Journey North Mystery Class Spring 2003

Mystery Class Update: February 14, 2003

Today's Report Includes:

A Valentine's Day Gift for You
Oh Mystery Class . . . Whereforart Thou?
Teacher Tip: Graphing Photoperiod
Reasons for Seasons: The Astronomy of Spring
Who Knows What Time It Is? Discussion of CQ #1
This Week's Sunrise/Sunset Times
Note to Teachers: Plan Ahead and Mark Your Calendars

A Valentine's Day Gift for You

Your mysterious Mystery friends have provided the second set of sunrise/sunset data from around the globe. Aren't they nice? Even if it weren't a Holiday, they would still have given you their times--what are friends for anyway?! Remember this information was recorded on Monday, February 10, 2003, the same day you collected your second set of hometown sunrise/sunset data.

Mystery Class, Oh Mystery Class . . . Whereforart Thou?
As you plot this week's data on your graph, ask yourself the following questions. Can you determine:

1) Where is photoperiod changing the most quickly?

2) In which places is it increasing? In which places is it decreasing?

3) What might these things tell you about the location of each site?

Teacher Tip: More Tips from the Pros
If you haven't already read her insights, Nebraska teacher Gayle Kloewer has some suggestions to help students get the most out of graphing in this Teacher Tip:

Mystery Class/Graphing Photoperiod

We always welcome tips from practicing Journey North teachers. Please share your ideas! jnorth@learner.org

Reasons for Seasons: Exploring the Astronomy of Spring
As you begin to notice changes in your graph, now is a good time to explore why we have seasons and changing day length. Many people have misconceptions about this. The real reason for seasons lies in the fact that the Earth is tilted on its axis. The tilt of the Earth affects the length of days and also the amount of direct sunlight received during the seasons. Take a look at the lesson below called Reasons for Seasons:

Reasons for Seasons

Who Knows What Time It Is? Response of CQ #1
Last week we asked about the meaning of two expressions that most people use everyday, but probably never stop to think about: "What do the initials 'A.M.' and 'P.M.' stand for anyway?"

We had many correct answers from students in Florida, Minnesota, Massachusetts, Connecticut, Maine, and other locations too. Several answers took us for a quick Latin lesson on the meaning of these expressions:

Mrs. McCabe's 5th grade class, Trinity School, Midland, TX:" We knew from our geography studies that A.M. (ante-meridiem) stands for occurring before noon; P.M. stands for (post-meridiem), occurring after noon. Our Latin teacher also told us that these are Latin words. Ante in Latin means before, and post means after. Meridiem is Latin too; mer is mid and diem is day."

Karin's Morning Meeting at Upland Hills School in Oxford, MI: " We checked a lot of different places for this information like the dictionary, a science answer book, online, and we even asked parents and grandparents. We think A.M. means 'ante meridiem' which is Latin meaning before midday or noon. P.M. means 'post meridiem' which is Latin meaning after midday or noon."

Ann Kreger's class from New Prague, MN: "In Latin A.M means ante meridiem and in English it means before noon. P.M in Latin means post meridiem and in English it means after noon."

Mr. O'Shea and Mrs. Tavalone's Class from Oak Street School in Franklin, MA: "A.M. stands for the Latin words ante meridiem which means midnight to noon or before noon. P.M. stands for the Latin word post (after) meridiem which means noon to midnight."

Susan Petersen's Grade 3 class from Bloomington, MN: "AM is from the Latin ante meridiem which means before midday or before noon. PM is from the Latin post meridiem which means after midday or after noon."

Our thanks and congratulations to all the students who answered Challenge Question #1. Nice job everyone! We wish we had space here to list all your answers.

This Week's Sunrise/Sunset Times
Remember, the secret Mystery sites recorded their times last Monday, the same day you collected your own local sunrise/sunset data.

Journey North Mystery Class

Sunrise/Sunset Data

Data For: Monday, February 10, 2003

MYSTERY CLASS

SUNRISE

SUNSET

#1

06:57

17:09

#2

07:05

18:27

#3

05:40

18:28

#4

06:20

17:48

#5

08:03

17:34

#6

07:31

19:10

#7

00:00*

00:00*

#8

06:33

18:39

#9

08:10

17:57

#10

05:54

17:43

* Journey North Mystery Class #7 reported 00:00 for their times and said "still no sunset, it's light out 24/7! "

(Note: Military time is usually expressed without any punctuation. We have used a ":" between the hours and minutes for clarity.)

Note to Teachers: Plan Ahead and Mark Your Calendars
Here's the 2003 Mystery Class Schedule so you know what to expect from Journey North. Please be sure to plan ahead.

Mystery Class Calendar 2003

February 7- April 18:	Each Friday, Sunrise/Sunset Times are posted for the ten Mystery Sites.
March 14:	The "Longitude Clue" is posted.
March 21, 28, April 4, 11 & 18:	Interdisciplinary clues from the Mystery Sites are posted each week. (Please Note--out of fairness to all participants, we will only post the clues on their scheduled dates.)
April 25: Deadline for Your Answers!	No late entries will be accepted (out of fairness to all participants, no exceptions.)
May 2:	Mystery Sites Revealed!
May 9:	Meet Your Mystery Friends!

The Next Mystery Class Update Will Be Posted on February 21, 2003