Time
Units of time and the calendar
Time is always passing. We use different units of time to measure it, and a calendar to keep track of the days and months. In this unit you order units of time, and read and write dates.
Days and months
There are 7 days in a week: Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday. Saturday and Sunday together are called the weekend. There are 12 months in a year: January, February, March, April, May, June, July, August, September, October, November and December. You can find the day after or before another day, and the month after or before another month, by saying them in order.
Units of time
We use different units to measure time. A second is the shortest and a year is the longest. In order from shortest to longest: second, minute, hour, day, week, month, year. Some units are the same length: 1 hour = 60 minutes, 1 week = 7 days, and 1 year = 12 months.
The calendar
A calendar shows an arrangement of days and months, usually for 1 year. February has 28 days, or 29 days in a leap year. All the other months have 30 or 31 days. We can write a date in words, like 'Tuesday 4th January', or in numbers, like 05/03/2021 (the day, then the month, then the year).
Worked examples
Order units of time
- Look at the units: minute, hour, day.
- Think about which is shortest. A minute is shorter than an hour.
- An hour is shorter than a day, so put them shortest first.
Answer: minute, hour, day
Match units that are the same
- Remember the time facts: 1 week = 7 days.
- 1 hour = 60 minutes and 1 year = 12 months.
- Match 7 days to 1 week.
Answer: 7 days = 1 week
Find the day after a date
- Start on Tuesday 4th January.
- Move one day forward: after Tuesday comes Wednesday.
- The date number goes up by 1, from the 4th to the 5th.
Answer: The day after Tuesday 4th January is Wednesday 5th January
Where you see this in real life
- Using a calendar to find out what day your birthday is on.
- Knowing that the weekend is Saturday and Sunday, when there is no school.
- Timing how long a task takes, like counting to 20, using seconds.
Key words
- Calendar
- A chart that shows the days and months, usually for 1 year.
- Date
- A day written with its number, month and year, like 5th March 2021.
- Second
- The shortest unit of time we use every day.
- Weekend
- Saturday and Sunday together.
- Year
- The longest of these units of time. There are 12 months in a year.
- Units of time
- The different lengths we measure time in: second, minute, hour, day, week, month and year.