My class did a modified version of Idita-Read.  I copied all of the materials from the web-site for each of my students.  On the first page of the packet, the students had to set goals.  Our goal as a class was to read for 15 minutes everyday during Language Arts class.  This could be any book that they wanted to read, not mandated curriculum.  They had to log everyday what they read.  If they finished the book, they had to take an Accelerated Reader test.  They then took their book plate and put it on our sled bag, which was in our sled we made that was pulled by the sled dogs.  The students each made a sled dog.  They had to come up with a name and choose 2 character traits that they and a sled dog would have in common.

We unfortunately could not follow the mushers this year as our spring break was during the race.  Next year we are going to do the complete Idita-Read program.

Thanks, Sally Javier for sharing all of your ideas with us during the Winter Conference.

Since we live in Florida, next year, I am going to use Idita-Nature in conjunction with Idita-Read and do it outside!  Thanks to Carmen Fields, I am going to gear more of my science to outside activities to incorporate Idita-Nature.

So much to do, so much to plan for!

Mushing on for Education, Dawn Owens, Target® Iditarod Teacher on the Trail™ Finalist

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March 15th, 2014

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All photos in this gallery are by Iditarod Trail Committee. Reproduction prohibited without written permission from the photographer.