Preview · the opening missionRead this to the class:
The class next door is planning a "Minute to Win It" party. Their teacher says each game lasts exactly one minute, but someone's phone is broken and the clock is in the shop. "Easy," said one student. "I'll just count it in my head." Her friends weren't so sure. Your team's job: find out how good our class is at feeling a minute, and whether a strategy makes us better.
Teams of three, with jobs that rotate: Estimator (closes eyes and raises a hand at one minute), Timekeeper (watches the clock and calls the time), Recorder (writes the seconds).
Look inside the PDF
Sample pages, stamped “preview”. The download is the clean, full lesson.
In the full lesson PDF
- Predict (5–10 min)
- Hunt (20 min)
- Reveal (10–15 min)
- Act (10 min)
- Background for the teacher
- Assessment
- Student sheet
On the student sheet
- My prediction
- Our times (seconds)
- What did we find?
- Elapsed time from our day
- My advice for the party
- Exit ticket
US Letter, prints cleanly in black and white. The student sheet is on its own page, ready to photocopy.
Free with an account (any 3 lessons), or US$19 / C$25 for all 4 lessons in this unit.
What students show by the end
- Records time accurately
- Solves elapsed time
- Uses data in a claim
From the lesson’s rubric, which scores each one as not yet, getting there or got it.
Questions teachers ask
How long does “How long is a minute, really?” take?
50–60 min. Group size: teams of 3.
How much prep does it need?
10 minutes: make sure a clock with a second hand or a large online stopwatch is visible from one side of the room. Arrange chairs so Estimators can face away from it. Draw a blank line plot from 20 to 100 seconds in steps of 5 on chart paper. Write today's real schedule times (start of day, recess, lunch, home time) on the board.
What materials do I need?
Wall clock with a second hand, or a projected online stopwatch; chart paper and two colours of sticky dots or markers for the line plot; small demonstration clock or a drawn clock face (optional). Cost: free with a wall clock or a projected online stopwatch.
Which curriculum standards does it cover?
Common Core Math (US): 3.MD.A.1.
What’s in the lesson PDF?
A teacher guide that walks you through predict, hunt, reveal, act, background for the teacher and assessment, then a student sheet (“My prediction”, “Our times (seconds)”, “What did we find?”, “Elapsed time from our day”, “My advice for the party” and “Exit ticket”) on its own page, ready to photocopy. It’s US Letter and prints cleanly in black and white.
Can I try it for free?
Yes. A free account includes any 3 full lessons of your choice, and this can be one of them. After that, this unit is US$19 (C$25) for all 4 lessons, yours to keep, or every lesson is US$79 (C$109) a year.