INQUIRY 7

ROTATION, REVOLUTION, & REVELATION

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INQUIRY PROBLEM:

You have moved to another planet in our solar system and it is your job to develop the calendar. Compare and contrast the length of days, months, and years in comparison to those on Earth. How long does it take for your planet to revolve around the Sun? How long does it take for it to rotate on its axis? Make a calendar showing the number of days in a year on your planet. How will you divide the year into months? What names will you give the days and months?

DESCRIPTION

Classroom Innovation Activity:
Students calculate and name time on another planet.

TOPIC & SKILL AREAS

• History of days
• History of months
• Movement of the Sun and planets
• Division & multiplication

MATERIALS NEEDED

• Internet access:
  www.historylab.org
• Solar system models or charts

IMPLEMENTATION

1. Analyze the Gregorian calendar (today's world calendar) and discuss the history of the demarcations of time (days, weeks, months, years). Present the origins of the names of the months and days.
   TIME: 1 hour
2. Have each student select a planet (other than Earth) in our solar system and develop a planet calendar based on revolutions, rotation, and moon phasing (1 year = 1 revolution, 1 day = 1 rotation, phases of the moon = 1 month). How long would a day, a month, or a year be relative to Earth?
   TIME: 1-3 hours + homework if necessary
3. Have students name the days of the week and months on their planet as well as calculate how old they are based on their planetary calendar.
   TIME: 1 nights' homework
4. Encourage students to be timekeeping innovators: Have them create a calendar for their planet that shows the days and months in a year. Calendars may be made from any material the student chooses, from sticks to cereal boxes to painted paper.
   TIME: 1-2 days
5. Bonus Problem: Examine the difference between the Earth's solar and lunar months. How are they alike and how are they different? Explain why leap years exist.
   TIME: 30 minutes

REFERENCES

BOOK
Mapping Time: The Calendar and its History. E.G. Richards. Oxford University Press, 1998.

VIDEO
Bill Nye the Science Guy "Time." KCTS Public Television and the Disney Company.

FURTHER INQUIRY

Explain what a light year is, then have the students determine how many light years away from Earth their planet is.

Author: SL
Last Modified: