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Reading
Over the summer I did a post about Alaskan animals. I was fascinated by seeing a moose, porcupine, and bear all in one night. After that night, I took what I saw and turned it into a language arts and science lesson. Along the Iditarod trail, and during training, a musher may encounter may different …
Grades 1-4 – Others with modifications For many, the real kickoff to Iditarod Race time is the Junior Iditarod. Introducing the Junior Iditarod to students is a great way to jump start their enthusiasm, as it is sometimes easier for them to relate to the junior mushers who are closer to their own age. …
Grades 5-8 (Lessons could be adapted for other levels) Diamond Willow is a young Alaskan girl of Athabaskan and European descent who wants nothing more than to be allowed to mush her team of dogs alone to her grandparents’ house. When her first solo trip results in a horrible accident that blinds her family’s favorite …
In Texas, we love our symbols. The famous “Lone Star” is a symbol that is easily recognizable by just about anyone, young and old. In our state social studies standards in fourth grade, we dig a little deeper into the symbolism and start to really understand our history and what those symbols we see and …
Two great races, the Yukon Quest and the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race™, are the basis for this compare/contrast article for middle school students.Higher order thinking skills get exercised and flexed in this lesson. It’s also a good article for adult readers to use to see how these races are similar and different and how …
Grade 3 – 5 (Lessons coud be adapted to middle school students) Having a big dream and the courage to work hard to accomplish that dream is something we all want for our students. It’s wonderful when we can share real life examples of kids who have done what we want our own students to …
Dog Diaries #4: Togo by Kate Klimo is a fantastic story of Togo who, according to many historians, should get the most credit for the success of the 1925 Serum Run into Nome. Balto was the lead dog who carried the serum into town, but Togo was the lead for the longest leg of the relay, almost …
Alaska races sled dogs. In Maryland we race horses. Alaska has stories about heroic dogs. We have stories about heroic horses. My school and I wanted to send greetings to the schools along the trail as a way to kind of let our schools meet each other and to show a connection between schools that …
A is for Iditarod! “What?” you ask. A is for Iditarod. Because the Iditarod awesomely takes place in Alaska and starts in Anchorage! One of my favorite books to share with my students is A is for Musk Ox by Erin Cabatigan. My third grade boys always roll their eyes when I tell them I …
Last year, 2013 Iditarod Teacher on the Trail ™, Linda Fenton issued a challenge to see how many students she could get to read Stone Fox (http://itcteacheronthetrail.com/2012/12/28/stone-fox/). The timing was perfect for me. The fourth grade had recently dropped the novel from their repertoire, so I was able to pick it up and tie it …