How many seconds in a minute

I can say how many seconds there are in a minute.

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Year 3

How many seconds in a minute

I can say how many seconds there are in a minute.

Download all resources

Share activities with pupils

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Lesson details

Key learning points

There are 60 seconds in a minute.
Seconds are a short measure of time.
Seconds can be used to time short activities and durations.

Keywords

Estimate - To estimate is to find a value that is close enough to the right answer, usually with some thought or calculation involved.
Seconds - There are 60 seconds in one minute.

Common misconception

When first learning about seconds, pupils come to realise they are very quick. They count seconds at the same speed in which they count other numbers - usually too quickly.

The classic way to slow down counting speed so that it more closely matches the pace of seconds is to use 'one Mississippi, two Mississippi' etc. For most pupils that is an obscure reference point - counting elephants is suggested as an alternative.

The lesson shows the position of the second hand on a clock but not the actual movement of a second hand. If you have a classroom clock with seconds on, use that as a teaching tool. If not, use a search engine to find an example of an online clock with a second hand.

Teacher tip

Licence

This content is © Oak National Academy Limited (2024), licensed on Open Government Licence version 3.0 except where otherwise stated. See Oak's terms & conditions (Collection 2).