Teacher Guide
Guide Sheet Report Cards (pg.1) Reports Cards (pg.2)

Data Hunt Guide Sheet
What information can you find in these real Observation Reports?

Find Observation Cards that include…

  • The date the observer saw the monarchs
  • How many monarchs the observer saw
  • The name of the observer's town
  • The name of the observer's state or province
  • Latitude and longitude information
  • Details about monarchs’ behavior (what the monarchs were doing)
  • The time the person saw the monarchs
  • The length of time the person was watching
  • A description of how often the observer was watching for monarchs
  • Information that helps you estimate how long the observer was watching
  • Comparison information: the observer compared sighting in one place to another place; the observer compared a sighting at one time to another time
  • Information about wind and/or other weather conditions
  • Information about the habitat: nectaring plants, water sources, areas providing shelter; Hint: think about how the place was providing for monarchs’ needs: food, water, shelter, space—did the observer describe how the place was providing for monarch needs?

Questions to Think About… (Be ready to share what you discovered!)

  1. Which cards included all or most of the information?
  2. Which cards did not include many details? What information was missing?
  3. Look at the cards that do not have many tally marks. What questions would you ask the observers? How would you get more details about their sightings?
  4. Which cards would you describe as “winning reports” because they include essential details scientists would use to track monarch migration?