Math

Filling the Dog Yard!

NOTE:  This lesson plan was updated August 2023 to reflect active links and current race information. One more idea for room set up as the summer starts to wind down…. I am calling my classroom the 3A Dog Yard these days…. for reasons that I am sure you can understand!  To get my students in …

A Long and Winding Road

When I returned home from the 2023 Iditarod multiple people asked, “What surprised you the most about your time in Alaska?” I know they expected comments about the cold, or the wildlife, or the dog teams. My actual answer isn’t flashy or shocking. The biggest surprise was the vastness of the remote Alaskan wilderness. Imagine …

We All Get What We Need in Equal Measure

Iditarod dog teams provide a perfect opportunity to discuss the difference between equality and equity with our students.  Dog Teams consist of diverse personalities all working toward a goal.  Much like a dog team, the classroom is a group made up of individuals, all of whom need different supports to be their very best.  Some …

Light Up The Night!

Last year, as a finalist for the position of 2023 Teacher on the Trail, I visited Alaska from February 26 through March 7, 2022. I fielded many questions about the experience, but one that always seemed to crop up was, “How much daylight did you have? Because it must have been pretty dark up there …

Welcome to Debski’s Diner: Lesson Ideas from the I.C.E. Cohort

Our first Iditarod Certified Educator’s cohort is off and running down the trail! Their first challenge was to develop a quick lesson idea based on the theme of Debski’s Diner. Debski is the amazing cook for all of the volunteers in Nome. She serves as a kind of den mom for all of the volunteers …

Rookie Meeting Math

 Rookie Meeting Math   On Saturday, December 4, the rookie meeting for the 50th running of the Iditarod was held via ZOOM. A collection of veteran Iditarod mushers and Iditarod staff joined to preview the race and review the rules and dog care, as well as give advice to this year’s rookies.  Use these math …

Primary Source of the Month: February

Primary sources are not just for Social Studies class! Here’s one that you could use as a math warmup that ties in to the ghost town of Iditarod which will play such an important role in this year’s Iditarod Race.     Using the Source With Students: Display the object for your students and have …

Pick a Musher: Fantasy Draft Style

With the way school is working while we gear up for the 2021 Iditarod Race, many of the tried and true staples of our Iditarod curriculums aren’t going to work the way they always have. In some ways, this will help push us to find new and possibly better ways to do things. For years, …

A New Twist on Musher Trading Cards!

Have your students gotten interested in the card game Top Trumps? It’s a quick and easy card game that just so happens to work on place value skills while playing! There are decks published on topics ranging from animals to presidents to Harry Potter! Why not harness the love for that game and combine it with …

Counting and Cardinality, Measurement and Data, Number and Operations, Operations and Algebraic Thinking: Grades K – 3

Jodi Bailey wrote a post in her kennel’s blog about the numbers in her drop bags for Iditarod.  Drop bags are what mushers pack in advance of the race and send out to the race checkpoints so they have a supply of gear, dog food, and people food during the race. This post on Dew …