Tips
for Teachers
Use these Mystery Class journal pages the way we designed
them, or customize as appropriate for your class. Just click to
download, open through your Word application, and print! Or edit
to enter your own questions, categories, or layout. Students can
keep their own investigation journal by following our Mystery
Class News Updates.
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Print a cover for each student and a stack
of journal pages. Journals can be stapled,
bound, or kept in each student's pocket folder to pull out on
"Mystery Class days."
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The
Name of Investigator line is a place for the
student or group to record their name.
-
On
the Date line, students can write the date
of the Mystery Class update they are working on when they use
the journal page. Recording the date will help in tracking what
the investigator(s) know from one week to the next.
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We
encourage teachers to divide each class into 10 groups, with
each group being responsible for one specific Mystery Class.
Use the Mystery Class # space as the line to
specify the particular Mystery Class # they are searching for.
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Use
the "This Week..." section as a place
for students to summarize what they learned about their Mystery
Class from the data and other information received in that week's
Mystery Class Update. For instance, they can summarize their
Mystery Class's sunrise and sunset times and photoperiod for
that week, comment on its graph lines, and perhaps even how
their Mystery Class's data compares to the data for other Mystery
Classes that week, just to name a few ideas.
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The
"Compared to last week..." section
is a place for students to note how this most recent data compares
to the data from the prior week or weeks. It's a place to note
changes, or the absence of changes.
-
"Right
now this is what I'm thinking..." is the section
for students to record each week what they are thinking about
the location of their Mystery Class, as the new data is revealed,
as clues are posted. It's a chance to state what hypotheses
the students have formed as new information arrives each week,
and a great assessment tool as well.
-
Answer our Challenge/Journal Questions that
appear in every update. Just flip the page over for more space.
- Thematic
Journals The Mystery Class investigation is rich with
examples of key science concepts (such as sunlight, seasons, and
cycles). See more tips on teaching themes and Journey North journals:
Building Understanding
Through Long-term Studies.
- Helpful
Links:
Journey North Journals;
Journaling Questions
and Assessment
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