Summary
What kind of observations does Journey North collect and how are they important? These questions are introduced and explored in When, Where, and How to Watch Fall Monarch Migration. Help students apply facts from their reading with follow-up activities provided in this teacher's guide:

• In Data Hunt Challenge, students read and analyze authentic sample observation reports from citizen scientists.
• In Ask the Observer, students transform "missing information" reports by adding scientifically-helpful details.
• In Where Was Migration the Strongest? students count, calculate, and compare migration rate data.
• In My Practice Report, students learn how to report monarch sightings on Journey North by submitting a Practice Report to the live map.

This Teacher Guide Includes:

• Lesson Goals and Objectives
• Materials List and Helpful Handouts
• Page-by-Page Planning Guide
• Step-by-Step Instructional Plan
• Related Journey North Lessons and Links
• Focus on Vocabulary

Lesson Goals and Objectives:

Lesson Goals

1. Learn three ways to observe fall monarch migration: 1) watch for directional flight of monarchs flying high overhead, 2) count nectaring monarchs, and 3) find monarchs resting at an overnight roost.
   
2. Learn how to write scientifically-helpful monarch reports and submit them on the Journey North website.

• Describe three ways to watch fall monarch migration: 1) watch for directional flight of monarchs flying high overhead, 2) count nectaring monarchs, and 3) find monarchs resting at an overnight roost.
• Read and analyze real monarch observations to identify scientifically-helpful information
• Calculate "migration rates" (monarchs per hour or monarchs per minute) using authentic monarch migration observations.
• List essential elements in a scientifically-helpful sighting report: date and location of sighting, quantity of monarchs observed, time and duration of observation period; descriptive details about observed behaviors of monarchs.
• Write a detailed observation report that would be helpful to scientists learning about fall monarch migration.
• Use Internet technology to submit a "Practice Report" on the Journey North website.
• Use key words and concepts related to fall monarch migration.

Experience the text first as a reader and then as an instructor. As you read through the booklet/slideshow text, use this planning guide to capture your thoughts: observations, questions, discoveries, vocabulary, possible teaching applications, etc. Share your thinking process with students to model effective reading strategies.

• Page-by-Page Planning Guide

• What do monarch butterflies look like when they migrate?
• Where can we look to see them in the fall?
• When does the migration to Mexico take place?
• How do people watch for migration?

• Determine how you will have students experience the booklet text for a first reading: whole class, small group, partner, or individual. Encourage students to take notes or mark up the text--underlining key ideas and making notes in the margins.

After Reading: Revisit for Understanding

1. Revisit the Questions
Read aloud the pre-reading questions one at a time. Call on volunteer students to briefly answer each question using main-idea facts from the text.

• Focus students' attention on the final question: How do people watch for migration?
• Lead into the next activity: How do people share their monarch observations? Let's look at some real migration reports observers submitted to Journey North.

2. Data Hunt Challenge: Observation Report Cards Place students in small groups. As you pass out the Observation Report Cards to each group, ask: What do observation reports look like and what can we learn from them? Have students read and explore the reports for a minute or two and then introduce the Data Hunt Challenge: What kinds of information do observers include in their reports? Which reports give where, when, what, and how information—the details that scientists need to track fall migration? Let's hunt for scientifically-useful data in the reports. Give each group the Data Hunt Guide Sheet. Like a scavenger hunt, students are challenged to find specific data in the observation reports. Have them make tally marks right on the cards when they find the data in each observer's comments. You may even have them underline the data they find. Which reports will have many tally marks because they are filled with scientifically-helpful data? Which reports do not include essential details and therefore are not as helpful? Which cards are examples of "winning reports" because they describe all the essential details a scientist would need to track monarch migration? Feature these winning reports on a bulletin board. Encourage students to revisit these winning reports when they are writing their own observation reports. 3. Ask the Observer: Brainstorming Questions for Details Have students identify Observation Report Cards that need more details. With a partner, have them brainstorm questions they would ask the observers. Give them sample questions to get them started: What time was the sighting? How long were you observing the monarchs? Do you watch for monarchs at about the same time each day? What did you notice the monarchs doing? What plants were the monarchs visiting? How long did the cluster of monarchs roost in the tree branches? After students have a generous list of questions, have them imagine themselves as the observers. What possible responses could be given for each question? Challenge each pair of students to transform a "missing information" Observation Report Card into a "winning report" by adding scientifically-useful details. Invite volunteer students to read their before and after observation reports to the class. Summarize this activity by stressing the importance of details in observation reports.	Handout Observation Report Cards Handout Guide Sheet
4. Where Was the Migration Strongest? Finding Migration Rates This series of activities helps students make monarch migration observations in a standardized way. When students count the number of monarchs they observe -and they also record the length of time they were observing - their migration observations can be compared to observations from other locations and to their own day-to-day observations. See: Background Information and Teaching Suggestions Sample Activities: Follow the links below.
Online Practice Activity Monarchs per Minute Practice Activity Where Was the Migration Strongest?
5. Wrap Up: My "Practice Report" Have students mock-up a well-written "practice report" based on what they have learned. Show them how to report a sighting to Journey North and find it on the live "Practice Report" map. Submit a Practice Report View live Practice Report map

Words and Definitions Related to Monarch Migration
Build understanding of key concepts by exploring these vocabulary words in the context of monarch migration.

Breeding Range (noun): geographic region or area where monarchs reproduce; habitat where milkweed plants are available for monarch eggs and growing monarch caterpillars

Citizen Scientist Report (noun): an account of the observer's monarch sighting(s); description of a monarch sighting from a real world observer who is not a trained scientist; comments from an observer about monarch sighting(s)

Cluster (noun): group of monarch butterflies gathered together

Population (noun): a geographically separate group of monarchs

Directional Flight (noun): monarchs purposefully flying in a specific
direction; flying toward a specific destination rather than fluttering about
in a variety of directions

Eastern Population (noun): monarchs that breed east of the Rocky Mountains and overwinter primarily in Mexico (perhaps 95% of North America's monarchs).

Migration Rate (noun): percentage of monarchs migrating at a certain time in a certain region

Monarch Roost (noun): place where monarchs gather to rest; settle on tree branches; gathering place of resting monarchs

Sighting (noun): seeing a monarch or monarchs in your town, city, state, or
province; seeing monarchs in your locale

Timed Observation (noun): a specified period of time an observer was watching for monarchs; measured as monarchs per minute or per hour

Western Population (noun): monarchs that breed west of the Rocky Mountains and overwinter primarily along the California coast (perhaps 5% of North America's monarchs).

Suggested Activities

1. Word Collections
Invite students to collect words from Journey North texts, and the context-rich sentence(s) in which the words were found. Have students find definitions using dictionaries and other reference materials. Choose from the following ideas to organize their growing collection of
monarch-related words:

Reference Book: Invite students to create vocabulary pages for a three-ring binder. Assign each student 1-2 key words from the
booklet/slideshow. Have them create a dictionary-style page for their words. Encourage them to include definitions, synonyms, context-rich sentences, and drawings on the page. Collate student-created word pages into a class reference book.

Word Wall: Display collected words and definitions on a bulletin board.

Word File: Record words, definitions, and context-rich sentences on index cards. Place them in a recipe box that organizes the words alphabetically.

Building Vocabulary with Journey North
Vocabulary is essential to comprehension. Students need to apply strategies before, during, and after reading to understand texts. Journey North provides a wealth of informational texts to help students learn about words in meaningful contexts. For additional instructional activities, check out this link:

• Building Vocabulary with Journey North