Telling Time to the Half Hour
Free printable telling time to the half hour worksheets. Read o'clock and half past times from analog clocks, with an answer key.
O'clock and half past, mixed on one sheet. The half hour is where clock reading gets its first real difficulty: at half past three the hour hand sits squarely between the 3 and the 4, and a student reading the nearest number gets four o'clock instead.
The clocks here draw the hour hand where it actually falls, so that mistake is available to make - which is the only way to catch and correct it. Nine clocks to a page, printed large.
What this worksheet covers
- Read o'clock and half-past times
- Read the hour correctly when the hour hand sits between two numbers
Common Core standards
- 1.MD.B.3 Tell and write time in hours and half-hours on analog and digital clocks.
Frequently asked questions
Why do students read half past three as four o'clock?
Because the hour hand is nearly at the 4 and they read the nearer number. The fix is noticing that the hour is the number the hand has passed, not the one it is closest to.
What grade is this?
First grade, usually taught right after the hour.
Can I get just o'clock times?
Yes - the Telling Time to the Hour page keeps the minute hand pointing at the 12 throughout.
Why is it called half past?
Because the minute hand has gone half way around the clock: 30 of the 60 minutes. Half past three is written 3:30.