Movie Marathon Teacher Guide
Movie Marathon Math
Grade 5 • Time Operations & Synthesis
Teacher Guide
Learning Objective
Students will synthesize time calculation skills to create a project plan. They will accurately add and subtract time using regrouping (base-60) to determine total durations, finish times, and differences between runtimes.
Pacing
- Warm-up 5 min
- Video Review 5 min
- Movie Marathon 25 min
- Closure 10 min
1 Warm-Up: Mental Math Sprint (5 min)
Teacher calls out rapid-fire time subtraction and addition problems. Students write answers on individual whiteboards and hold them up.
Prompts:
- 3 hours minus 15 minutes! (2h 45m)
- 1 hour 40 mins plus 30 mins! (2h 10m)
- 5 hours minus 1 hour 10 mins! (3h 50m)
Focus: Check for "base-10" errors (e.g., thinking 3:00 - 15 mins is 2:85).
2 Video Refresher & Discussion (5 min)
Watch "Addition and Subtraction of Time". Use these pause points to check for understanding:
0:46
Ask: Why did the narrator start with minutes here, but hours in the first example? (Answer: Because minutes might exceed 60).
2:04
Ask: We can't subtract 45 from 12. What is our strategy when the top number is smaller? (Regrouping/Borrowing).
2:12
Ask: Where did 72 come from? (12 + 60 from the borrowed hour).
3 Activity: The Movie Marathon (25 min)
Goal: Plan a 3-movie marathon starting at 1:00 PM.
- Students select 3 movies from the Movie Poster Cutouts.
- Task A (Addition): Calculate the total combined runtime of all 3 movies.
- Task B (Scheduling): If the marathon starts at 1:00 PM, what time does the last movie finish? (Assuming no breaks).
- Task C (Subtraction): Choose two movies and find the exact difference in their runtimes.
4 Closure: Reflection (10 min)
Which was harder: finding the total time or the difference? Why?
Collect planning sheets for assessment. Look specifically for regrouping errors in both addition (forgetting to carry the hour) and subtraction (forgetting to add 60 to the minutes).
Watch Out For
The Base-10 Trap
Students may try to regroup by adding 100 instead of 60 (e.g., 2 hours 10 mins - 40 mins becoming 1 hour 110 mins).
Adding Hours First
When minutes sum to >60, adding hours first can lead to confusion. Encourage "Minutes First" as the safest routine.
Movie Marathon Slides
Movie Marathon Math
Planning the Ultimate Premiere
Grade 5 Math Lesson
Mental Math Sprint
Grab your whiteboards! Record the final time for each challenge...
Challenge A
3 hours − 15 minutes
Challenge B
1 hr 40 m + 30 m
Remember: There are 60 minutes in 1 hour!
Refresher: Adding & Subtracting Time
Embedded media
0:46 Regrouping Addition
2:04 Regrouping Subtraction
Your Mission
The Movie Marathon
1
Choose 3
Pick three movies from the posters. They can be any genre you like!
2
Calculate
Find the total duration and the final "Lights Out" time if you start at 1:00 PM.
3
Compare
Choose two movies and find out exactly how much longer one is than the other.
Director's Cut
"Which was harder: finding the total time or the difference? Why?"
Movie Poster Cutouts
Movie Marathon Posters
Cutting & Sorting Activity
Class Set / Grade 5 Math
Cut out these movie posters to use for your marathon schedule. Choose three and tape them to your planning sheet!
Galactic Quest
Sci-Fi Adventure
1 h 45 min
The Hidden Valley
Nature Documentary
2 h 10 min
Mystery Manor
Mystery Thriller
1 h 55 min
Double Trouble
Comedy Extravaganza
1 h 38 min
Spellbound
Fantasy Epic
2 h 42 min
Shield & Sword
History Action
2 h 05 min
Movie Marathon Planning Sheet
Marathon Planning Sheet
OFFICIAL CINEMA SCHEDULE
Name:
Date:
1 Selected Movies
Paste Movie Poster #1 Here
Paste Movie Poster #2 Here
Paste Movie Poster #3 Here
2 Total Marathon Duration (Addition)
Show your vertical calculation here:
Total Time
_____ h _____ min
3 Scheduling
Start Time
1:00 PM
Total Run
_____ h _____ m
Finish Time
__:__ PM
4 Runtime Comparison (Subtraction)
Choose two movies. How much longer is the first one than the second one?
Difference:
___________________
Which was harder: finding the total time or the difference? Why?
ADMIT ONE
