MathTappers: ClockMaster

MathTappers: ClockMaster is a game designed to help children make the connection between hours and minutes and to help them become fluent in both reading and setting time on digital clocks, number-word clocks, and analog clocks. Time is a topic that many children struggle to understand. It is something that we measure but it is also something that we cannot touch or feel. Although some aspects of time may be mastered incidentally as children experience circumstances where elapsed time and time of day are used to compare or plan, this type understanding is generally incomplete. Children need explicit opportunities to work with clocks to discover how the system we use to tell and record time works. MathTappers: ClockMaster offers both a practice mode to support exploration and tutoring activities and a game mode to help players to become fluent in both reading and setting time on digital, analog, and number-word clocks. Players may choose the types of clocks that are presented on the screen and which clock will be set during the game (top or bottom). For the top clock there are two modes: The ‘Normal Analog’ version is a traditional clock face with minute and hour hands while the ‘Broken’ clock shows only the hour hand (with the minute hand broken off). When the minute hand is missing the child can focus on the relationship between the hour hand and the hours and minutes shown on the digital clock. This can be used to help children understand the nature of the hour hand, the number of minutes in an hour and the secondary nature of the minute hand (note that early clocks did not have a minute hand and sundials never will) For the bottom clock there are also two modes: The ‘Digital’ version is a traditional digital clock – a representation found on most electronic devices and computers. It may be easier for children to ‘read’ but often this ability comes without understanding. The ‘Number-Words’ version represents the words that might typically be spoken by someone who has mastered the Analog clock when describing the time. It is expected that this second mode will be most helpful after players have mastered the relationship between the Analog clock and the Digital clock. It may also be helpful for non-native English speakers to learn the clock words. Design: Tim Pelton & Leslee Francis Pelton Programming: Garrett Reimer, Joshua E. Smith, & Mike Anderson The designers of the MathTappers Apps are math educators and researchers seeking to create simple games that will help learners to make sense of mathematics one concept at a time. We have designed MathTappers apps to support students in learning mathematics by providing relevant visual models, focused content linked games and helpful suggestions for parents and educators. Please check out all of our MathTappers apps (links found at Mathtappers.com): MathTappers: MultiMatch--a matching app that challenges learners to match sets of cards placed on the table. This is our newest MathTappers app. Although it comes with a deck and you can download others from our website, it was really designed to encourage teachers and students make and share their own matching game decks to capture their understanding and challenge others. Please go to mathtappers.com and check out our instructions on the right to find out how to make your own decks MathTappers: Clock Master--learn to tell time MathTappers: Estimate Fractions--make sense of fraction sums and differences MathTappers: Find Sums--learn basic facts for addition and subtraction MathTappers: Multiples--learn basic facts for multiplication and division MathTappers: Equivalents--equivalent fractions, decimals and percents MathTappers: Numberline--find relative positions of numbers on a numberline MathTappers: Carbon Choices--help students explore their carbon footprint