Lesson Ideas: 1925 Serum Run & 2025 Centennial Seppala Expedition

January 27, 2025 will mark 100 years since the night when “Wild Bill” Shannon waited at the train station in Nenana for a package that contained life-saving serum for the residents of Nome. As the first musher in a relay to safely get the serum to Nome, he wrapped the serum in fur, strapped it to his dogsled and then his team was off. 

Jonathan Hayes, a middle school teacher and musher from Maine, has gathered a team to commemorate the 100 year anniversary of the Serum Run with an adventure named the Centennial Seppala Expedition. His team will be running the route from Nenana to Nome with 16 Seppala Siberian huskies. Jonathan’s journey to get to this point and going forward is incredible. Below there are many lesson ideas and ways that you can incorporate the Serum Run into your daily teaching over the next week (or any time of the year). Note that all lessons can be directly tied with the Centennial Seppala Expedition through making comparisons that include the difference in years, technology, purpose, and communication. Enjoy!

Jonathan Hayes and his loyal team. Photo Credit: Caleb Gingras

Elementary School

Reading/ELA-

  • As a class, create a story about the Serum Run. Have each student add a sentence to build the story.
  • Have students write a short story from the perspective of a dog on one of the relay teams, one of the 20 mushers carrying the serum, or a resident of one of the villages the serum traveled through.
  • Focusing on the bravery and determination of the relay teams, students can write poems. If writing an acrostic poem, students could use the name of a musher, dog, roadhouse, etc during the Serum Run.
  • Read The Great Serum Race: Blazing the Iditarod Trail by Debbie S. Miller. Discuss how the illustrations add to the story.

Math-

  • Create a bar graph to display how far the serum traveled each day or to show how far Jonathan and his team will travel each day.
  • Use the Serum Run in word problems for the topic you are currently teaching.
  • The overall distance between Nenana and Nome, as well as distances between roadhouses are great numbers to use for any example with the current topic you are teaching.
  • Using percentages and scale, have students create their own accurate map of the Serum Run route.
  • Discuss what the word centennial means. Practice counting to 100 or using 100 with different operations.
  • Use the Serum Run and Centennial Seppala Expedition in word problems for the topic you are currently teaching.

Science-

  • Show a photo of the serum bottles. Explain that diphtheria is an illness that makes it hard to breathe. Discuss how doctors use special medicine (antitoxin) to help people.
  • The serum was carried during a blizzard. Have students research how blizzards form and safety precautions.
  • Quick lesson on the importance of washing hands with soap and water. For a simple demonstration on germs, put a little lotion on your hands and a small amount of glitter. Touch different items in the classroom to show how germs can spread.
  • While keeping track of Jonathan’s location along the trail, check the weather and temperature. Compare his current situation with the weather and temperature in your town.

Social Studies-

  • Show a basic map of Alaska or the 1925 Serum Run map. Have students trace the route of the serum, from Seward to Nenana by train and Nenana to Nome by dogsled. Use stickers or markers to signify the different roadhouses. Discuss the different modes of transportation and what that would look like in the remote and harsh environment.
  • Have students create a timeline of the Serum Run. This could be a whole group or individual depending on grade level. For upper elementary, intentionally leave out events and have students place the events in the correct order on the timeline.
  • Discuss important life skills shown by the mushers and their teams during the Serum Run: perseverance, grit, compassion, etc. Have students write about why these life skills are important to being a good citizen in the community. Students could also write about the life skills that Jonathan and his team are showing through their determination to honor and commemorate the Serum Run.
  • Organize a team relay race that mimics the teamwork and endurance required during the Serum Run. Discuss how teamwork among the sled dogs and their drivers was essential.

 


Middle School

Reading/ELA-

  • Have students write a journal entry from the perspective of a resident of Nome. Reflecting on the emotional experience, including the danger of the relay and the sense of urgency to get the serum to Nome.
  • Organize a debate on whether Balto or Togo should be the face of the Serum Run. Allow students time to research and prepare their arguments.
  • Students can write a short story that has a tragic ending where the serum does not make it to Nome.

Math-

  • Students can calculate the average speed traveled by each relay team in 1925. Compare with the speed of Jonathan’s team. What are contributing factors to the difference in speed?
  • Have students graph the progress of the serum, plotting the daily distances and calculating the amount of time it took between roadhouses.
  • Use the Serum Run and Centennial Seppala Expedition in word problems for the topic you are currently teaching.

Science-

  • Have students create a diagram of the human respiratory system and show how diphtheria infects the body. 
  • The serum was not supposed to freeze, but it did. When the serum was handed off to the next musher, it was first warmed up over a wood fire before continuing on the trail. Have students look at how long it took the serum to freeze and what the doctor in Nome needed to do before distributing the serum. How could the serum be transported in 2025 to guarantee it wouldn’t freeze?
  • Discuss the role of antitoxins in treating bacterial infections and how they work. Have students research and present how vaccines and modern medicine have improved our ability to combat diseases like diphtheria today.
  • Research the complications of the trail due to extreme weather conditions, freezing temperatures, limited daylight, etc.
  • While keeping track of Jonathan’s location along the trail, check the weather and temperature. Compare his current situation with the weather and temperature in your town.

Social Studies-

  • Have students research why the serum had to be transported by sled dogs, while considering the technology, geography and weather conditions of that time.
  • Students can create a timeline of events during the Serum Run, starting at the beginning of the outbreak and continuing through the delivery of the serum. Have students add arrivals at the roadhouses and key people, such as Leonhard Seppala. Create a timeline of the Centennial Seppala Run and compare the events based on the number of days into the event.
  • Discuss why this is such a significant event in American history and why it is important to be honored after 100 years.
  • Organize a team relay race that mimics the teamwork and endurance required during the Serum Run. Discuss how teamwork among the sled dogs and their drivers was essential.

 


High School

Reading/ELA-

  • Use the Serum Run as a writing prompt. Students can write a first person narrative story from either a musher or dog’s perspective as they navigate the challenges of the trip.
  • Students can write an essay that compares real-life heroes to the heroes of the Serum Run.
  • Have students write persuasive essays arguing whether or not the government’s response to the outbreak was effective.

Math-

  • Have students calculate the average speed of the relay teams per day. Discuss how changing the average speed each day would have changed the overall travel time. Calculate and compare the average speed of Jonathan’s team with averages of the teams during the Serum Run.
  • Analyze data from the Serum Run, such as calculating the mean (average) distance traveled for each portion of the relay, the range of distances for each team, and the standard deviation to measure the consistency of each team. Discuss outliers in the distance, such as Seppala’s team.
  • Use the Serum Run and Centennial Seppala Expedition in word problems for the topic you are currently teaching.

Science-

  • Discuss what the Serum Run tells us about physical endurance and the importance of training. How does teamwork affect physical success in extreme conditions? What training was involved to prepare for the Centennial Seppala Expedition?
  • Have students research the science behind the diphtheria vaccine and compare it to vaccines in use today. Create a comparison chart.
  • Students can plan their own journey through similar conditions using maps and geographical data, considering the same challenges faced by the mushers.
  • Compare/Contrast the diphtheria outbreak and COVID-19, including response time and available resources.
  • While keeping track of Jonathan’s location along the trail, check the weather and temperature. Compare his current situation with the weather and temperature in your town.
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Social Studies-

  • Use a topographic map to explore the terrain over the area where the serum passed. Calculate the distance as the crow flies vs navigating the terrain.
  • Students can create a timeline of the Serum Run, highlighting key events like the outbreak, the decision to use dog sled teams, and the eventual delivery of the serum. Create a timeline of the Centennial Seppala Run and compare the events based on the number of days into the event.
  • Explore how the Serum Run helped to raise awareness of the challenges faced by remote communities. Discuss the cost of the serum run itself—how much did it cost to organize the delivery, and who funded it? Also, what were the larger economic impacts of saving Nome’s population?