Jim Gilbert
Tulip Field Data
Challenge Questions
Today's News
Spring's Journey North
Report Your Sightings
Teacher's Manual
Search Journey North
A/CPB
Tulip Garden Update: December 12, 1997
The darkest days of the year are now upon us, and the coldest
days of winter are still ahead, but 199 gardens are now safely tucked into the ground, and students across the
north are waiting for spring.
- Link to Today's Tulip Data
(If you've planted a garden and your NOT on this list, be sure to report to Journey North! Simply press the
"owl" button and a Field Data Form will appear.)
Gardens in the News
"We planted our tulips just in time," reported Centennial School in Polo, IL (jconkrit@leeogle.lth2.k12.il.us).
"We found out the ground was starting to freeze already. We didn't think it froze so quickly in the fall."
Mr. Sterling's students in Anchorage, Alaska described their planting as an "interesting" experience.
"We had a warm fall (dare I blame El Nino?) and I thought we would have no problem with getting bulbs in the
ground a little late. Then things got cold and we had to chisel away a space in the ground for planting. "
(sterling@corecom.net)
Meanwhile, students in sunny southern California, San Antonio Elementary Magnet School could use some of Alaska's
cold. "We have placed our tulip bulbs into the refrigerator in order to prepare them for our January 4th,
1998, planting." (jethirve@lausd.k12.ca.us ) Similarly, students at Alice Harte Elementary in New Orleans
report: "We have to wait until January to plant, and it has been interesting to learn why. We studied plants
in September and students experimented with planting bulbs upside down, sideways, and right side up. They were
able to see first hand phototropism and geotropism in action. " Margaret Wells (ahe@iamerica.com)
"Cantiague Elementary in Jericho, NY had their first
Journey North 'kickoff' on the front lawn of the school," reported teacher Amy Rothe. "Kindergarten and
5th grade classes planted our tulip bulbs as the entire school surrounded the tulip bed (in the shape of a tulip).We
were fortunate enough to have great media coverage for this event! Two television stations and a local newspaper
covered our story, and we put Journey North "on the map" on Long Island! (amy_rothe@mail.jericho.k12.ny.us)
Across the Atlantic Ocean in Kaiserslautern, Germany, "Over twenty parents helped plant tulips, so that every
one of the over 500 children in the school could participate in this world-wide project." Kaiserslautern Elementary
School
(dhenson@magic.bunt.com)
|
Phenology is: As the seasons change, how do the living things in your region respond? About the |
It's time to make contact with another school so you can exchange data --and make new friends. For this purpose, we have opened a new section of the Journey North WWW site called the "Phenology Data Exchange". In response to teachers' requests, we've designed the exchange so that you can select your partner by grade level, as well as the geographic location.
Therefore, please read these instructions very carefully:
|
Step 1 1. Send E-mail to: jn-exchange@learner.org |
Step 2 1. Come to the Phenology Data Exchange section of the Journey North WWW site.
2. Visit regularly. Watch for a posting from a teacher you'd like to contact. Send e-mail directly to
that teacher. |
What Do We Exchange and When?
It's completely up to you! This project is designed to be flexible, so partner teachers can meet their own unique
needs. Each group with need to consider many variables--the age of their students, the subject areas being taught,
school calendars, seasonal differences due to geography, their access to computers, etc.) However, throughout the
Journey North program, we will offer suggestions for your collaborative projects such as these :
- Exchange Fall Phenology Data
- Plan to Exchange Spring Phenology Data
- Compare Your Predictions of Dates Tulips Will Emerge & Bloom
Shhhh?It's a Secret
Rather than tell your students where your partner school is located, we suggest keeping this a secret. Challenge
your students use nature's clues to find their partner.
Happy New Year!
The Next Tulip Garden Update Will be Posted on Janauary 16, 1998.