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Math
I didn’t even really get to say goodbye to my students or my co-teachers… The last day I was meant to be at my school there ended up being snow day! That day was also supposed to be the day of our big “Musher Banquet” so, now that the kids are back in school after …
Rule Number 11 deals with the race purse: Rule 11 — Purse: A purse of $650,000 will be shared among those placing in the top thirty (30). Every effort will be made to supplement this baseline purse. In addition, beginning with 31st place, $1,049.00 will be paid to each remaining finisher. But of course the …
What do you call an angle that is adorable? Acute angle! This week we are all about angles in math class! This is a new skill for us… it appears in the new version of our math book, and is something we haven’t taught before. So, I started by thinking of where on earth I …
This week we are focused on calculating area and perimeter… and what better tool to do that with then dog yards! This week the students are presented with a scenario where they have been sponsored by a local fencing company who offers them fencing for their dog yard. Instead of traditional sled dog yards, the …
This week we began our huge Iditarod Math Unit! From now until Spring Break in mid-March we will be focusing on the Iditarod as a way to get some much needed math skills taught in a fun and interesting way! For obvious reasons, it’s my favorite math unit of the year! My favorite student comment …
Terrie Hanke, 2006 Iditarod Teacher on the Trail ™, shared this tale with me: I have a nice picture of Mitch Seavey changing into fresh Smart Wools at Elim in 2006. There I was inside the fire house with Jasper Bond, Mark Nordman, Danny Davidson and Jeff Schultz. Mitch came in with a fresh, still …
We learned from our Skype with Denali National Park (Denali Skype) that one of the adaptations that sled dogs have that allow them to survive in the arctic is their fur. Sled dogs actually have two coats of fur. The under layer is thick and dense and helps to keep the dogs warm. The outer layer, …
When the weather turns colder and my kids start complaining about having to go outside for morning recess (yes, we need to have a talk about recess in Alaska in the winter), I know it’s time to start our MMM Challenges! We are starting ours a bit early this year so they are completed by …
Today my son and I introduced a whole new generation of Baltimore kids to mushing and the Iditarod at a toddler play date that our school was involved in. The kids had great fun standing on the runners of the sled, trying on the headlamp, playing with all the stuffed dogs, and yelling command to …
The 2013 Winter Conference for Educators is now officially underway. Teachers and presenters are gathered here from Alaska and the Lower 48 states. New for the conference this year is presenter Barbara Cargill who is the chair of the State Board of Education in Texas. Barbara is committed to Science curriculum in her state, and …