This telling time to the hour clock activity lets 1st and 2nd Grade students match analog clocks to fiesta event cards for a Cinco de Mayo schedule. Answer key included.
Using this Telling Time To The Half Hour Clock Activity, students practice telling time to the half hour on an analog clock.
¡Fiesta time in first grade!
First graders learn that Cinco de Mayo means "the fifth of May" in Spanish and that it celebrates a day in 1862 when the Mexican army won a battle in the town of Puebla. They learn that it is not Mexico's Independence Day, which is in September. Kids enjoy hearing about music, dancing, bright papel picado and food, and they practice a few Spanish words like uno, dos, tres. The fun moment comes when kids count to five in Spanish and realize "cinco" is part of the holiday's name.
Mix a little history, a little Spanish and a lot of fun.
Find Mexico and the city of Puebla on a map, then tell the story of the battle in two or three simple sentences. Ask kids to retell it to a partner. Short retells help little learners hold onto history.
Why it works: when kids say the precise math words, their understanding gets sharper, a recommendation of the U.S. Department of Education's elementary math guide.
Try it withTelling Time To The Hour Clock ActivityActivitiesOpen it →Plan a pretend class fiesta with times for music, a snack and a dance. Kids set their clocks to each time on the hour. It's a festive way to practice telling time.
Why it works: kids understand an idea best when they touch it, then draw it, then write it, the order the U.S. Department of Education recommends for elementary math.
Try it withTelling Time To The Hour Clock ActivityActivitiesOpen it →In the week before May 5, count to five in Spanish every morning, then go to ten. A tiny daily practice has kids counting with confidence by the big day.
Why it works: the brain holds on to what it meets again and again over time; spaced practice was rated among the very best methods (Dunlosky and colleagues, 2013).
Try it withTelling Time To The Half Hour Clock ActivityActivitiesOpen it →Bright colors, music and movement make this day shine.
Teacher favorites right now: Telling Time To The Hour Clock Activity and Telling Time To The Half Hour Clock Activity.
Cinco de Mayo means "the fifth of May." It remembers the day in 1862 when the Mexican army won the Battle of Puebla.
No. Mexican Independence Day is September 16. Cinco de Mayo celebrates a single battle victory.
Keep it short: long ago, the Mexican army won a big battle in a town called Puebla, and people celebrate with music, dancing and food. Then let kids try a few Spanish words.
Papel picado banners, Spanish counting, fiesta-themed clock activities and music all work well. They mix culture with real skills.
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