Chapter 9: Which Season is it?

The sun rises, the sun sets, again and again. Days turn into weeks, weeks into months, months into seasons. Let us learn how we measure time!

What we'll do

• Learn the days of the week and months of the year.
• Talk about the seasons , summer, monsoon, winter.
• Tell the time in hours on a clock.
• Use a calendar to find a date.

The big idea

One spin of the Earth gives us one day. A day has morning, afternoon, evening and night. Seven days make a week: Sunday, Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday.

About four weeks make a month. There are 12 months in a year , January, February, March ... up to December. We mark them on a calendar.

Across the year, the weather changes. In summer it is hot. In monsoon it rains. In winter it gets cold. These are seasons.

Inside one day, we measure smaller bits of time using a clock. A clock has two main hands. The short hand points to the hour. The long hand points to the minutes. When the long hand is at 12 and the short hand is at, say, 7, the time is "7 o'clock". A whole day has 24 hours.

To find out which day a date falls on, we look at the calendar. Each month has its own little chart of days.

Let's play!

Days song. Sing the seven days of the week to a tune you like. Try it backwards: Saturday, Friday, Thursday ...

Season sort. Make three lists , Summer, Monsoon, Winter. Under each, write things you wear, eat or do in that season.

Clock making. Cut a paper plate. Write the numbers 1 to 12 around the edge. Cut two arrows for the hands. Show "3 o'clock", "9 o'clock", "12 o'clock".

A small story

Gargi's day began at 7 o'clock with hot milk. At 8 she went to school. At 1 she came home for lunch. By 5 she was playing in the park. At 9 in the night, she was fast asleep. Every day, the clock and the sun travelled together.

Quick check

1. How many days are in one week?
2. Name the month that comes after May.
3. Which season has the heaviest rain?
4. The short hand of a clock shows __________ (hours / minutes).
5. If today is Wednesday, what day will it be the day after tomorrow?

What did we learn?

• Time is measured in hours, days, weeks, months and years.
• A clock tells the hour; a calendar tells the date.
• The year has 12 months and many seasons.