“Enlightenment is the journey from the head back to the heart, from words back to silence.” – Jock Brocas

Would you and your students like the opportunity to Skype with the 2015 Iditarod Teacher on the Trail™ before the race? Would you like to Skype or receive a video message live from the Iditarod Trail?  Sign up for the Skype in the Classroom lesson by simply clicking here.  If you have difficulties accessing Skype in your district, I am willing to communicate with you using another mode, such as Google Hangout. However, Skype will be the only mode for me to stay in touch with you when I’m on the trail. You can email me by clicking here.

Once we lock down a date and time I will direct you back to this posting. To prepare for your Skype in the Classroom lesson, have your students keep a journal entry with answers to the questions below. In your Skype session with me I will be covering the topics that I have your students preparing for. Try to have the pictures posted during the Skype session and have your students have their answers to the questions with them.

Some teachers and students have a deeper knowledge and understanding of the Iditarod.  With advance notice, I am willing to focus the Skype session on a more specific topic of your choice.

Skype Lesson Preparation

Part 1: Puppies

View the video below titled Puppy Cam. After viewing the video have your students answer the following questions:

When do you think mushers begin training puppies?
What do you think is happening in this video?

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View the pictures below.  These are the same puppies you watched in the video.

What do you notice about the names of all the puppies?

Part 2: Types of dogs

Do you know what kinds of dogs are used in the Iditarod?

View the pictures below. Label each picture with the type of dog you think it is.

Part 3: Team

View the picture below. Each dog has a position on this dog team. Can you name the positions on this dog team?

Part 4: The “Lead Dog”

View the picture below.  Write a short paragraph from the perspective of this dog. Take a look at his surroundings and notice what is going on. What is he thinking? Why do you think he is just sitting there, as still as possible?