Lessons For Teaching In Japan: Time

Elementary ESL Lessons: What Time Is It Now?

Preparation Materials: Vocabulary cards, number flash cards, plastic practice clocks (optional).

Suggested Level: Elementary grades 1 to 5

Introduction

Time is a great lesson for the students to learn. It combines numbers with a sentence they can use. For younger students you only need numbers 1-12, and older students can learn to use numbers 0-60.

How to Tell Time

In English we say time in two ways. When the time is on the hour, seven for example, we say, “It’s seven o’clock.” When there is a minute component, we say it as a set of two numbers. For example, 12:45 becomes, “It’s twelve forty-five.”

Preparation Activity: Group Game

The teacher plays music and the students walk around. When the music stops, the teacher yells a number. For example, “six.” Students have five seconds to make groups of six and sit down. Repeat several times with different numbers.

Main Activity: What Time Is It Now, Mr. Wolf?

• Students line up at the back of the room. Mr. Wolf stands at the front with his back to them.
• They say, “What time is it now, Mr. Wolf?
• Mr. Wolf answers. For example, “It’s three o’clock.”
• Students take three steps towards Mr. Wolf.
• Repeat until the students are close to Mr.Wolf.
• When Mr. Wolf says, “lunchtime,” the students have to race for the back wall to be safe.
• Any students Mr. Wolf touches will join him at the front of the classroom for the next round.

Level Up: Time Trials

Students can make simple paper clocks (or use clocks from the first graders). Students stand up. Students ask the teacher, “what time is it now?” and the teacher answers. Students move their clock to the correct time. Students that are wrong, sit down. Last student standing wins.

Review: Make time part of the Greeting.

Time can be practiced everyday like, “How are you?” or “What day is it today?” By practicing everyday questions and answers, student will be more confident speaking English. Some elementary schools do English greetings every morning – you can too!

Final Tips

• Count everything to practice numbers. Count the students with red shirts, the number of flashcards, everything.
• Students need to practice asking questions as well as answering them. After the students answer a question, they can ask another student or the teacher the same question.
• If your students get nervous about speaking English or being singled out, build their confidence through active group and team activities. You can transfer their stress to something embarrassing but fun, like gesturing or racing against other teams. If you praise students for doing their best, everybody wins!
• Most schools have a fake clock for teaching time to first graders. This can be used for the English class as well.