Chapter: 05. Telling Time
Telling Time: Your Self-Study Guide
Welcome to your self-study guide on “Telling Time”! In this chapter, we will explore the fascinating concept of time, how people learned to track it, and the tools we use today. You’ll discover how to understand calendars and timelines, which are super helpful for keeping track of important events!
What We’ll Explore
Understanding the concept of time. Learning how to read and use a calendar. Discovering what timelines are and how they help us. Key Terms You’ll Learn
As you go through this guide, you’ll understand these important words:
Time: The ongoing sequence of events from past through present to future. West: The direction opposite to where the Sun rises. Month: A period of about four weeks, part of a year. Sundial: An early instrument used to tell time by the shadow cast by the Sun. Year: A period of 12 months, or 365 days (366 in a leap year). Hours: A unit of time, with 24 hours in a day. Leap year: A year with an extra day (February 29th), occurring every four years. Minutes: A unit of time, with 60 minutes in an hour. Calendar: A chart or series of pages showing the days, weeks, and months of a particular year or period. East: The direction where the Sun rises. Seconds: A small unit of time, with 60 seconds in a minute. Timeline: A visual representation of events in chronological order. Think about this: Can you imagine what life would be like if we couldn’t tell time? How would we know when to meet friends, when school starts, or when our favorite TV show airs? Learning to tell time is incredibly important for organizing our lives!
How We Tell Time
Long, long ago, people didn’t have clocks or watches. They relied on nature, especially the Sun, to know the time of day.
Using the Sun’s Position: Morning: The Sun always rises in the east. When the Sun appeared, people knew it was morning. Noon: The Sun would be directly above their heads, indicating the middle of the day. Evening: The Sun would begin to set in the west, which is the exact opposite direction of the east. Night: After the Sun sets, everything becomes dark, and night begins. People also observed that they could tell the time by looking at shadows. Morning: Shadows are long when the Sun rises. Noon: As the Sun moves directly above, shadows become shorter. Afternoon/Evening: Towards evening, as the Sun begins to set, shadows become long again.
Early Tools for Measuring Time: After observing the Sun’s movement, people created simple sundials, also known as shadow sticks. These devices used the position and length of a shadow to indicate the time. Other early inventions for measuring time included: Water clocks: These measured time by the regulated flow of water. Hourglass: This device measures time by the flow of sand from an upper bulb to a lower bulb.
Today, we use modern tools like clocks and watches to know the time precisely. FactPedia
Dawn: The time before sunrise, when the sky glows with the first light of the day.
Measuring Time with Clocks
Today, we use specific units to measure time accurately.
An analog clock face has two main hands: The long hand shows us the minutes and is called the minute hand. The short hand shows us the hours and is called the hour hand.
60 seconds make one minute. 60 minutes make one hour. There are 24 hours in a day. Analog Clocks: Clocks with hands that move around a numbered dial. Digital Clocks: Clocks that display time in numbers.
Wristwatches: Small clocks worn on the wrist.
What does “measure” mean? To “measure” means to find out the extent, quantity, amount, or degree of something. In this case, we measure time to find out how much of it has passed.
Days, Weeks, and Months in a Year
Time is also measured in larger chunks like days, weeks, months, and years.
There are seven days in a week. Can you name them all? (Sunday, Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday) About four weeks make up one month. Most months have 30 to 31 days. The only exception is February, which has 28 or 29 days. There are twelve months in a year: These twelve months make up one year. There are 365 days in a standard year. A leap year happens once every four years. In a leap year, there are 366 days instead of 365. This extra day is added to February, making it 29 days long. The Calendar
A calendar is a helpful tool that shows us the months, weeks, and days in a year. It’s like a map for time!
Example Calendar:
Here’s what a calendar for January 2021 looks like: Green Earth Tip:
To help our planet, try to use reusable calendars around the house, like digital ones or those that can be used every year, instead of paper calendars that are thrown away. Timelines
A timeline is a special kind of list that shows events in the order they happened, from the earliest to the latest.
It helps us know the specific date of different events. It also helps us understand the time duration or gap between two or more events. Example Timeline - Sonam’s Life:
This timeline shows important events from Sonam’s life up to the age of five. It’s like a story of her past, told through dates!
2008: Sonam started walking. 2009: Sonam spoke her first sentence. 2010: Sonam joined school. 2011: Sonam learned her alphabets. 2012: Sonam’s brother was born.
Time in Everyday Life
Time plays a crucial role in our daily activities and planning. Understanding how to read and manage time helps us be organized and responsible. For example, when you travel, you’ll see time and date information on your boarding pass:
This boarding pass shows:
Departure Date: August 21, 2020 Knowing and valuing time is important. If you are running late for something important, like football practice, it’s usually best to prioritize being on time rather than stopping for something else. Being on time shows respect for others and helps you achieve your goals.
In a Nutshell: Chapter Summary
Here’s a quick recap of what we’ve learned about telling time:
We can tell the time of day by observing the position of the Sun and our shadows. Time is measured in seconds, minutes, and hours. There are 24 hours in a day. There are 12 months in a year, and 365 days in a standard year. A leap year, occurring every four years, has 366 days. A calendar helps us see the months, weeks, and days in a year. A timeline is a visual tool that lists events in the order they happened, helping us understand dates and the sequence of events.
Self Study
