Mystery Class: Tracking Sunlight to Solve a Mystery

Cathy Fernan, fifth grade teacher from Northside Intermediate School in Milton, Wisconsin, alerted me to an interesting web activity--starting soon!--that ties in with the 5th grade March Number Corner Calendar Collector, "Sunrise, Sunset." From the website, Mystery Class: Tracking Sunlight to Solve a Mystery:

The Mystery Class investigation is an eleven week hunt in which students try to find ten secret "Mystery Classes" hiding around the globe. The changing amount of sunlight at each site is the central clue.

Students take an inspiring journey from knowing only sunrise and sunset times to discovering exact locations of the ten sites. The investigation demonstrates that, as spring sweeps across the Northern Hemisphere, daylength changes everywhere on Earth. Students see that these dramatic seasonal changes in sunlight affect the entire web of life."

Participation dates: January 30 - May 11, 2012

Registration: this is a free online program. Registration is required in order to submit sightings.

More information: How to Participate and Getting Started with Journey North. Also, information on how the project links to NCTM National Math Standards.