Last year, the Falcons were the soccer league champs. Can the Huskies beat them this year? The big game is only seven days away—just one week. Then it's only one day away—24 hours. Then it's only an hour away—60 minutes. At first the Falcons come on strong, scoring during the first 15-minute quarter. Will the Huskies catch up by the half, 30 minutes into the game? It's a nail-biter, right down to the last second!
The relationships between the various units of time—seconds, minutes, hours, days, and weeks—and how clocks and calendars represent these units are important concepts for children to understand.
Illustrated by Cynthia Jabar.
As you read the story, have your child (or students) note the relationships between various units of time. For example, 1 week = 7 days.
Circle your child's birthday on a calendar. Ask how many months, weeks, and days until the date. If you are teaching a class, circle each student's birthday on a big calendar. Ask how many weeks between birthdays.
Before doing a chore such as cleaning a bedroom, have your child predict how long the activity will take. For chores that take less than a minute, such as drying a glass, predict the duration in seconds. Time the chore, then check to see how close the estimate was.