All along the Jr. Iditarod Trail this past weekend, I learned to approach people, ask a question appropriate to the circumstances, and then ask follow-up questions. Doing so resulted in many amazing conversations with all kinds of people. If you knew me when I was in high school, you would have been shocked—I was known …
At the finish of the Jr. Iditarod today on beautiful, sunny Knik Lake, I observed smiles, hugs, tears, laughter, a finish line nap, snacking, rolling in the snow, proud expressions, eager snacking, photographs being taken, and spectators cheering. Twenty one mushers and their dog teams took off yesterday at 10 am in two-minute intervals. They …
As much as people tell you about something, you can’t really understand and absorb it until you experience it personally. My experiences today with the Jr. Iditarod reminded me of how important this concept is in teaching. The air was electric with excitement this morning at Knik Lake, the start of the Jr. Iditarod. Dog …
Today I drove out to Iditarod Headquarters to visit during the vet checks for the Jr. Iditarod and then later, attended the Jr. Iditarod musher pre-race meeting. The Jr. Iditarod is a sled dog race for 14-17 year old students. They run an out-and-back course of 150 miles with ten dogs. At the halfway point …
Today I got to visit Iditarod Elementary (go Huskies!) and speak to the entire school body at once. I was impressed with their engagement, noticing, and remembering! I want to round out the “What Makes a Good Sled Dog?” series by highlighting some features of Alaskan husky dogs that I haven’t touched on yet and …
Today’s presentations were all at Larson Elementary! I loved going to this friendly school and speaking to each grade level about what makes a good sled dog. Students were excited to learn a few things about Iditarod sled dogs to add to their knowledge. Almost every student raised their hand when I asked if they …
Today I had the privilege of speaking to students at Knik Charter School and Big Lake Elementary about the Iditarod and about sled dogs. Students were from all grade levels from Kindergarten to 7th grade, and they had various levels of knowledge about sled dogs. My question to them, and to you, is: What makes …
When traveling north, many people, past and present, have undergone transformations to their character and outlook on life. Arctic explorers, past and present, feel the call of the north. Many mushers talk about how racing the Iditarod is a transformative experience. The Iditarod Trail winds from Anchorage, northwest across interior Alaska, through mountains and along …
As I mentioned in my February lesson plan post, writing letters can be a very special way to communicate. This month for Classroom Culture, I want to focus on ways that you can incorporate letter-writing into your social-emotional learning and also celebrate your special staff in a very Iditarod way by using Trail Mail. If …
Following the race is exciting for students. To keep track of musher progress and other data during the race as mushers travel from checkpoint to checkpoint, use one of our sample tracking forms that are listed on this page or create a chart to gather the data you want students to collect. During odd numbered …
