Mystery Class Begins on Monday, February 7, 2000 Today's Report Includes: Reminder: Mystery Class Begins on Monday! How to Participate Here's What You'll Do Teacher Tip--It Takes Teamwork! Reminder: Mystery Class Begins on Monday! Rise and Shine! Wake up sleepyheads! The Journey North Mystery Class project is about to begin! Monday, February 7th is the first day of the Mystery Class project. Remember to check your sunrise/sunset times for your hometown. On Friday, February 11th you'll receive the first sunrise & sunset data for the 10 mystery locations who are hiding around the globe. Over the next eleven weeks you'll be asked to unlock the secret of their locations. To get started, take a look at the information provided below, or see pp. 95-100 in the Teacher's Manual. Remember to set your alarm clock! (Or, get a copy of your local newspaper where local sunrise and sunset data are provided.) How to Participate Materials Needed: Mystery Class Datasheet Mystery Class Graph Local sunrise and sunset times Here's What You'll Do 1. Every Monday, between February 7 and April 17, record the time the sun rises and sets in your hometown. Your local newspaper should provide this information, or you may find it in a calendar from your area. Alternatively, look up sunrise/sunset times on the WWW: Locations Worldwide Locations in U.S.Only 2. Calculate photoperiod by counting the number of hours and minutes the sun is up. For example, if the sun rises at 6:50 a.m. and sets at 17:30 p.m., the photoperiod for that day is 10 hours and 40 minutes. 3. Record the sunrise and sunset times and the photoperiod for each Monday at your hometown on a Mystery Class Datasheet. Then plot the photoperiod of your hometown on a Mystery Class Graph. Do not send your local sunrise & sunset data to Journey North! 4. Every Friday, we will post the sunrise and sunset data that Mrs. Berger's students have collected from our 10 Mystery classes. Notice: The data you receive on FRIDAYS will have been collected on the same MONDAYS your readings were collected. Many teachers divide their class into 10 groups, and give each group responsibility for a Mystery Site. To provide practice for your student groups, use your local photoperiod as an example. 5. Make 10 copies of the Mystery Class Datasheet. Record the data from each Mystery Class site on a separate Datasheet and calculate the photoperiod. Then plot the photoperiod from each Mystery Class on your graph. Use a different colored pencil for each Mystery Class. (You may want to make a large, poster-sized graph for your class, where student groups could plot their respective sites.) 6. Beginning in March, clues about the geography and culture of each site will be included with the weekly data reports. On April 28, 2000, students will race to guess the location of each Mystery Class. 7. May will be "Meet the Mystery Class Month". Each Mystery Class will introduce themselves on-line and you'll have a chance to correspond with them.... Who ever and where ever they are! Have fun and good luck! Teacher Tip--It Takes Teamwork! Attempting to locate the Mystery Classes is one of the most integrated components of Journey North. Take a look at Wisconsin Teacher Cathie Plaehn's suggestions for how to organize your class: Teamwork & Solving the Mystery Class Mystery The Next Mystery Class Update Will be Posted on February 11, 2000 Copyright 2000 Journey North. All Rights Reserved. Please send all questions, comments, and suggestions to our feedback form