How to Participate Every Monday between January 31 and April 11, 2005, students will record their local sunrise and sunset times. Using this information they will calculate day length in their own hometown. On the same day, students at 10 secret Mystery Class locations around the world will also record sunrise and sunset data. Then, on Friday of each week, the data from the secret Mystery Classes will be posted. On April 22, you'll have a chance to predict where the 10 Mystery Classes are hiding! The primary clue: As spring sweeps across the Northern Hemisphere, day length changes everywhere on earth. Materials Needed E-mail or Web access for weekly Mystery Class Updates A source for local sunrise and sunset times Mystery Class Datasheet (Make 11 copies where you will record data from each of the 10 Mystery Classes plus your own.) Mystery Class Graph (one per student) (Download in either a PDF or Word): PDF Word Alternatively, Make Your Own Mystery Class Graph (1 per student). Eleven (11) colored pencils or markers (one color per Mystery site and one color for your class). Here's What You'll Do (Please Read Each Step Carefully)   1. Register for Journey North (it's free). 2. Every Monday, between January 31 and April 11, 2005, 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 following Web sites: Locations Worldwide Locations in U.S.Only 3. Calculate photoperiod by counting the number of hours and minutes the sun is up. For example, if the sun rises at 6:50 and sets at 17:30, the photoperiod for that day is 10 hours and 40 minutes. 4. Record the sunrise and sunset times and the photoperiod 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! 5. Every Friday, Journey North staff will post the sunrise and sunset data they've collected from our 10 secret Mystery classes. Note: The data you receive on FRIDAYS will have been collected on the same MONDAYS your readings were collected. 6. Using the remaining 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. Teacher Tip: It's Wise to Organize: Many teachers divide their class into 10 groups, and give each group responsibility for a single Mystery Site. Each week, every group can record the data and calculate the photoperiod for their site, and graph the data too. Then each group can share their calculations with the rest of the class. Give each group one Datasheet and one Graph. To provide practice for your student groups, use your local photoperiod as an example. (You may also want to make a large, poster-sized wall graph for your class, where student groups could plot their respective sites.) 7. Beginning in March, clues about the geography and culture of each site will be included with the weekly data reports. On April 22, students will race to predict the location of each Mystery Class. 8. 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! 9. Watching the wave of spring sweep northward is at the heart of Journey North. Mystery Class challenges students to find the locations of 10 Mystery Classes, using seasonal changes in photoperiod as their primary clue. Rich assessment opportunities help teachers document student understanding of key concepts about the seasons. Copyright 2005 Journey North. All Rights Reserved. Please send all questions, comments, and suggestions to our feedback form