Does the hour hand move as the minutes go round?

Yes. At half past three it sits halfway between the 3 and the 4, and at five to four it is almost on the 4. This is the thing to look for in a teaching clock: one that jumps the hour hand from number to number quietly teaches children to read the hour wrong.

Can I hide the answer?

Yes. Digits and Words turn off separately, so you can show one, both or neither. With both off the board holds nothing but the clock face.

Does it show 24 hour time?

The digits do, under More. The face stays 12 hour, because a clock face is. Morning and afternoon are kept as you set them, so 15:20 stays in the afternoon when you move the hands.

Is it a working clock?

No, and deliberately. It is a clock you set, so it holds the time you want to talk about. For counting down a task, use the timer.

Teaching Clock

Measure · Year 1–Year 5

Drag the hands. Reads out in digits and in words, or hide both.

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About the clock

An analogue clock with hands a class can move. Drag either hand round the face, or tap where you want it to go, and the time follows. The minute hand carries the hour with it as it passes the twelve, the way a real clock's gears do, so a child dragging it round watches the hour change for the right reason.

The hour hand drifts with the minutes rather than jumping from number to number. That sounds like a detail and is the single most important thing about a teaching clock: at half past three the hour hand sits between the 3 and the 4, and a clock that leaves it pointing at the 3 teaches a child to read the wrong hour every time the minute hand is past the six.

The hands are two colours, and the numbers match them. The hour hand and the hour numbers are navy, the minute hand is coral, and Minute numbers puts 5, 10, 15 round the face in coral too. The colour is the answer to “which numbers does this hand read?”, which is the question that makes telling the time hard.

The answer sits beside the face in digits and in words, and either can be turned off. Turn both off and you have a clock face and a question. “Half past three” is the part that matters: a child who can read 3:30 off a phone and cannot say half past three has not learnt to tell the time.

How to use it on your whiteboard

1Drag either hand round the face, or tap where you want it to point.
2Steps of 1, 5 or 15 sets how far the minute hand moves per tap.
3Turn Digits and Words off to leave the class with just the face.
4Under More, add minute numbers to the face or switch the digits to 24 hour.
5Tap Fullscreen so the clock fills the board.

Questions

Does the hour hand move as the minutes go round?: Yes. At half past three it sits halfway between the 3 and the 4, and at five to four it is almost on the 4. This is the thing to look for in a teaching clock: one that jumps the hour hand from number to number quietly teaches children to read the hour wrong.
Can I hide the answer?: Yes. Digits and Words turn off separately, so you can show one, both or neither. With both off the board holds nothing but the clock face.
Does it show 24 hour time?: The digits do, under More. The face stays 12 hour, because a clock face is. Morning and afternoon are kept as you set them, so 15:20 stays in the afternoon when you move the hands.
Is it a working clock?: No, and deliberately. It is a clock you set, so it holds the time you want to talk about. For counting down a task, use the timer.