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Jim Deprez 2021 Teacher on the Trail
I always try to wrap up our study of the Iditarod with a fun activity where the students can really showcase their knowledge they have gained. In this Iditarod Encyclopedia lesson, the students complete a summative writing assessment using the information they’ve learned throughout their study of the Iditarod. The best part is, that …
The month of May has finally arrived. For me, this month marks the end of the school year, but begins with the celebration of Mother’s Day, Principal’s Day, Nurses Week, and Teacher Appreciation Week. These events provide time to thank those who help and support us in the schools, and maybe even some of …
This is one of my favorite new lessons that I have added to my Iditarod interdisciplinary unit. Programming and coding are two skills that have become much more prevalent in the world of education, and students’ skills with technology are beginning at earlier stages in their development. Adding coding as a part of our …
With April Fool’s day occurring at the beginning of the month, I thought it would be a perfect time to ask some mushers about their funniest moments on the trail. I have heard multiple stories about hallucinations and sleep deprivation, but interestingly enough, none of the mushers talked about any of those kinds of …
With all the technology we’ve used this year, I was presented with the opportunity to try something new with my students. Throughout my career as an educator, I have met a number of teachers who have had their students conduct a “news update” during morning meetings for the rest of their class. I thought …
Thursday, March 18 As we watch the teams cross under the finish sign holding a big red lantern, students commonly ask what it is and why they have it. One thing we always end up talking about is the fact that not everyone who races gets an award for finishing – in other …
Wednesday, March 17 As my students track the race each year, they record their musher’s location and standing in the race, as well as the dogs that remain on the trail with the team. There are always a number of questions about why the number of their dogs decrease as the race goes …
Tuesday, March 16 Question of the Day: How do mushers sleep during the race? This question actually came up in my classroom today after watching some of the mushers cross the finish line. My students noticed how exhausted the mushers looked and asked about their sleep during the race. This is …
In hindsight, this question was a really meaningful one to ask this year, given all of the changes due to Covid. I presented it to some of the mushers over the summer, long before the route was changed to the “2021 Gold Trail Loop”. Given what we know now, I’m sure many of them …
Monday, March 15th Over the weekend I watched several videos of the Northern Lights that were posted on the Insider and I also took a look at some of Dave Poyzer’s amazing photos on the Iditarod Photo Gallery page https://iditarod.com/photo/. Based on what I saw, it seems like there has been an extra …