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Teacher on the Trail™
Engaging lessons based on Insider video clips.
Our four-legged correspondents write for all ages..
Collection of all things Iditarod.
Latest Teacher on the Trail™ Posts
Today I had the privilege of speaking to students at Knik Charter School and Big Lake Elementary about the Iditarod and about sled dogs. Students were from all grade levels from Kindergarten to 7th grade, and they had various levels of knowledge about sled dogs. My question to them, and to you, is: What makes …
When traveling north, many people, past and present, have undergone transformations to their character and outlook on life. Arctic explorers, past and present, feel the call of the north. Many mushers talk about how racing the Iditarod is a transformative experience. The Iditarod Trail winds from Anchorage, northwest across interior Alaska, through mountains and along …
As I mentioned in my February lesson plan post, writing letters can be a very special way to communicate. This month for Classroom Culture, I want to focus on ways that you can incorporate letter-writing into your social-emotional learning and also celebrate your special staff in a very Iditarod way by using Trail Mail. If …
Think of a time when you had to persuade someone to do something or think a certain way. What strategies did you use? Was it easy or difficult? Did you have to think about which examples or reasons were the most important? Last week, I attended a fundraiser for a very special place in our …
What do Alaska winter gear and spacesuits have in common? A lot, as it turns out. Both of these specialized sets of apparel have features designed to protect the wearer from environmental hazards such as extreme temperatures, debris impact, and radiation. Gear must have many other functions such as pockets and clasps for tools and …
As of today’s posting, the Iditarod starts in only 42 days–and there are now 43 mushers signed up! It’s exciting to think that these teams will soon be getting out on the Iditarod Trail. How will you get your classroom excited and “geared up” for the race? Students always want to know who the …
What would it be like for your students to become a musher for a day? Or to transform into the race marshal, a pilot, or dog handler? How would they feel to wear what Iditarod volunteers wear, to speak as they do, and to inhabit their experiences? This lesson, “Iditarod Living Museum,” is a close …
Jon Van Zyle’s official poster for the 2016 Iditarod shows an immense snowy wilderness framed by mountains. A musher crouches over a small fire, which lights the surrounding dimness with a faint light. Nearby, shadowy figures of sled dogs at rest dot the snow. Off to the side, the trail leads our eye into the …
It’s December, and this Gulf Coast resident is watching with envy from afar as dog teams travel down snowy trails in Alaska and run first-of-the-winter short races. Winter in my part of Texas could be considered “shorts weather” in Alaska! I shared photos of the recent deep snowfall in Anchorage with my students—and they were …
What do you picture when you think about the Iditarod? If you have never seen this amazing event in person, you rely on photos and videos taken by others. Spectators who have experienced the Last Great Race might show you their snapshots of a dogsled traveling over sparkling snow, the fur on the dogs’ bodies …