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How to Participate
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| Overview |
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Every
Monday between February 2 and April 13, 2009, students will record their
local sunrise and sunset times on their Data Sheets (see below). Using
this information they will calculate daylength (photoperiod) in their
hometown. On the same days, students at ten secret Mystery Class locations
around the world will also record their own local sunrise and sunset
data. Then, on Friday of each week, the data from the secret Mystery
Classes will be posted.
On
May 1, students will predict where the ten Mystery Classes are hiding!
The primary clue: As spring sweeps across the Northern Hemisphere, daylength
changes everywhere on earth.
Materials,
Links, & Deadlines
- Weekly
Mystery Class Updates
(February
6 to May 15, 2009)
- Mystery
Class Calendar with deadlines
- The Mystery
Class Data & Clues page
- Local
sunrise and sunset times (Look-up on Web
or in local newspaper)
- Colored
pencils or markers. Each student will need eleven (11) different colors.
- Mystery
Class Data Sheet below (one per student).
- Mystery
Class Graph below (one per student)
- Optional:
Student
Journal Pages
- Optional:
Make your own graph and/or classroom wall graph (instructions)
Mystery
Class
Data Sheet |
Mystery
Class
Graph |
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Download
and
print
(doc
or html ) |
Download,
print,
and assemble*
(doc
or pdf )
*Why two pages?
The graph needs height to prevent the data and lines from becoming overcrowded.
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| Get
Ready for Mystery Class |
| 1.
Register for Journey North
Registration is free. Registration is required so our staff can contact
participating teachers, if needed. If you are already registered, you
do not have to register again for Mystery Class.
2.
Prepare
Mystery Class
doesn't begin until late January, but to help get ready, you can brush
up on the basics this fall. After all, every great journey takes a little
prep time — especially when you are traveling around the world in
just eleven weeks!
- Brush
Up on the Basics
Build understanding and practice skills related to these topics:
— the earth's daily and seasonal cycles (and the reasons
for seasons)
— latitude and longitude
— calculating & graphing photoperiod
3.
Organize Your Class
- See the
Advice other Mystery
Class teachers have shared over the years.
- In general,
we recommend dividing the class into ten groups and
making each group responsible for one of the ten Mystery sites. (Teachers: for younger students, or for students you feel need a greater challenge, consider assigning secret locations of lesser or greater difficulty, respectively. (Contact Journey North for more information when Mystery Class begins in February.)
- Your local
site will be the eleventh location. Use your local
photoperiod as an example each week. This will help the ten student-groups
work independently.
- Give each
student (or student group) one Datasheet and one Graph. Each week, the
group records the data and calculates the photoperiod for their site.
Then the group shares its calculations with the rest of the class.
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| The
Mystery Class Season: February
1- May 15, 2009 |
| Mondays:
Your
own sunrise/sunset data |
1. RECORD Your Local Sunrise/Sunset Times
- Dates:
Monday,
February 2
through Monday, April 13, 2009
- Every
Monday, look up your LOCAL sunrise and sunset times.
- Your
local newspaper should provide sunrise/sunset information or you can
look-up your sunrise/sunset on the web: Sunrise/Sunset
Look-up.
- Record
the data on your Mystery Class Data Sheet (you do not send this data
to Journey North).
2.
CALCULATE Your Local Photoperiod
- Photoperiod
is the amount of daylight between sunrise and sunset each day.
- To measure
photoperiod, count the number of hours and minutes the sun is up.
For example, if the sun rises at 6:50 and sets at 17:30, the photoperiod
for that day is 10 hours and 40 minutes.
- Also
see related Advice
from Mystery Class Teachers
3.
GRAPH Your Local Photoperiod
- Choose
a color to represent the photoperiod of your hometown and plot it
on the Mystery Class Graph.
- Do
NOT send your local sunrise & sunset data to Journey North!
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Fridays: Sunrise/sunset
data from Mystery Sites |
1.
RECORD the Sunrise/Sunset Times from the ten Mystery Sites
2.
CALCULATE the Photoperiod at the ten Mystery Sites
(one site per group)
3.
GRAPH the Photoperiod at the ten Mystery Sites
- Use
a different colored pencil or marker to plot the photoperiod for each
Mystery Class.
4.
ASK QUESTIONS about the Mystery Class Graph
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| Other
Important Dates |
Longitude
and Interdisciplinary Clues: March 20 - April 17, 2009
- Longitude
clues: Prior to March 20th, the weekly sunrise/sunset data
have revealed clues about the LATITUDE of the Mystery Classes, but
not about their LONGITUDE. On March 20th, the "longitude clues"
will be provided. These clues help students estimate the longitude
of the sites based on the time of sunrise at each Mystery Class on
the vernal equinox. (Teachers
Guide: A Clue About Longitude Clues)
- Interdisciplinary
clues: In addition to sunrise/sunset information, starting
on March 27th we'll add clues about the geography and culture of each
site. You will find them in two
places: a) in the week's Mystery
Class Update and b) archived on the Mystery
Class Data & Clues page.
Contest
Deadline: May 1, 2009
- Contest
Deadline:
On May 1st students will race to predict the location of each Mystery
Class.
A "Mystery Class Answer Form" with detailed instructions
will be posted. (See
sample.)
- May
is "Meet the Mystery Class Month." Each Mystery Class will
introduce themselves on-line and you'll have a chance to correspond
with them . . . whoever and wherever they are!
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Assessment
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As
spring sweeps across the Northern Hemisphere, day length changes everywhere
on earth. This
central observation of seasonal change is at the heart of Journey North.
Rich assessment
opportunities help teachers document student understanding of key
concepts about the seasons.
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