High School

Celsius vs. Fahrenheit

Tomorrow will be a scorching 35° outside! How often have you heard a meteorologist utter these words? 35° can sound scorching if you’re from Norway or Sweden, but here in the United States it is actually quite chilly. 35° Celsius is approximately 95° Fahrenheit. The United States still measures temperature in Fahrenheit while many other …

Iditarod Trivia Tuesday: How many mushers have signed up for the 2015 Iditarod?

June 29, 2014 was the first day mushers could sign up for the 2015 race. Each year on the last Saturday of June the annual Musher Sign Up/Volunteer Picnic takes place in Wasilla, Alaska. A majority of mushers will join in the festivities and sign up for the race. Signing up at the picnic gives …

Skype With Me

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 …

Why Calories are Important

Many people record and track the number of calories they consume daily since an increasing amount of tools and apps have become available. It seems like everyone knows the exact number of calories they should consume and burn per day.  Why are they tracking calories?  Why are calories important to your body?  Through this lesson, …

Checkpoint Checkup: Rohn to Nikolai

We took a break in Rohn in our last Checkpoint Checkup. It’s time for our mushers to get moving again.  This section of our journey is approximately 75-80 miles and will take about 10-15 hours. This part of the trail can be broken down into three sections; Rohn to the Farewell Burn, across the Burn …

Mystery Skype

Skype is an incredible tool teachers have at their fingertips allowing them to communicate with other classes and speakers around the world. Skype in the Classroom provides teachers with opportunities to share lessons, join lessons, and find guest speakers for their classrooms. A very popular Skype in the Classroom lesson is Mystery Skype. My class recently …

Iditarod Trivia Tuesday: What reality T.V. show did Hulu produce in Rainy Pass?

What number checkpoint is Rainy Pass? How many miles is Rainy Pass from the Ceremonial Start in Anchorage? What percentage of the trail have the mushers covered when they get to Rainy Pass? How many miles does a musher have to go until they arrive in Nome? What percentage of the trail do they have …

Quilt Qualities

What qualities do you feel an Iditarod musher displays? My students recently came up with a lengthy list of qualities that they felt described an Iditarod musher.  There are plenty of them and they’re unique. My school currently has the most recently created Iditarod Traveling Quilt, which was designed this summer by teachers at the …

History of the Iditarod – Lesson Plan

I like to have my students learn the history of the Iditarod early on in the year so we can refer to it as we progress.  This past week my students have been completing and sharing tasks about the history of the Iditarod.  In addition to using Katie Mangelsdorf’s book Champion of Alaskan Huskies, students also used …

Iditarod Trivia Tuesday: Did you know Aliy Zirkle runs half marathons?

Iditarod trivia facts will be posted on the first and third Tuesday of each month.  If you haven’t started using them in your classroom, now is the time to start.  After talking to some teachers at the Midwest Sled Dog Symposium and Iditarod Teacher Conference, I found out how some teachers are using this in …