Monarchs in the News Write Your Own Newspaper Column (Click to Enlarge) Tell your community that the monarchs are on their way! Ask to be a reporter for your local or school newspaper. Follow the example of students at Cape Cod Lighthouse Charter School, who wrote their own weekly news column called "Nature Track" for their community newspaper. From February to June, the students captured highlights from Journey North News to include in their column. Suggestions for Your Weekly News Reports How Far North and East Has the Migration Progressed? Each week, find the latitude and longitude of the sightings furthest from Mexico. Also, keep track of the wave of migration. (For help see, "Analyzing Migration Patterns".) How Many Miles from Mexico Has the Migration Traveled? Assuming all sightings are monarchs from Mexico, measure the distance each week of the sightings furthest from Mexico. People will be impressed to know how far these small butterflies have traveled! (For help see, "How to Use the Online Distance Calculator".) Predict When the Monarchs Will Arrive First, find out when Monarchs typically return to YOUR state or province. To do this, you can use records from Journey North's online database to answer this question. Record the dates the 1st monarchs were spotted in your state/province in past years, then see what the average date of first return seems to be. Go to our archives for data from past years' migrations. Ask Others in Your Community to Help Track the Migration! The more eyes watching for butterflies, the more likely you are to spot the arrival of the first monarchs. Let people know that they can help monitor the migration in your area. Explain that sightings from the public are welcome. People can either contact you with the news, or report directly to Journey North. National Science Education Standards Science as Inquiry Use data to conduct a reasonable explanation. (K-4) Develop descriptions, explanations, predictions, and models using evidence. (5-8) National Geography Standards How to use maps and other geographic representations, tools, and technologies to acquire, process, and report information. National Math Standards Develop and evaluate inferences and predictions that are based on data. Specify locations and describe spatial relationships using coordinate geometry and other representational systems. Copyright 2000-2007 Journey North. All Rights Reserved. Please send all questions, comments, and suggestions to our feedback form