Seasonal change is all around us. Children see it in the length of a day, in the appearance of a flower, in the flight of a butterfly. Journey North is an online program that explores the interrelated aspects of seasonal change.

Through inquiry-based investigations, students discover that sunlight drives all living systems and they learn about the dynamic ecosystem that surrounds and connects them.

Slideshow

1. Introduce Journey North
Introduce Journey North to your class or school by viewing the slideshow together. Build excitement and interest by asking students to describe their favorite seasonal changes.

2. Explore Seasonal Investigations
Through Journey North's interrelated investigations, students discover that sunlight drives all living systems. Regardless of your focus within Journey North, revisit the big-picture context to help students make connections:

• Sunlight and the Seasons
  
• Plants and the Seasons
• Animals and Seasonal Migrations

3. Make a Seasons Showcase
Choose a bulletin board or wall that can be used to display large calendars, maps, and other exhibit items. Gather students together in front of this "blank canvas" and ask,

"How can our class and/or school showcase the seasonal changes we are tracking locally and globally?"

Have students envision how the space can be used to document and display local and global observations/data for the topic(s) you will be studying (sunlight, plants, animal migrations). Encourage students to sketch ideas on paper and discuss how they can work collaboratively to construct and maintain an interactive exhibit to showcase ongoing observations and data. "THINK BIG" as you brainstorm about how to include a wide array of items in the Seasons Showcase:

• maps
• calendars
• timelines
• charts and graphs
• technology resources
• natural artifacts
• photos and videos
• student work (writing/drawing)

Seasons Showcase