It is important for students to be familiar with the rules of the race.  A copy of the 2010 rules can be found on the website at this link. At the link, scroll to “Download Race Rules” and click on the P DF document.

There are 52 race rules.

Starting TODAY, divide out the number of rules by the number of days until the race starts to create a list of a ‘few rules’ to discuss each day.  When the race begins, the students will have a good understanding of all of the rules and be ready to follow the race with a clear understanding of the Iditarod.

Are your students already talking about the Iditarod?  Sled dogs?  Mushers? Alaska? Engage your students in their learning by creating, analyzing and synthesizing different aspects of the Iditarod while using sites like VoiceThreads, GlogsterEdu, and Photopeach. Teaching and learning become more exciting when these come together.

The Iditarod can be incorporated within your state frameworks in any content area. Using the Iditarod I am able to teach specific skills in ELA such as summarizing main idea & supporting details, exploring climate and weather in Science and Social Studies and estimating in Math.  The Iditarod allows for authentic learning which is totally motivating.

Students begin researching the Iditarod using several different resources such as books, DVD’s and other sources from the website, Iditarod.com.  Each day you will be amazed as the excitement builds and builds until finally the day of the race actually arrives. By then the kids are hooked with anticipation and ready with information.  Once students have gathered all their research, the planning of a presentation becomes the next buzz in the classroom.

Using Web2.0 tools such as Voice Thread (pairing pictures with student voices), Glogs (online digital posters), Photopeach (pairing pictures, text and music), or Notaland (an online collaboration site) students work together and create a unique product using unique tools to share all their Iditarod knowledge. Each of these may be learned quickly, are user friendly and can almost be self-taught through exploration. Students often find shortcuts to share with me!  The students love these tools because they are allowed to choose their own means of expression while using current technology.  Knowing their final projects will be placed on our class website to share with families and community members makes the project all the more exciting.  Waiting for “on-line comments” (a feature all these tools employ) from teachers, classmates, family and friends makes creating the project all the more rewarding.

My students love designing, creating and presenting their products to their classmates.  The pride they exude is unmistakable and heartwarming.  They are invested in their work because they love learning about the Iditarod, they have control over how to share what they have learned and they love using Web 2.0 tools!

View Nancy’s Glogster project.

Research to complete before playing the game.

Math or Science Game (PowerPoint)

Click here!

Click here to download and print out a game for your students: Iditarod Game
Jim & Cindy Oliver, HiLine Lake Wilderness Camp & Hitaluga Guide Service created this game and have granted Iditarod the rights to this game.  We are providing it to you for your use in your classroom.