Mystery Class Update: March 13, 2009

Todays Update Includes:


This Week's: Data, Questions, Journal
sunset
This Week's Journal Page
Journal Cover

Sunrise/Sunset Data for
Monday March 9

Journal Page
(Week #6)
Mystery Class Journal
(My Investigation)
Prediction Graph: What Will Your Lines Look Like?

With the latest data, can you predict where the photoperiod graph lines are heading in the next two weeks?

Draw a prediction graph in today's Journal Page then wait for things to line up.

Student working on graphs
Time Keeping: R U OK w/UT?

What would today's sunrise/sunset data look like in Universal Time (UT)? Would the photoperiods be any different? Explore this in today's data and Journal Page Week #6.

UT is the world standard of uniform time keeping, and you'll be using it next week for the Longitude Clues, so this is a good time to get familiar with it.

Journaling: How Sunlight Strikes the Earth

Draw an imaginary longitude line in both photos running from the North to the South Pole right down the middle of the United States (about 95 degrees west). In your Investigation Journal answer these questions:

In December, when does sunrise occur along the line you drew? (Pick two places north of, and two south of the equator.) Is sunrise occurring at the same time at all these locations along the line, or at different times?

In March, when does sunrise occur at the same locations along the line?

What's the difference between the months as to when sunrise occurs along the line? Why?

Earth from Space December
December 21

Earth from Space March
March 20

Still Searching for Latitude? New Teacher Advice
Still working on latitude?
It's your lucky day!
Student

Middle school teacher Marsha Lodge
shares her approach to approximating latitude
>>

Quick Links: This Week's Resources

Quick Links

 

More Mystery Class Lessons and Teaching Ideas!

 

The Next Mystery Class Update will be Posted on March 20, 2009.