Year 1: Quicker, slower, earlier and later; measuring time
Part of the Year 1 time chapter. Chapter overview · whole chapter on one page · Download worksheet (PDF) · Answers (PDF)
Quicker, slower, earlier and later; measuring time
We measure time in seconds, minutes and hours. A second is very short. A minute is longer. An hour is much longer. There are 60 seconds in 1 minute.
A quicker time is less time. A slower time is more time. Earlier means before something else, and later means after it.
Key ideas
- Seconds, minutes and hours are units of time.
- A second is the shortest. An hour is the longest of the three.
- Quicker and shorter mean less time.
- Slower and longer mean more time.
- Earlier means before. Later means after.
Key words. Quicker and shorter mean less time. Slower and longer mean more time.
Method. Compare the two numbers. Less time is quicker. More time is slower.
- Read the two times. Each time has a number and a unit.Ravi: 12 seconds Mei: 9 seconds
- Compare the numbers. The smaller number is less time. The bigger number is more time.9 is smaller than 12
- Write the answer. The one that answers the question is Mei.Mei
Check. 9 seconds is less time than 12 seconds. ✓
Watch out. Quicker does not mean the bigger number. Quicker means less time.
Key words. We measure time in seconds, minutes and hours.
Method. Think about how long the thing takes.
- Think about the thing. Is it a very short time, a few minutes, or a long time?a school day
- Pick the unit that fits. A school day lasts for several hours, so we count it in hours.hours
- Write the answer. hours
Check. Seconds are for very short times, minutes for medium times and hours for long times. ✓
Watch out. Seconds are the smallest. Hours are the biggest of the three.
Key words. Earlier means before. Later means after.
Method. The time with the smaller hour number comes first in the day.
- Read the two times. Each time is an o’clock time.breakfast: 7 o’clock school: 9 o’clock
- Compare the hour numbers. In the same part of the day, the smaller hour comes first.7 is smaller than 9
- Write the earlier one. Earlier means before the other time.breakfast
Check. Say the two times in order: the earlier one comes first. ✓
Watch out. Compare the hour numbers. Do not choose the bigger number for the earlier time.
Watch out
Watch out: quicker does not mean a bigger number. The quicker time is the smaller number of seconds, minutes or hours.
Exam tip
Grown-up tip. Use a kitchen timer or a clock with a second hand. Ask your child to count out loud for 10 seconds, then for a whole minute. Race two things, such as putting on socks, and say which was quicker and which was slower.
Exercise 13F Quicker, slower, earlier, later
Non-calculatorKey words. Quicker and shorter mean less time. Slower and longer mean more time.
Method. Compare the two numbers. Less time is quicker. More time is slower.
- Read the two times. Each time has a number and a unit.5 seconds and 20 seconds
- Compare the numbers. The smaller number is less time. The bigger number is more time.5 is smaller than 20
- Write the answer. The one that answers the question is 5 seconds.5 seconds
Check. 5 seconds is less time than 20 seconds. ✓
Watch out. Quicker does not mean the bigger number. Quicker means less time.
Key words. Quicker and shorter mean less time. Slower and longer mean more time.
Method. Compare the two numbers. Less time is quicker. More time is slower.
- Read the two times. Each time has a number and a unit.4 minutes and 2 minutes
- Compare the numbers. The smaller number is less time. The bigger number is more time.2 is smaller than 4
- Write the answer. The one that answers the question is 4 minutes.4 minutes
Check. 2 minutes is less time than 4 minutes. ✓
Watch out. Quicker does not mean the bigger number. Quicker means less time.
Key words. We measure time in seconds, minutes and hours.
Method. Think about how long the thing takes.
- Think about the thing. Is it a very short time, a few minutes, or a long time?a blink
- Pick the unit that fits. A blink is very quick, so we count it in seconds.seconds
- Write the answer. seconds
Check. Seconds are for very short times, minutes for medium times and hours for long times. ✓
Watch out. Seconds are the smallest. Hours are the biggest of the three.
Key words. We measure time in seconds, minutes and hours.
Method. Think about how long the thing takes.
- Think about the thing. Is it a very short time, a few minutes, or a long time?a walk to the park
- Pick the unit that fits. A walk to the park takes some minutes.minutes
- Write the answer. minutes
Check. Seconds are for very short times, minutes for medium times and hours for long times. ✓
Watch out. Seconds are the smallest. Hours are the biggest of the three.
Key words. Quicker and shorter mean less time. Slower and longer mean more time.
Method. Compare the two numbers. Less time is quicker. More time is slower.
- Read the two times. Each time has a number and a unit.Ruby: 14 seconds Sam: 11 seconds
- Compare the numbers. The smaller number is less time. The bigger number is more time.11 is smaller than 14
- Write the answer. The one that answers the question is Sam.Sam
Check. 11 seconds is less time than 14 seconds. ✓
Watch out. Quicker does not mean the bigger number. Quicker means less time.
Key words. Quicker and shorter mean less time. Slower and longer mean more time.
Method. Compare the two numbers. Less time is quicker. More time is slower.
- Read the two times. Each time has a number and a unit.14 seconds and 11 seconds
- Compare the numbers. The smaller number is less time. The bigger number is more time.11 is smaller than 14
- Write the answer. The one that answers the question is 14 seconds.14 seconds
Check. 11 seconds is less time than 14 seconds. ✓
Watch out. Quicker does not mean the bigger number. Quicker means less time.
Key words. Earlier means before. Later means after.
Method. The time with the smaller hour number comes first in the day.
- Read the two times. Each time is an o’clock time.tea: 5 o’clock bedtime: 7 o’clock
- Compare the hour numbers. In the same part of the day, the smaller hour comes first.5 is smaller than 7
- Write the later one. Later means after the other time.bedtime
Check. Say the two times in order: the earlier one comes first. ✓
Watch out. Compare the hour numbers. Do not choose the bigger number for the earlier time.
Key words. Earlier means before. Later means after.
Method. Compare the two o’clock times.
- Read the two times. Each time is on a clock.park trip: 1 o’clock party: 2 o’clock
- Compare the hour numbers. The smaller hour is the earlier time.1 and 2
- Write the answer. So the first one is earlier than the second.earlier
Check. Check: 1 compared with 2. ✓
Watch out. Earlier is before. Later is after.
Key words. Earlier means before. Later means after.
Method. Compare the two o’clock times.
- Read the two times. Each time is on a clock.bath: 6 o’clock tea: 5 o’clock
- Compare the hour numbers. The smaller hour is the earlier time.5 and 6
- Write the answer. So the first one is later than the second.later
Check. Check: 6 compared with 5. ✓
Watch out. Earlier is before. Later is after.
Key words. Earlier means before. Later means after.
Method. Compare the two o’clock times.
- Read the two times. Each time is on a clock.story time: 3 o’clock lunch: 1 o’clock
- Compare the hour numbers. The smaller hour is the earlier time.1 and 3
- Write the answer. So the first one is later than the second.later
Check. Check: 3 compared with 1. ✓
Watch out. Earlier is before. Later is after.
Method. Think about how long each one takes, then put the shortest first.
- Think about each thing. Use the length of time, not the size of the thing.a school day takes several hours; a blink takes a very short time (less than a second); a bath takes some minutes
- Put the shortest first. The shortest time comes first.a blink, a bath, a school day
- Write the answer. a blink, a bath, a school day
Check. The last one should take the longest time. ✓
Watch out. A blink is very quick. A school day is much longer.
Method. Think about a clock with a second hand.
- Look at a clock or timer. The second hand goes all the way round once in a minute.One full turn of the second hand
- Count the seconds. Count slowly, one second at a time, until the hand is back at the start.1, 2, 3 ... 60
- Write the answer. Yes. There are 60 seconds in 1 minute.
Check. Count slowly to 60. It takes about one minute. ✓
Watch out. Count slowly. Do not rush.
Method. Think about how many minutes are in an hour.
- Think about an hour. An hour is a long time, longer than a minute.An hour is longer
- Compare the two times. Ten minutes is less than an hour.10 minutes is less than 60 minutes
- Write the answer. Yes. 10 minutes is less time than 1 hour, because an hour is 60 minutes.
Check. Quicker means less time, and 10 minutes is less than 60 minutes. ✓
Watch out. An hour is 60 minutes long.
Method. Think about how long a school day lasts and how long a blink takes.
- Think about a blink. A blink is over in a moment.A very short time
- Think about a school day. A school day lasts for hours.Several hours
- Write the answer. A school day takes much more time than a blink.Yes. A school day lasts for hours, but a blink is very quick.
Check. Hours are much more than seconds. ✓
Watch out. Compare the two times using the units. A blink is in seconds, a school day in hours.