Time and the Calendar

These activities allow students to explore many different ways to measure and record time. The most important points are that almost any regular, predictable phenomenon can be used to record the passage of time and orderly patterns of these phenomena help to construct useful frames of reference from which calendars evolved and are still evolving. In addition, any proposed calendar must be compatible with observations. This is chapter three of the online book Eyes on the Sky, Feet on the Ground, an exploration into astronomy as a classroom tool for learning how to theorize, experiment, and analyze data. The activities are fully illustrated and contain detailed, step-by-step instructions as well as suggested discussion topics. Educational levels: Intermediate elementary