L9 Drawing Hands on a Clock (Half Past)

This Working Without Worksheets lesson for Year 1 builds on children’s understanding of time to the hour and introduces drawing clock hands to show ‘half past’ times. Through a blend of visual modelling, hands-on exploration, and guided drawing, pupils develop confidence in reading and representing time to the half hour using an analogue clock. The lesson begins with a starter recap of previous learning. Children revisit what happens when the minute hand points to the 6, reinforcing that this shows half past the hour. Using a teaching clock, they explore how the hour hand sits halfway between two numbers — for example, halfway between the 3 and the 4 for half past 3. This visual demonstration helps consolidate the concept of the clock being divided into halves. During the introduction, the teacher explains that today’s focus is learning how to draw the hands on a clock to show half past times. Using animated slides, children observe where the hour and minute hands should be placed and discuss what they notice — particularly that the minute hand must be longer than the hour hand and that the hour hand must point halfway between two numbers. In the main activity, children are provided with half past time cards and blank clock faces. Working independently or in pairs, they draw the correct time on their clocks, labelling each one accurately. The teacher circulates to support accurate drawing and appropriate hand lengths, reinforcing correct placement and understanding. This hands-on, creative, and practical lesson helps pupils visualise and internalise the concept of half past, preparing them for telling time to quarter past and quarter to in future learning. What’s Included in the Pack ✔ Full lesson plan with learning objectives, teaching notes, and plenary guidance ✔ Animated teaching slides with step-by-step modelling of half past times ✔ Starter: Recap learning about the position of clock hands for half past ✔ Teaching input: Demonstrate how to draw clock