Could there be a more exciting time to include Alaska and the Iditarod in your curriculum?  Many of you know that Alaska is preparing for its 50th anniversary as a state in 2009, but the big news of this Labor Day Weekend is the announcement that Alaska Governor Sarah Palin is the Republican Party’s choice for vice president.  With that announcement all eyes turn to Alaska.  Everyone wants to know about this candidate who is the first GOP woman on a presidential ticket.  Where is she from?  What are her views?  What is her background?  Here are a few interesting bits of information about Sarah Palin for Iditarod followers. Before Palin was governor she was the mayor of Wasilla, Alaska, which is where Iditarod Headquarters is located.  In June of 2007 Governor Palin attended the festivities on Musher Sign Up Day at Iditarod Race Headquarters.  And the governor’s husband, Todd, loves to race through the snow, but not on a sled.  He prefers to ride a snow machine (or snow mobile for those of us who live in the lower 48).

Of course with thoughts turning to Alaska many of the political controversies of that state hit the airways.  As I listened to All Things Considered on my favorite National Public Radio station, the topic of global warming came up.  Margaret Williams, Alaska’s director of the World Wildlife Fund, shared her observations of how melting Arctic ice is currently affecting polar bears.  Later in the day questions arose about the pros and cons of drilling for oil in Alaska’s Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR).  ANWR consists of 19,049,236 acres in northeastern Alaska often referred to as the North Slope region.  The refuge supports a greater variety of plant and animal life than any other protected area in the Arctic Circle.  This controversy has been going on since the Carter administration.

 

As we all begin a new school year these political issues give us a marvelous opportunity to educate our students.  Without giving our own political views we can use these topics to educate young people on the importance of researching issues, weighing the pros and cons, and forming an educated position.  So with these issues in mind, I give to you three lessons on Alaskan animals.  I hope you can plug these lessons into your Iditarod studies this year and, as this Labor Day Weekend is the symbolic end of summer, let me wish you a happy and productive 2008-2009 school year!

It happened twice this weekend. The first time was on Saturday night when I went to see the movie Mamma Mia. I came out of the theater humming ABBA tunes with a smile on my face and a skip in my step. The second time it happened was on Sunday when I heard the National Anthem. Team USA’s men’s 4X100-meter freestyle relay was receiving gold medals at the 2008 Summer Olympics for their amazing victory during the swimming competition. I cried like a baby. In both instances music moved me in a profound way. We all have had this experience, but why does it happen?

Brain research tells us that physiological things happen to us when we listen to and make music. Music causes changes in EEG activity and pulse rate. We as educators can use this research in our teaching strategies because music engages multiple memory pathways and increases receptivity that is known to enhance and accelerate learning (Music with the Brain in Mind by Eric Jensen). Who wouldn’t want to use another mode of instruction to enhance and accelerate learning?! Using this information to incorporate singing and movement in our classrooms is easy, fun, and can happen outside of music class.

I was very fortunate to have the legacy of song writing passed down to me by my friend and mentor, Genevieve Fortuna. Years before the brain research studies were available to the general public she was writing songs as essential pieces of curriculum. She knew that music lifts our spirits and brings joy to our souls; she also knew it was a fun way to deliver information. I learned much from this wise woman, just like husky pups learn from the wise, more experienced sled dogs. Genevieve moved from the classroom several years ago and is currently in the business of parent education, but we continue her music legacy. Now no unit feels quite complete until we have at least one song to go with it!

The lessons I am posting today, August 12, all have accompanying songs. There is a geography song, an art song, an exercise/letter song, an information song, and a fun echo movement song; moreover, they all are about the Iditarod and Alaska. I have posted the words to each song and the tune to which it should be sung. We plan on making the audio recording of each song available to you very soon. I doubt these songs will make you cry like the National Anthem, but they are catchy tunes that really do get stuck in your head. Many parents have shared with me that they hear their children singing these songs around the house. That is strong testimony to the power of a simple song! So when they are available, download the tunes and put a little Iditarod music in your classroom to enhance and accelerate learning!