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Teacher Comments
Submitted by Participating Teachers in Year-end Evaluation

• Too many times science is taught as a series of facts and figures, not as the dynamic PROCESS of lifelong learning that it is. The students are so excited to participate. To know that they can contribute something to a nationwide project is so uplifting for them. Thanks for making this possible!
• Journey North has real-world value. It's not just an exercise. It's a rich source of inspiration for me and the students I serve. Students respond so differently when they are doing something that is real.
• Journey North has an inherent sense of wonder. The over-emphasis on standards and assessment is beating this essential ingredient out of the school day.
• I'm always amazed to see the enthusiasm the students have as they do the research. They are using so many skills and hardly realize how I've sneaked them in. Thank you so much for this project, it makes my year.
• Journey North stretches students’ abilities beyond what they thought they could achieve which is very fulfilling and inspiring to each student.
• My students are begging me to let their fifth grade teachers know about it so that they can do it again next year!
• Participating in science activities that are real life/real time has greatly increased student enthusiasm. I would be lost without this program.
• This project takes concepts as large and as difficult as the world and gives each student his/her own personal discovery and understanding.
• It's so great to watch the initial confusion over thinking in a new way grow into a useful understanding of difficult concepts.
• Journey North is the best of what best teaching practices entail... combining components of social studies, science, art, reading, writing, foreign languages, stewardship, conversation, etc. Nothing is more rewarding than having a group of breathless children run into my classroom declaring that they just saw the first monarch of the season out on the playground!
• Using Journey North I can teach every subject to every level and maintain high student interest.
• The perfect assessment of the program was the feedback from my students. They eagerly awaited their updates and were so motivated. They loved the program and I value the educational experiences they gained.
• Journey North is an excellent program for my students. They have so much fun - but at the same time they are learning so much - and the best part is that they APPLY their research skills in a real life situation. I find the students working as a team - helping each other out - giving feedback too so I see this as an excellent avenue to practice collaboration. I already have students checking with me to see if they can be in the class next year! I guess that's proof that Journey North is a great motivator!
• I have never had kids, let alone third graders, understand so well.
• A great way for inner-city kids to get to "see" the outdoors and maybe even "see" the real thing in their backyards.
• Journey North builds simple activities into a complex web during the journey of discovery around the world. My children were exposed to a myriad of topics, including navigation, basic geography, astronomy, and world cultures.
• Journey North allows my students to participate in citizen scientist research programs and develop life long skills in observing and analyzing events in nature.
• Journey North is the benchmark I use for all other internet based curriculums. It is a valid use of the technology, and not simply "on the web" because it is the thing to do. It is interdisciplinary and helps students gain a better understanding of our connections around the world through natural history. Students have a deeper appreciation for what is "right outside their door" because they know that there are others waiting online to hear about their discoveries.
• Journey North is a fantastic tool for integrating science and social studies into the rest of the curriculum. Students enjoy the inquiry based exploration and learn more from the authentic situations Journey North provides.
• It is invaluable for students to be able to take part in a real science effort. This participatory experience is a much more effective teaching and learning event than the classroom contrivances that often occur, however well-meaning they may be.
• This is real science!
• This project is the best thing ever created to provide real science experiences and knowledge. THANK YOU!
• Journey North has really improved the way I teach science and other subjects! I highly recommend it to teachers who want to be innovative in their classrooms!
• Journey North is a must! It empowers students through hands-on, inquiring, multi-cultural, student friendly and versatile programs.
• This is such a terrific multidisciplinary program. Using real data collected by the participants, in conjunction with professionals, makes the investigations particularly pertinent to a positive learning experience for all.
• I've used this with pre-service teachers to show them how they can integrate science, technology,social studies, and language arts in a meaningful, real world application.
• What a great way to teach children about real-life science, and the prize is, they get to participate. This project encourages a love for nature while learning to appreciate our ecosystem.
• This has been the best program I have come across to introduce teachers to the collecting of real data that is being used to do real science research. Their students are sometimes getting their first exposure to doing science.
• A truly interdisciplinary project: mathematics, geography, social studies.
• This is the best program I have seen in 26 years of education for integrating math, science, and even social studies. It gives the students a chance to use the skills they have learned in math, science, and social studies in a real world situation.
• Journey North encourages students to be keen observers of the world around them.
• I have not experienced a program of such high quality any where else on the web. Keep up the excellent work.
• There is no better way to integrate subject matter than Journey North. The lessons are interesting and informative and cover many of my state objectives in science, social studies, reading, and writing.
• Journey North is a great way to introduce the scientific process to students in relevant ways, through problem-based learning, and to integrate science across the curriculum.
• Journey North is a great way to connect all the disciplines! A cross cultural, cross curriculum project has never been so easy and effective!
• The interaction is great, and how science works. Where else can you go along in a thinking mode while scientists are doing active research. Making observations, asking questions, forming hypothesis, creating experiments, analysis of data and conclusion , There is structure without rigidity. Look in and notice that you can do with the data found here as you the professional sees fit.

• Standards, standards, standards! We all are tied to these standards and are always asking what we can do to meet these standards and yet keep the children interested in learning. Thank you for giving us such a useful tool that meets so many of our standards and allows us to have active participation with the students.
• Journey North is science in action. Journey North is real. As a teacher who attends and presents at regional educational technology conferences several times a year, I have seen scores of Internet based programs. Journey North is certainly one of the best, if not the best. Using truly cross-curriculum material, JN involves my students and myself in projects that are both educational and meaningful.
• After 31 years of teaching, I love JN for the challenge it gives me. When I think I've taught it all, something new will show up on the site. I find the program easily adaptable to all learning levels and styles.
• Thank you for keeping things interesting for me, and each new class of students.
• After 25 years of teaching, imagine how bored I used to be teaching 5th graders the states and capitals! With Journey North, the students internalize a working understanding of geography, climate and culture.
• The materials offered are wonderful. Should be part of every science classroom curriculum.
• It is geared to many age levels and can be used in a variety of ways. You can get as involved as the time and interest that you have allows.
• The best thing about Journey North is that you can get involved on any level that works for you!
• This program is invaluable. The integrated approach is awesome.
• Even after seven years of using Journey North, it is still new and fresh each year. I find I am still learning along with my students.
• The best part of Journey North has been its adapability. I can cover more state standards and benchmarks than are addressed in their IEP's.
• Journey North addresses so many content standards and helped me break away from traditional units to real interactive science.
• It is easily integrated across the curriculum and provides endless opportunities for enrichment. I think this is the direction for science instruction to follow into the future.