindergarten

Lesson/Activity Topic: Telling Time/Rock Around the Clock

Thoughts in Planning:

  • It’s important for kids to learn to tell time in both formats as well as tie in the history of 50’s music by learning to tell time while listening to “Rock Around the Clock”
  • They may understand telling time but they may need help in understanding the different times of day
  • When teaching with an analog clock the children may get confused on the minute hand verses the hour hand

Goal for the learner:

  • Students will be able to correctly and efficiently tell time
  • Students will be able to make the distinction between am and pm
  • Students will get an understanding of 50’s music while learning the correct times.

Assessment:

Students will be asked to make a “human clock” when given a time they must form the minute hand and hour hand with their 12 classmates who are acting as the clock.

Ask questions at the end to make sure the students understand the material

Materials/Media:

Computer, Rock Around the Clock, Clocks for the students, background history on 50’s music

Introduction:

To introduce this lesson, have the students’ first listen to Rock Around the Clock and ask them if they understand telling time. Give a brief history of the song and when it was popular. Ask if the students can tell time in both digital and analog formats. Have students volunteer to go up and put the correct times on the board. Explain the difference between a.m. and p.m. Have the students form a human clock with some students acting as the numbers and some acting as the minute and hour hands. Play Rock Around the Clock again and have the student’s form the times that are given in the song.

Procedure:

  • Pass out clocks to the students while playing song
  • Find out how many students already know how to tell time.
  • Have the students demonstrate different times on their clocks
  • Ask Students to put given times on the board in analog and digital formats
  • Explain the history of Rock Around the Clock
  • Talk about Bill Haley and The Comets
  • Explain that these songs were popular when their parents/grandparents were younger
  • Show pictures of the clothes that people wore at this time
  • Have students form their own “human clock” and play song again
  • Have students show the different times in the song by forming it on the Human clock

Resources:

www.rockabillyhall.com/RockAroundClock.html, www.songfacts.com/detail.php?id=1794 ,

IN State Standards

2.5.9 Tell time to the nearest quarter hour, able to tell five minute intervals, and know the difference between a.m. and p.m.

2.5.10 Know the relationships of time: seconds in a minute, minutes in an hour, hours in a day, days in a week, and days, weeks, and months in a year.