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Reading a Bus Timetable After Midnight

7th grade nonfiction passage about 24-hour time and elapsed time: 231 words, six questions, an answer key and vocabulary.

7th grade nonfiction 24-hour time and elapsed time 231 words

Reading a Bus Timetable After Midnight

Many bus and train schedules print their times in a 24-hour format, so instead of writing 3:40 in the afternoon, the timetable lists 15:40. The system begins at 00:00, which is midnight, and runs up to 23:59, one minute before the next midnight. Because every time of day has its own number, riders do not need the labels a.m. and p.m. to avoid confusion.

Converting to the clock you already know is simple. For the morning hours, the numbers match, so 07:45 means 7:45 a.m. For the afternoon and evening, you subtract 12 from the hour, which turns 18:10 into 6:10 p.m. Noon appears as 12:00, and the first half hour after midnight appears as 00:30, which is the same as 12:30 a.m.

Timetables are most useful for finding elapsed time, the amount of time that passes between a start and an end. If a bus leaves at 13:15 and arrives at 14:05, you can count the minutes in two steps. From 13:15 to 14:00 is 45 minutes, and from 14:00 to 14:05 is 5 more minutes, so the trip takes 50 minutes.

The tricky case comes when a trip crosses midnight. A night bus that leaves at 23:30 and arrives at 00:20 does not take a negative amount of time. Count 30 minutes to reach midnight and then 20 more minutes after it, which makes the ride 50 minutes long. A dependable habit is to break any trip at the nearest hour, or at midnight, and then add the pieces together.

Questions

  1. What time does a 24-hour clock use for midnight? in the text

  2. What is 18:10 in the usual clock time? in the text

  3. What is elapsed time? in the text

  4. How long is the trip from 13:15 to 14:05? in the text

  5. Why does the system not need a.m. and p.m.? think about it

  6. Why is a trip from 23:30 to 00:20 tricky to figure out? think about it

Words to know

timetable
a list that shows when buses or trains come and go
format
the way something is arranged or written
converting
changing from one form to another
elapsed
passed by, as time does
midnight
twelve o'clock at night
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One passage, three levels

The same topic and facts written three ways, so a mixed class can read and talk about one text. Each group’s sheet shows only a shape; the key says which is which.

● Easier · 175 words · Flesch-Kincaid grade 1.3

Many bus and train schedules use 24-hour time. They do not write 3:40 in the afternoon. They write 15:40. The day starts at 00:00, which is midnight. It ends at 23:59. You do not need a.m. or p.m., because each time of day has its own number.

Changing the time is simple. In the morning, the numbers are the same as on the clock you know. So 07:45 is 7:45 a.m. In the afternoon and evening, subtract 12 from the hour. 18:10 is 6:10 p.m. Noon is 12:00. The time just after midnight is 00:30. That is 12:30 a.m.

Timetables help you find elapsed time. That is how much time passes from a start to an end. Say a bus leaves at 13:15 and arrives at 14:05. From 13:15 to 14:00 is 45 minutes. From 14:00 to 14:05 is 5 more. The trip takes 50 minutes.

A trip that crosses midnight is tricky. A night bus leaves at 23:30 and arrives at 00:20. The time is not negative. Count 30 minutes to midnight. Then count 20 more. The ride is 50 minutes. Break a trip at the nearest hour or at midnight. Then add the parts.

▲ This passage · 231 words · Flesch-Kincaid grade 6.7

Many bus and train schedules print their times in a 24-hour format, so instead of writing 3:40 in the afternoon, the timetable lists 15:40. The system begins at 00:00, which is midnight, and runs up to 23:59, one minute before the next midnight. Because every time of day has its own number, riders do not need the labels a.m. and p.m. to avoid confusion.

Converting to the clock you already know is simple. For the morning hours, the numbers match, so 07:45 means 7:45 a.m. For the afternoon and evening, you subtract 12 from the hour, which turns 18:10 into 6:10 p.m. Noon appears as 12:00, and the first half hour after midnight appears as 00:30, which is the same as 12:30 a.m.

Timetables are most useful for finding elapsed time, the amount of time that passes between a start and an end. If a bus leaves at 13:15 and arrives at 14:05, you can count the minutes in two steps. From 13:15 to 14:00 is 45 minutes, and from 14:00 to 14:05 is 5 more minutes, so the trip takes 50 minutes.

The tricky case comes when a trip crosses midnight. A night bus that leaves at 23:30 and arrives at 00:20 does not take a negative amount of time. Count 30 minutes to reach midnight and then 20 more minutes after it, which makes the ride 50 minutes long. A dependable habit is to break any trip at the nearest hour, or at midnight, and then add the pieces together.

■ Harder · 237 words · Flesch-Kincaid grade 8.1

A great many bus and train schedules print their times in a 24-hour format. Rather than writing 3:40 in the afternoon, the timetable lists 15:40. The system begins at 00:00, which marks midnight, and continues until 23:59, one minute before the following midnight. Because every time of day receives its own distinct number, riders no longer need the labels a.m. and p.m. to avoid confusion.

Converting between the two systems is straightforward. During the morning hours, the numbers match the ordinary clock, so 07:45 simply means 7:45 a.m. For the afternoon and evening, you subtract 12 from the hour, which turns 18:10 into 6:10 p.m. Noon appears as 12:00, and the first half hour after midnight appears as 00:30, which is the same as 12:30 a.m.

Timetables are especially valuable for calculating elapsed time, the length of time that passes between a beginning and an end. If a bus departs at 13:15 and arrives at 14:05, you can count the minutes in two stages. The stretch from 13:15 to 14:00 lasts 45 minutes, and the stretch from 14:00 to 14:05 adds 5 more, so the journey takes 50 minutes.

The trickiest situation occurs when a trip crosses midnight. A night bus that departs at 23:30 and arrives at 00:20 certainly does not take a negative amount of time. Count 30 minutes to reach midnight and then 20 additional minutes after it, and the ride lasts 50 minutes. A dependable habit is to split any journey at the nearest hour, or at midnight, and then add the pieces together.

Download as one PDF

How to use it

  1. Press Read it big (or B) to put the text on the projector, or Full screen (F) to fill the whole screen.
  2. Ask the questions one at a time and use Show answer when the class has decided. A shows or hides every answer.
  3. Print student copy for the class, or Print with answers for yourself.

Ideas for class

  • Before reading, put timetable, format, converting, elapsed and midnight on the board with their meanings from the Words to know section and have students predict what the text will be about.
  • Read it aloud once while students follow along, then have them reread it alone or with a partner. At a calm 100 words a minute it takes about 2 minutes to read aloud.
  • Use the Read it big button (or B) to put the text on the projector, and Show answer on one question at a time so the class commits to an answer first.
  • Question 5 asks the reader to infer. Ask students to point to the words in the passage that led them to their answer.
  • Ask students to write one question the passage did not answer, then look for the answer in a book or on a classroom screen.
  • Print the student copy for independent work and keep the answer-key copy for yourself.

Related

Questions

What reading level is "Reading a Bus Timetable After Midnight"?

It was written for 7th grade. It has 231 words and works out to a Flesch-Kincaid grade level of about 6.7. That is a formula's estimate from sentence length and syllables, and it is not a Lexile or a guided reading level, so check it against your students.

What do the questions ask?

There are six. 4 ask for something the text says directly and 2 ask the reader to work something out from clues. Each has an answer in the key, and the answers are written as a teacher would accept them, not as the only possible wording.

How long does it take to read?

About 2 minutes read aloud at 100 words a minute. For a one-minute fluency check, paste it into the fluency timer and use the word count.

Can I print it?

Yes. Print student copy gives the passage, the questions with lines to write on, and the word meanings. Print with answers gives the same page with the answers filled in. Both are made in your browser.

Is this passage from a published book?

No. It was written for Peabody Teach, so there is no book to buy and no login to read it.

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