Elapsed Time Worksheets

The computation of elapsed time is often used not just in school but also in many scientific and business functions. Although most of us know how to tell time, some find it difficult to compute time elapsed. This involves converting the hours into minutes then subtracting results. In the classroom, you can make use of time elapsed worksheets to help children develop conversion skills.

Elapsed Time Worksheets




What does elapsed time mean? 

Time elapsed refers to how much time has passed while an event occurs. When teaching children about this subject matter, they first need to know about the difference between time recorded and the time intervals. Although children have the skill of telling time and record it, this doesn’t always mean that they can easily work out time differences.

What are elapsed time worksheets for? 

An elapsed time worksheet is a tool designed especially for students at each step, whether they’re just working on the hours passing or on any other instructions on the sheet. You can use elapsed time word problems or worksheets whether you’re working with analog clocks, digital clocks or word problems.

Children who already know how to tell time will have an advantage in learning or solving time elapsed problems. This is a new subject for them as it involves understanding the concepts of addition, subtraction, hours and minutes, and the 12-hour time system.

Working on time elapsed problems is a good exercise in time for kids. First, they need to understand the difference between telling the current time and calculating how much time will pass or has passed. Some students may find it difficult to understand the concept, especially when introduced to the varying 60 minute per hour and 12-hour time system.

The good news is that elapsed time 3rd grade, 4th grade, 5th grade, etc. worksheets make it easier for them as they get trained on the necessary skills needed for solving elapsed time problems.

 

Examples of elapsed time worksheets 



Almost all time-related concepts including elapsed time, can be quite challenging to teach and students will either “get it” or they won’t. This is why elapsed time activities and worksheets are essential to reinforce the learning of students. Following are examples of elapsed time worksheets that kids can practice on:

Analog Clock Time Elapsed Worksheet

These time tellers have become less common as almost everybody has gone digital. But if you want your students to easily understand the concept of elapsed time, going analog is the best way to do it. These clocks can readily illustrate the passing of time rather than simply displaying numbers. Since time is fairly an abstract concept, you should apply different methods to make it easier for your students to understand.

Digital Clock Elapsed Time Worksheets

Students can learn the skills of how to add or subtract time faster when using digital clocks. After your students have mastered analog clocks, they may find these worksheets easier to understand although some students find it easier when working with digital clocks.

Elapsed Time Word Problems

Some children find it easier to deal with word problems to solve math problems while others find it more difficult. In any case, students have to learn the importance of applying these skills in their daily lives. Most elapsed time word problems involve the use of hours and minutes.

Elapsed Time Activities



Tips for teaching elapsed time 

For whatever reason, there seems to be an element of difficulty in mastering time elapsed problems. Here are some pointers and popular strategies to consider when teaching elapsed time 3rd grade, 4th grade, and so on:

Show the importance of the concept

You should make your students responsible for their own time. If you gave them ten minutes to accomplish their classwork, set the timer to such, and stick to it. To make any sense of time used, students themselves must have accountability for their own time to learn what elapsed time really means. Eventually, they will start internalizing it themselves.

Set rules for time in real-life

When you think of it, elapsed time and real-life go together. For instance, you encourage students to think about time duration in their daily lives where they do their own thinking. This can make them understand elapsed time more effectively.

Try not to use subtraction

Avoid using the subtraction strategy when teaching elapsed time to your students. The main issue with the “algorithm” of time and subtraction is that the students who don’t truly understand time may get confused. They can’t transfer what they have learned from one type of problem to another. You should only use strategies that they can apply to other problems.

 

Using your elapsed time worksheets in class 

Logically, elapsed time problems deal with how much time has elapsed. With the use of elapsed time word problems, elapsed time activities, and worksheets, students gain a comprehensive understanding of time while keeping track of changes. Elapsed time worksheets include modern skills such as service mentality, critical thinking, and creativity.

Moreover, they strengthen the time-related concepts while learning skills they can use in the real-world. You can use these worksheets as in group activities or class independent practice. You can also assign them for independent or take home work.

After working on an elapsed time worksheet

After the students have finished their worksheets and the class has also gone over the correct answers, divide your class into groups then give each group their own set of “Clock Number Cards.”

Have the groups lay the cards out to look like a clock. Have your students take turns assuming various clock roles – minute hand, hour hand, and the controller. The latter will move the hands according to the time elapsed on the problem from their worksheet. Students will then trade roles for each of the problems until they have completed all the problems you have given.

Ask them to create their own activity

Provide students with copies of clock face worksheets, then give them the task to create 3 to 4 activities which they will perform each week and how much time the activity will last.

Using the worksheets, let them cut out the corresponding number of clocks or color the clocks to represent the elapsed time. For time that took less than an hour, they can color in the correct number of minutes. They can glue their work on separate sheets of paper and then label them accordingly.