Welcome back to a new school year! The 2022 race is the 50th running of the Iditarod. The anthology, Iditarod: The First Ten Years, was compiled to preserve the stories of those who launched The Last Great Race. The goal of the Old Iditarod Gang was to have this book for classrooms to use as a resource in their study of the Iditarod.

Each month’s EDU newsletter will include  a lesson plan based on a part of “The First Ten Years”. 

A description of the book can be found here:

https://iditarod.com/guardians-of-the-race-iditarod-vets-of-the-first-ten-years/

If you are an educator, you can purchase the book for $30 plus flat rate shipping in the U.S.  (International shipping is not available at this time.)  Email Jane Holmes at jane.holmes@iditarod.com  for more information.

Use these lessons by Heidi Sloan, 2018 Iditarod Teacher on the Trail, right away to get your students engaged and excited about the Iditarod and well versed in its history.

Changing Checkpoints

https://cloud.iditarod.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/Changing-Checkpoints.pdf?5b928ae0

• Grade level 4 – 6, Reading, Compare/Contrast
• Students will read an article then compare and contrast checkpoints from past and present.

Embarrassing Moments  

https://cloud.iditarod.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/Embarrassing-Moments.pdf?5b928ae0

• Grade level 6th – 10th, Reading, Writing, Social/Emotional Development, Empathy, Self – Analysis
• Students read an article about an embarrassing Iditarod moment and make connections with a possible moment of their own.

Joe Redington’s Dog “Feets”

https://cloud.iditarod.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/Feets.pdf?5b928ae0

• Grade level 4th – 6th, Math, Problem Solving
• Students will solve math problems based on a story about events in the life of Feets, a dog belonging to Joe Redington, Sr.

Joe Rediongton’s dog “Feets” pt. 2

https://cloud.iditarod.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/Feets-2.pdf?5b928ae0

• Grade level K, 1 or 3rd – 6th, Reading, Comprehension strategy of sequencing
• Students will read various articles (or have articles read to them) about the dog, Feets, and create a sequential timeline of highlights of the dog’s life.