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Primary Source of the Month: October

Using the Source With Students: Display the map for the students and have them share what they See, Think, and Wonder about the object. This is the modern race map and the one that students are most familiar with seeing when they are tracking their mushers. Tell the students that this map was not always …

How To Follow the Iditarod

 Hello friends, It’s getting closer – the 49th running of The Last Great Race! Teachers and students from around the world are gearing up by reading books, discovering mushers to follow, and preparing classrooms with maps. Schools and classes follow the race in various ways. Some read the free daily reports to see the progress …

Classroom Connections: Musher Research (With a Digital Twist) – Virtual Lesson Possibility

  One of the things that I love about the Iditarod is how naturally it can be made personal for our students. Each year, the one thing that really hooks my class is assigning a musher for each one of them to follow during the race. We use the Iditarod website to learn about our …

Virtual learning with Husky Homeroom – Part 2

Aliy Zirkle of SP Kennel has now posted five lessons in Husky Homeroom.  Aliy is an enthusiastic teacher and her canine teaching assistants are very happy helpers.  The explanations Aliy offers during the lessons are easy to follow.  Her examples create clear pictures of the concepts she is sharing.  Here are mini Socratic summaries of …

Misconceptions and More: Iditarod & the Serum Run

  This is perhaps one of the most common misconceptions surrounding the Iditarod, and one that I realized only a few years ago.  Although both the Serum Run and the Iditarod are of great importance, and share some of the same route, trails, and stops, they are two events that are completely separate. The Iditarod …

The Journey Begins

Tails from the Trail Day 1 Good morning from Anchorage.  It is great to be back in Alaska! Here is a mini-tour of some great sites in Anchorage. Lake Hood is the world’s busiest seaplane landing base in the world. On average about 200 planes land and take off per day.   Cook Inlet was …

Iditarod and Mushing are Amazing Tools for your Classroom

I’d like to thank Debbie Curry for filling in for me.  Influenza A wasn’t on this week’s to do list… I am so sorry I am not here in McCall.   Before Debbie continues, I just want to thank her for stepping in on such short notice.  Debbie is an alumni of our Alaska events, having …

Investigating the Surface of the Iditarod Trail: STEM/Science Focus

Investigating the Surface of the Iditarod Trail by Kelly Shusko, Colonial School District, Delaware *This lesson was created for Kindergarten students but is applicable for other grade levels. Standards and Application of lesson: Stem/Science/Social Studies- Geography, Social Emotional Learning The purpose of this lesson is to have students plan and carry out an investigation about …

IditaRead™ Challenge

Join an IditaRead™ and race from Anchorage to Nome! An IditaRead is an excellent way to encourage students to read. An IditaRead™ is held in connection with the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race® —  the Iditarod Trail and the Iditarod Mushers are used as ‘benchmarks’ of reading progress for students.  Most IditaReads are held in …

2019 Winter Conference for Educators Schedule!

REVISED 2/28 1:46pm We are so excited that you are joining us for the 2019 Winter Conference for Teachers! Below you will find our planned “Run/Rest Schedule” for the conference. As with the actual race, things are always subject to change due to weather or changes in strategy! Monday, February 25th – Juneau Room, Marriott Hotel …