Journey North's Mystery Class: A Study of Sunlight and the Seasons

Posted Fridays: Feb 1, 5, 12, 19, 26, Mar. 5, 12, 19, 26, Apr. 2, 9, 16, 23, 30, May 7, 14

	FINAL Mystery Class Update: May 14, 2010 Introducing the Class of 2010! Travel around our animated globe to meet all your new "bff's". Do you know which one might serve you "stinky feet" fruit? Or milkweed soup? Or which one's police officers issue tickets if you ride your elephant in the street? Find this out and so much more!
	Mystery Class Update: May 7, 2010 Today's the day you've been waiting for -- the Big Reveal! The answers are in, the mysteries solved, and the game well played. Be sure to come back next week, it's your chance to finally "meet" each Mystery Class.
	Mystery Class Update: April 30, 2010 It's week thirteen. Friday April 30 is the contest deadline. But don't wait until next week's "Big Reveal" to start celebrating. Pick up your Certificate and be proud! Did Mystery Class change how you see the world?
	Mystery Class Update: April 23, 2010 It's week twelve. Do you realize how far you've come since the start of Mystery Class? Retrace your journey in this week's Journal Page. April 30 is the deadline for the contest.
	Mystery Class Update: April 16, 2010 It's week eleven. Use this week's final clues to help narrow your search one last time. Revisit your graph too. Can you now uncover the Mystery Class locations? April 30 is the deadline if you are entering the contest.
	Mystery Class Update: April 9, 2010 It's week ten. The third set of interdisciplinary clues is here. Build upon the last two weeks' clues, and narrow your search even more. Think about what you still need in order to pinpoint the Mystery Class locations. The final clues are coming next week.
	Mystery Class Update: April 2, 2010 It's week nine. The second set of interdisciplinary clues is here. Build upon last week's clues and narrow your search even further. Look closely at this week's sunrise/sunset times. Do you notice anything unexpected?
	Mystery Class Update: March 26, 2010 It's week eight. The first set of interdisciplinary clues are here. These unique clues begin broad then become more specific each week. Use them to narrow your search and get progressively closer to pinpointing the secret locations.
	Mystery Class Update: March 19, 2010 It's week seven. Longitude Clues are here at last! Use the clues to estimate the approximate longitude of the Mystery Classes. Put the sites in order from east to west. Then join in a "rap" up of longitude with today's music video from one of the secret sites.
	Mystery Class Update: March 12, 2010 It's week six! Predict what will happen to your photoperiod graph by the end of March. Then set up time zone clocks to explore connections between local times and longitude. You're building skills for next week's special Longitude Clues. Get ready!
	Mystery Class Update: March 5, 2010 It's week five! Time to zero in on the line that divides the globe into east and west. This will help you prepare for the special longitude clues that are coming March 19th.
	Mystery Class Update: February 26, 2010 Tick...tock...take a look at the clock. What time is it right now? The answer depends on where you live! This week, explore questions about TIME as you prepare for special clues coming in March! Think: Why are clocks around the world set at different times? What clues could clocks reveal about Mystery Class locations?
	Mystery Class Update: February 19, 2010 With three weeks of sunrise/sunset data, what patterns do you see? How can these patterns of change reveal clues about which Mystery Classes are north or south of where you live? This week we're challenging you to a game we call "Locate the Spot." Try describing the location of a spot marked on flat and spherical surfaces.
	Mystery Class Update: February 12, 2010 What clues will you find in this week's set of sunrise/sunset data? Zoom in on a city at 0 degrees latitude and compare the photoperiod data to your own. Next, strap on some Latitude Shoes and travel around the globe along your own line of latitude. How do photoperiods at the same latitude compare to your own?
	Mystery Class Update: February 5, 2010 Welcome to Journey North's global game of hide-and-seek. Somewhere under the sun there are ten Mystery Classes waiting to be found. Can you uncover their secret locations? Start with today's video greeting, then see what the first set of sunrise/sunset data reveals.
	Reminder: Mystery Class Begins Monday, February 1, 2010 Are you packed and ready to start Journey North's global game of hide and seek? Take your first step on Monday by recording your local sunrise/sunset times. Find all the information you need to begin your quest for the ten secret sites in today's reminder. Bon voyage!
	Countdown to Mystery Class: Two Weeks to Go! This final Countdown to Mystery Class is designed to prepare you for a special set of clues called the "Longitude Clues" which you'll receive in late March, just before the spring equinox. See Teacher Practice Packet #2: Discovering Longitude Clues. Also included, see an introductory activity for introducing students to Mystery Class. Build suspense and assess students' background knowledge about key words and concepts using the word cards and diagrams provided.
	Countdown to Mystery Class: Two Months to Go! How does sunrise/sunset data reveal clues about the latitude of the Mystery Class locations? Teacher's Practice Packet #1 will help you discover for yourself the relationships between latitude, sunlight, and seasonal change. Also this month, to help prepare students for Mystery Class, try looking at a globe in a new way by asking: What can a globe tell us about time and seasons on Earth?
	Countdown to Mystery Class: Three Months to Go! Five, four, three, two, one . . . the Countdown to Mystery Class has begun! Invite students to think about the relationship between sunlight and seasonal change. Introduce your students to the view of Earth from space by visiting the image galleries, start an ever-growing chart of questions, and build background knowledge and sleuthing skills with a vocabulary challenge. Watch for additional "Countdown" messages each month until Mystery Class begins in February.
	Countdown to Mystery Class: Four Months to Go! Happy Fall Equinox! Autumn begins in the Northern Hemisphere on September 22nd. It's a good time to begin to explore the Mystery Class investigation. Do you "wonder" what this global game of hide-and-seek is all about? Explore the relationship between the sunlight and seasons. Begin close to home by observing the seasonal changes taking place in your own town. Watch for additional "Countdown" messages each month until Mystery Class begins in February.
	Welcome and Orientation When Mystery Class begins in February, weekly news will be posted on this page every Friday. We'll challenge you to find ten Mystery Class sites using sunrise and sunset times and other "clues" as your guide! You can get ready for Mystery Class any time. Learn more about this global game of hide-and-seek. (More)