Dogsledding in Alaska
by Kimberly Lanza, Rutgers University
As you know, relating schoolwork to current events is a great way to motivate students. March is the month to get into the spirit of sled-dog racing. The excitement of the famous Iditarod race begins on March 7, but you can start preparing for it now. The race participants, known as mushers, are making their final preparations for the grueling 1,150-mile race held in Alaska. Just completing the race is an accomplishment! You and your students will learn a lot, be inspired, and have fun doing some of the following activities together.
- Invite parents for an Iditarod Kick-Off Party. Think cold! Serve a frozen snack and let the children wear their coats to set the mood. Have each student choose the name of a musher out of a hat to follow during the race. Will the musher and his team cross the finish line in eight days? Or fourteen? Get daily race updates at www.iditarod.com. You may want to encourage the students and their parents to explore other Web sites devoted to the Iditarod.
- The Iditarod is run in memory of the time the sled dog Balto completed the relay to bring lifesaving medicine to children in Alaska. Before the race begins on March 4, introduce the class to a few of the many nonfiction books about Balto. Encourage students to write their own animal adventure stories or expand on Balto's adventure. Have a movie day. Watch Balto and then compare it to the books you read. Later, have the class write and perform "The Real Story of Balto." Invite parents to the premiere.
- Inspire students to write poetry with Kiana's Iditarod (Last Wilderness Adventure) by Shelley Gill (Paws IV Pub., 1992). Written in rhyme by one of the first women to race in the Iditarod, it is a gem. Have students perform their poetry individually or in groups.
- This month in your classroom reading center, try to include books about Alaska, sled-dog racing, and/or the Iditarod. For younger students, you may want to include a wonderful story about an Inuit mother's unconditional love for her daughter called Mama, Do You Love Me? by Barbara M Joosse (Chronicle Books, 1998). Encourage each student to write his or her own version of this story to take home. Older children may enjoy Stone Fox by John Reynolds Gardiner (HarperTrophy, 1988). It follows the character of Willy as he competes in a sled-dog race to win money to help keep his grandfather's farm. Have students keep track of the obstacles Willy faces and how he overcomes them. You may want to show the movie Iron Will, which is based on the same story.
- As the Iditarod continues, have students look through the newspaper to find articles about the race. Have students write and perform "news flashes" about their mushers and teams. Create a bulletin board map to keep track of race progress. Let each student move his or her musher each day. Use the standings from the Iditarod Web site to create math-related word problems.
- Celebrate perseverence. The Red Lantern is awarded to the last musher to cross the finish line. Create your own perseverence award to acknowledge book characters and students who never give up.