Leadership for the 21st Century: Teaching, Learning, and Technology

Week One: Journey North Mystery Class

Task #2: Finding Photoperiods for your Current Location

In order to learn more about your Mystery Class, you will need a reference location. This location will provide you with a starting point to begin seeing patterns and making predictions. Our reference location will be Marlborough, MA.

Step 1: Determining Sunrise and Sunset for Marlborough, MA
1. Your group will be given a specific date to analyze. Determine the sunrise and sunset times for your date by using the US Naval Observatory web site.

Step 2: Calculating Photoperiod
1. Use the process you learned in Task #1 to calculate the photoperiod
2. Record your calculated photoperiod on the "class" Data Sheet.
3. Hint: Methods for calculating photoperiod.


Step 3: Graphing the Data
1. It is often difficult to see patterns in numerical data by viewing a data sheet, so we need to represent our Marlborough data by creating a graph. Please plot your calculated photoperiod point from step 2 on the "class" graph in the room. This graph will be an important point of reference for you.

If you finish early, calculate the photoperiod for your hometown using your assigned Marlborough date and compare the times. Can you begin to reach any conclusions about photoperiod and location on the earth?