Using Moon Phases to Measure Time

Using Moon Phases to Measure Time

Cultures need to accurately record dates and times for various societal purposes. In ancient times, the sun and moon they’re used as measurement devices because of the scientific understanding of the physical world at that time. Sixth-grade students’ understanding of time was enriched by a four-lesson sequence that integrated science (the constantly progressing lunar cycle), mathematics (what makes a “good” standard unit), and literacy (cultural events dependent on the “time” of year).

There are four lesson or steps to know how ancient scientific measure time. First, we must know about lunar phases and moonlight. Moonlight is light generated by the moon, it isn’t reflected sunlight. They must know the different between a month and a lunar cycle.

Second, we must know about standard units. Knowing about standard units, making comparisons between standard units, and using a standard unit to record the size of an object are critical bits of information when learning to measure. As a standard unit, the lunar cycle would not work well for measuring an Earth year so, the lunar cycle would not serve as a convenient standard unit.

Third, about Hopi astronomers. Hopi astronomers demonstrated scientific and mathematical dexterity in marking the passage of time. They understood rhythms of the moon and Earth and used science, mathematics, and literacy to inform their people. In reality, ancient astronomers measured time using both the sun and the moon to plan associated celebrations. Astronomers knew how to read the moon and sun to adjust calendars to accommodate discrepancies. They told them that the moon is an important cultural artifact because the ancient Hopi successfully used moons to measure an Earth year. One promising result was the general agreement that the moon was a dependable constant, longer than a day and shorter than a season.

Lastly, we must lesson how to describing time. In this lesson, we or the sudents analyze why Hopi use moon phases to measuring time and why the Hopi culture successfully related to time using sun, season, and moon. At the end, students could generalize the notion that time was often understood by studying the moon and other celestial bodies.

Any set of lessons about time measurement needs to know what “time” it is. Knowing how and why a society measures time provides a solid foundation for understanding measurement. Different cultures will have different priorities about what is important in the measurement of time. In this article, it studied ancient time measurement techniques and strategies of the Hopi to dramatize decisions made by the society’s timekeepers that corrected for the mismatch bettheyen the 365.25-day year and iterations of the 29.5-day lunar cycle. Knowing that the lunar cycle will not divide a calendar year, they recognized and named a 13th moon and inserted it whenever it was needed. Studying lunar cycles, culture, and literature allow sixth-grade students to grow in their understanding of standard units.

Source : Janet Sharp, Tracie Lutz, and Donna E. LaLonde, Mathematics Teaching in the Middle School ● Vol. 21, No. 3, October 2015.

Aku Mau Kembali..

Rasanya percuma..
Bahkan untuk sampai pada tahap ini, sulit. Sungguh.
Berusaha memperbaiki, tapi ternyata sama saja.
Haruskah aku kembali?
Kepada siapa aku yang dulu?
Toh, tak ada bedanya.
Mencoba terlihat, tapi tetap kasat mata.
Rasanya ini bukan aku, bukan.
Ahh, haruskah aku kembali?
Ku rasa lebih baik begitu.
Aku mau yang dulu.
Baiklah, mari kita lihat apa yang akan aku lakukan besok ;)

with love,

Me :)

Kemarin aku tergugu, ketika tak sengaja mataku menangkap sosokmu dalam sebuah foto. Ada sebuah rasa yang menyeruak, bukan rindu. Tapi lebih ke seperti ingin bertemu. Aku penasaran, apakah sosokmu masih sama? Apakah rasa itu benar pernah ada? Ingin aku bertanya, tapi kuurungkan. Kumantapkan lagi hatiku. Jika memang kita di takdirkan hanya untuk  sekedar bertemu, maka biarlah rasa ini pergi, dengan cara diam-diam dan jika memang kita ditakdirkan untuk  lebih dari sekedar bertemu, biarlah Tuhan yang mengaturnya. Tapi maaf, aku hanyalah manusia biasa yang tetap berharap bahwa kita dapat bersama, entah kapan.

Nyampah.

Selamat pagi. Ah, dini hari lebih tepatnya.
Apa kabar? Sekarang pukul 01.22 dan aku masih terjaga.
Rasanya menyesakkan ketika kamu menjadi pilihan kesekian, atau mungkin the last choice? Hmm.. "Gak ada yang namanya sibuk. Adanya itu kamu ada di prioritas keberapa buat dia." kayaknya kutipan itu bener ya? Duh.. padahal aku selalu bilang "ngikut kamu aja" atau "aku selo terus kok" atau "sekarang po" well kata-kata kayak gitu kalau keluar dari mulutku basi banget ya kayaknya? Semacam dianggep angin lalu. Maaf, bukannya aku nggak bisa positive thinking, tapi karena terlalu positive thinking makannya lama-lama jadi negative thinking. Atau..sebegitu ngeboseninnya ya main sama aku? Sebegitu buang waktunya kah barengan sama aku? Berulangkali aku tanya gitu. "Apa waktu kalian untuk aku sudah tak tersedia lagi?"
Kalau memang iya, katakan. Jangan buat aku menunggu. Seolah-olah benar-benar akan meluangkan waktu untukku. Aku jenuh.
Mungkin sudah sebulan lebih aku diam. Entah sampai kapan. Tunggu saja hingga moodku membaik dan mungkin chat "sampah" kayak diatas bakal aku send lagi wks.
Bagaimana aku bisa menjangkaumu ketika aku dihadapanmu, kamu malah pergi begitu saja. Bagaimana bisa aku meraihmu ketika kata-kataku hanya dianggap bualan semata.
Ada jarak tak kasat mata diantara kita, entah siapa yang memulainya. Ahh atau mungkin dunia kita terlalu berbeda, ya? Sangaaaaaaat jauh berbeda.
Yah, mau gimana lagi? Berjuang itu harus dilakukan bersama-sama, bukan hanya satu orang.