According to many Journey North gardeners, tulips are now peeking up from the ground as if to check if spring has arrived. Two new sites have reported tulips in bloom: In San Rafael, California on March 13th and in Franklin, Tennessee on March 25th. Make sure you add these sites to your tulip map.
Journey North Tulips in Bloom
Spring, 1996
Date of First Bloom........Place
03/01/96 Palo Alto, CA
03/13/96 Tallahassee, FL
03/13/96 San Rafael, CA
03/25/96 Franklin, TN
When the tulips in your garden bloom, please let us know! Simply follow the instructions at the end of this report. In the meantime, we'd like to hear from you as your garden grows. Please send news to: jnorth@learner.org
To Cover or Not to Cover-That is the Question
As you may recall from our March 16th report, Texas teacher Mrs. Leland deliberated at length about whether to cover her students' tulips in freezing weather. We asked you to discuss this as a class and take a vote. Accompanying today's report you'll find how other students feel about this. If your tulips are now above ground, have you decided what you'll do if temperatures drop below freezing?
Analyzing Data and Making Predictions
Students in 11 states sent news about their gardens for this week's report and we've included their comments below. How well can you predict when their tulips will bloom based on the information they've provided?
1. As a class, divide into cooperative groups and analyze the data. Make a list of the schools included in today's report. How tall are the tulips in each place? Whose tulips do you think will bloom next? Whose will be the last to bloom? Try to list the gardens in order, from the first to bloom to the last.
2. Can you answer today's Challenge Question?
Challenge Question # 60
"What makes it difficult to analyze today's tulip data? What information would help you make a better prediction?"
3. Over the next week, refine your predictions. Give yourselves time--at least one week--to collect more information. Review past tulip reports. How long did it seem to take tulips to grow and bloom in other gardens? Check the temperatures & weather conditions in the states where today's gardens are located. Don't forget, you may contact these schools directly for an update anytime. Their e-mail addresses are attached to their reports.
4. Keep a list of your class' predictions. Predict the date your own tulips will bloom and add this date to the list. As spring progresses, keep track of these gardens. How do your predictions compare to the actual results? What would you do differently next time in order to make a better prediction?
TULIP REPORTS FROM JOURNEY NORTH GARDENERS
From CALIFORNIA:
March 13, 1996
The computer specialist at our school planted tulips last fall. On Wednesday, after a hard days work she found her tulips blooming. Since then we have spotted many blooming tulips. We are seeing signs of spring everywhere. Our state flower, the golden poppy, is blanketing the hills of Marin County. What a beautiful sight!
Ginny Anderson & Ms. Soruco
Mary E. Silveira Elementary School
San Rafael, California msilveir@mairn.k12.ca.us
From PENNSYLVANIA:
March 15, 1996
The last two days have been very warm. The temperature yesterday was 66 degrees F. Many tulips and daffodils have sprouted. The tulips are 6cm. high.
Gifted class, Mrs. Cheryl Moretz
Oley Valley Elementary School, Oley, PA
leckert@fast.net
From VIRGINIA:
March 17, 1996
Not much happening yet. We had a rough winter. We missed about two weeks of school due to bad weather. Hope to see some signs of spring and sprouting this week.
5TH GRADERS, MRS. WEISKOPF/HIGGINS
ST. TIMOTY SCHOOL, CHANTILLY, VA
KWeiskopf
From NEBRASKA:
March 18, 1996
This morning, March 18, we came to school to find that 5 of the 10 tulips we planted have broken the ground and are 2 to 3 cm tall. Several days last week had very spring-like temperatures in the 50's and 60's. We badly in need of some rain or snow because it is very dry here. We may have to water our tulips if we don't get some moisture soon.
Mr. Bartels' sixth grades, Zeman Elementary School,
Lincoln, NE
rbartels@lps.esu18.k12.ne.us
From NEW YORK:
March 18, 1996
We sighted the tulips we planted in the fall on March 18. The stems were about three inches tall.
Miss. Chiesa, Mrs. O'Connell and Mr. Pitts' classes
Mrs. Tannen, Howell Road:
Valley Stream, NY
ntannen@netcom.com
From CONNECTICUT:
March 19, 1996
Hello everyone:
I just wanted to let you know that the snow has finally melted and 2
small leaves are peeking up from our tulip garden. There are no
blooms yet....only leaves. At least that gives us some hope. We
will write back when things are blooming.
Lee Ann Olsen
lolsen@groton.k12.ct.us
From PENNSYLVANIA:
March 21, 1996
Our tulips in front of the school are 4 inches high. That is almost double what they were a week ago. They are planted in a memorial garden dedicated to a first grade teacher who passed away two years ago. They are re planted around the flag pole with other bulbs and small shrubs.
Second grade gifted class
Mrs. Cheryl Moretz, Oley Valley Elementary School
Oley, PA Lynda Eckert leckert@fast.net
From NEW YORK:
March 22, 1996
We saw that the tulips we planted in the fall are beginning to grow. They haven't bloomed yet. The stalks are about 4 inches tall.
Jeannine Pelo, Elizabeth Bevington and many other fifth grade students
Nada Tannen ,James A. Dever
Valley Stream, NY ntannen@netcom.com
From WASHINGTON:
March 22, 1996
The tulips are 6 inches tall. Some have bloomed. The others are still in bud stage. The tulips are yellow.
Matt Hodge, Tawni Taylor
Lince Intermediate School, Selah, WA
tltaylor@destiny.esd105.wednet.edu
(NOTE: The "Official" Journey North tulips are of the Red Emperor variety. Since the tulips mentioned here are yellow and bloom when only 6" tall, we have not included them in the list. We have contacted this school and asked whether the tulips in the bud stage are Red Emperors. We'll keep you posted!)
From TENNESSEE:
March 25, 1996
Howdy from Franklin, TN. Our tulips finally began to bloom! The weather has been a big factor in the late blooming. We have 3 blooms out, with 2 more ready to "pop" any day. We have 4 inches of snow last week. Many of our flowers have been lost to late frost and cold. Hopefull, Spring is finally here!
Bryan Barnes, Mrs. Jaci Stewart
Oak View Elementary Franklin, TN
jstewart@cecasun.utc.edu
From MASSACHUSETTS:
March 26, 1996
We are a fifth grade classroom in Holland, Massachusetts interested in studying The Journey North with your group. We have planted tulips (last fall) and are excited to see that they are just beginning to break through the soil. Thank you!
Sarah Swift, Computer Specialist.
swift@meol.mass.edu
From MARYLAND:
February 27, 1996
We first saw our tulips peek out of the ground at the end of February. Out of 60 bulbs, we have 20 with leaves showing. The tallest plant is 3 inches (8 cm) tall as of today, Mar 20, the first day of spring. Hard to believe it is spring with snow flurries!
Michelle McLain & Mirna Malveaux Sharon Goodall, Stonegate
Elementary School Silver Spring, MD goodall@cs.umd.edu,
firstgrade@stonegate.dgsys.com
From NEW JERSEY:
March 28, 1996
Deep Freeze-THAWED!
Here's a progress report for our tulips. New Jersey's Thursday 5th
grade class-teacher; Ms. Schaum.
We have finally gotten to SEE our tulips. Most of our tulips are 4
cm. Our largest one is 5 cm., and our smallest one visible is 2.5 cm.
We realize that your tulips are much bigger, but we're amazed that
our tulips are actually this big. For the last few days we have had
beautiful weather and we are expecting nice weather for the month.
Traci Schaum, Oradell Public School oradell@nile.intac.com
How to Respond to Challenge Question # 60
1. Address an e-mail message to: jn-challenge@learner.org
2. In the Subject Line of your message write: Challenge Question #60
3. In the Body of your message, answer this question:
"What makes it difficult to analyze today's tulip data? What information would help you make a better prediction?"
How to Report BLOOMING Tulips
When your tulips bloom, send a Field Data Form to Journey North by pressing the button below marked "Report Field Observations". For this study, blooming is defined as the first time the flower opens so that you can see the pistils and stamens inside.
The Next Tulip Update Will be Posted on April 12, 1996
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