Teacher support
Teacher notes
A short guide for using the Sagan Calendar with upper-primary and middle-school learners.
Who this is for
The main reading level is written for roughly ages 9-13. It can also support older or younger learners when an adult helps with the scale and evidence ideas.
- Audience
- Ages 9-13
- Use
- Short classroom or home discussion
- Status
- Classroom discussion aid
Two-minute learner check
After two minutes, ask what the learner noticed first, when dinosaurs appear in the calendar story, when humans appear, and what "how do we know?" means in the exhibit.
Important teaching caveat
The calendar dates are a scale model for learning. They help students see deep time, but they should not be taught as exact calendar dates for ancient events.
Useful pages
Start with the cosmic calendar, then use the dinosaur path, humans-near-midnight page, evidence page, and trust page for discussion.
Image credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech. Background source: Age-Defying Star.