Numberless Clocks (freebie)

My blog and I are still in measurement mode, specifically telling time.  I believe my kids understand it better than any group I've had.  (Their teacher is getting smarter...finally.)  I give all credit to an article I read.  It spells out four engaging lessons that I'd highly recommend.  Go here to get your own copy.  I especially love how it stresses teaching the hour hand separate from the minute hand.  This post is a glimpse into what it was like to teach the minute hand.  (To get all the details, check out the whole lesson in the article.)

One of the things the lesson recommends is using a numberless clock like the one below.  Click on the picture to get your own copy. 

First I drew the minute hand directly pointing to a 5-minute mark.  "How many minutes past the hour is it?"  We practiced with a few of those easier ones before I started pointing the minute hand to one of the smaller lines, which of course is a more difficult concept.  

I got pretty lucky too, because MyBinding.com graciously sent me some dry erase pockets, which came in mighty handy for practicing this skill.

I inserted two of my numberless clocks, back-to-back, in each pocket and used a dry-erase marker to draw the minute hand.

Each group got their own dry erase pocket.  As one child held the pocket, the others wrote the number of minutes it was showing.  The child would pass it, turn it around to the other side, and everyone would count and write the minutes again.  When they had completed both sides of their pocket, I could quickly erase and draw new hands.  Pretty slick! 

Like I said, this was merely a glimpse into the lesson.  I left out lots of good parts.  You should really check out the article.  You also should check out MyBinding.com and their dry erase pockets.  They saved me copies and time, and no doubt they can be used numerous other ways as well!