Have you ever thought about running in
a dog sled race?
Every year in Alaska the Iditarod dog sled race
takes place,
beginning on the first Saturday of March. We will begin a journey to find out what it is like to
be a part of the "Last Great Race on Earth". As you and your teammates travel, your
first stop should be to learn about the history of the Iditarod Race. Why
it is held in Alaska and not in Nebraska and what was behind the event
itself?
In
this WebQuest, we will read articles and books to find out background information
about dog sledding and racing, complete an Iditarod Scavenger Hunt,
choose two mushers to research and follow during this year's Iditarod,
look at a map of Alaska and mark the Iditarod checkpoints, chart the
mushers daily progress, and graph the weather in Alaska.
Now you are ready to begin your quest. A few more
directions should get you on your way. Even though your tasks are different,
these directions apply to all. Each member of the group will be assigned a job.
Below are the jobs and their descriptions. After reading through the jobs,
assign each member one of them.
Computer Operator: The computer
operator is responsible for taking the group through the quest. Choose the
person in your group that is the most comfortable operating a computer.
Note Taker: The note taker is
responsible for recording all the data gathered throughout the research needed
to fulfill your task.
Time Manager:The time manager is responsible for keeping the group on task and making sure they use their time wisely.
REMEMBER! You are a team.
To successfully complete your tasks, all of you must participate. Collaboration
is the key to your success as a group. Collaboration means
TO WORK TOGETHER by sharing ideas.
Task 1: What is the Iditarod?
Estimated time : 75 min. - 90 min.
Cooperative Learning Groups
Start Iditarod Journal (Steno Pads) Glue or tape the Iditarod Trail Map on the first page of your journal. Go to the computer lab and complete the Iditarod
Scavenger Hunt in teams of three. Glue or tape your completed Iditarod
Scavenger Hunt to the following pages of
your journal. Do the Iditarod Jigsaw Puzzle or Gary Paulson Games if you finish early. If you did not get finished in the computer lab ask your classmates for help. Start reading WoodSong by Gary Paulson. Video Clips to Watch:
Feb 24 Behind the Scenes - Trail Stakes 2:19 Video
Choose two of the activites in red to complete independently:
Imagine
that you are a dog in a musher's kennel and you do not get chosen to go
to a mushing event. Write a letter telling your musher how you feel.
If you were an Iditarod musher, what would you name the members of your dog team? Explain why you chose your names.
Imagine that the dogs in the dog yard could talk to each other.
Create a four-panel comic strip and use cartoon "bubbles" to show what the characters are saying and thinking.
Choose the dog breeds that you would like in your team.
Write about
their characteristics, why you
chose them and
what you will name them.
Return to class and put worksheets and dog information in journals. Draw a picture of your ideal dog. Continue reading WoodSong by Gary Paulson. Video Clips to Watch:
Feb 24 Behind the Scenes - Bed of Straw 2:38 Video
photo credit to
Richard and Julie Schiller
Task 4: Choosing a Musher
Estimated Time: 60 min.
Work Independently
Read the biography section of the 2007 Musher Profiles Read about the Women
of the Iditarod. Read about Rachael Scdoriswho is a blind musher. Do the Be a Musher Activity. Choose two mushers that you will follow during the race. Record the distances beteen checkpoints in your journal. Read about the dangers encountered on the trail. Put your biographies in your journal and place your musher on the wall chart. Read and listen to an interview with the author/musher Gary Paulsen. Continue reading WoodSong by Gary Paulson. Video Clips to Watch:
Estimated Time: 60 min.
Work Independently Definewind chillin your journal. Determine the
relationship between temperature and wind speed. How do humans and
animals protect themselves against dangerous wind chill? We will graph the weather in Alaska and the weather in Nebraska(On our home page). What is the difference
in time between Alaska and Nebraska? What time zone is
Alaska in? What time zone is Nebraska in? How many time zones
are there? Continue reading WoodSong by Gary Paulson.
Task 6: Let the race begin! (ideas borrowed from Jeanie Olson Schroeder, Middle School, Grand Forks, ND)
How many miles did your musher travel since the last time you checked? Click on Iditarod Trail
How many miles are you from Anchorage? Click on Iditarod Trail
How many more miles will you travel before arriving at Nome? Click on Iditarod Trail
What is today's temperature at your checkpoint in Alaska? Click on Weather Center
What is today's temperature in Southwest Nebraska? Click on Weather Channel
What is Alaska's weather like today? Click on Weather Center
Part 3: Journal Entries
These are the steps that you will need to perform each and every day to complete your daily journal
entry. Choose one musher to write about in your journal. Paste journal guidelines onto the inside back cover of your
journal. This way you will have it each day when you need
it.
Label each page with the date
and the journal entry number in the top right-hand
corner. Write in the first person
form, using the pronoun, "I." Be sure to write your entry
in paragraph form. Pay close attention to all proper grammar
mechanics you've learned. Be creative and use detailed,
interesting, and complete sentences. Be realistic. You are trying
to get your audience to feel and see what you do. You are encouraged to include humor or make up some
details in your daily journal, however, you may not kill off dogs, yourself, or other mushers in your writings. See the sample
journal entries from a
previous musher. You are encouraged to follow the
daily updates for accuracy and facts. You may use
information in your entries from internet updates such as Zuma Reports, Anchorage Daily News articles, and other resources. Each entry should be at
least one page in length and include the
following information:
The position(place) your
musher is currently in. Click on Current Race Update
Make note of the number of dogs you
have. Check Anchorage
Daily News updates to find
out why you may have dropped dogs. Also be aware of any dogs that
expire on the trail. If you have a dog die on you, the trail officials don't allow you to proceed
further until necropsy has been performed.
Names of all checkpoints passed; the times in and out of those checkpoints. Click on Current Race Update
Read Trail Notes to locate
interesting geographical information about the location you are at
and what you may have been involved in overnight. These will be in the classroom in notebooks.
Locate daily
temperatures closest to your checkpoint
location. Remember this is 1,000+
mile race and the temperatures vary severely from the interior of Alaska to
other regions. Type in the name of your checkpoint closest to
you!
Keep track of your daily progress on a
classroom Iditarod Trail map by creating a sled dog with your name and bib number on it. As you progress through the race,
move your dog.
Have you ever thought about running in
a dog sled race?
Every year in Alaska the Iditarod dog sled race
takes place,
beginning on the first Saturday of March. We will begin a journey to find out what it is like to
be a part of the "Last Great Race on Earth". As you and your teammates travel, your
first stop should be to learn about the history of the Iditarod Race. Why
it is held in Alaska and not here in Grand Island, NE, and what was behind the event
itself?
In
this WebQuest, we will read articles and books to find out background information
about dog sledding and racing, complete an Iditarod Scavenger Hunt,
choose two mushers to research and follow during this year's Iditarod,
look at a map of Alaska and mark the Iditarod checkpoints, chart the
mushers daily progress, and graph the weather in Alaska.
Now you are ready to begin your quest. A few more
directions should get you on your way. Even though your tasks are different,
these directions apply to all. Each member of the group will be assigned a job.
Below are the jobs and their descriptions. After reading through the jobs,
assign each member one of them.
Computer Operator: The computer
operator is responsible for taking the group through the quest. Choose the
person in your group that is the most comfortable operating a computer.
Note Taker: The note taker is
responsible for recording all the data gathered throughout the research needed
to fulfill your task.
Time Manager:The time manager is responsible for keeping the group on task and making sure they use their time wisely.
REMEMBER! You are a team.
To successfully complete your tasks, all of you must participate. Collaboration
is the key to your success as a group. Collaboration means
TO WORK TOGETHER by sharing ideas.
Task 1: What is the Iditarod?
Estimated time : 75 min. - 90 min.
Cooperative Learning Groups
Start Iditarod Journal (Steno Pads) Glue or tape the Iditarod Trail Map on the first page of your journal. Go to the computer lab and complete the Iditarod
Scavenger Hunt in teams of three. Glue or tape your completed Iditarod
Scavenger Hunt to the following pages of
your journal. Do the Iditarod Jigsaw Puzzle or Gary Paulson Games if you finish early. If you did not get finished in the computer lab ask your classmates for help. Start reading WoodSong by Gary Paulson. Video Clips to Watch:
Feb 24 Behind the Scenes - Trail Stakes 2:19 Video
Choose two of the activites in red to complete independently:
Imagine
that you are a dog in a musher's kennel and you do not get chosen to go
to a mushing event. Write a letter telling your musher how you feel.
If you were an Iditarod musher, what would you name the members of your dog team? Explain why you chose your names.
Imagine that the dogs in the dog yard could talk to each other.
Create a four-panel comic strip and use cartoon "bubbles" to show what the characters are saying and thinking.
Choose the dog breeds that you would like in your team.
Write about
their characteristics, why you
chose them and
what you will name them.
Return to class and put worksheets and dog information in journals. Draw a picture of your ideal dog. Continue reading WoodSong by Gary Paulson. Video Clips to Watch:
Feb 24 Behind the Scenes - Bed of Straw 2:38 Video
photo credit to
Richard and Julie Schiller
Task 4: Choosing a Musher
Estimated Time: 60 min.
Work Independently
Read the biography section of the 2007 Musher Profiles Read about the Women
of the Iditarod. Read about Rachael Scdoriswho is a blind musher. Do the Be a Musher Activity. Choose two mushers that you will follow during the race. Record the distances beteen checkpoints in your journal. Read about the dangers encountered on the trail. Put your biographies in your journal and place your musher on the wall chart. Read and listen to an interview with the author/musher Gary Paulsen. Continue reading WoodSong by Gary Paulson. Video Clips to Watch:
Estimated Time: 60 min.
Work Independently Definewind chillin your journal. Determine the
relationship between temperature and wind speed. How do humans and
animals protect themselves against dangerous wind chill? We will graph the weather in Alaska and the weather in Grand Island(On our home page). What is the difference
in time between Alaska and Grand Island, NE? What time zone is
Alaska in? What time zone is Grand Island, NE, in? How many time zones
are there? Continue reading WoodSong by Gary Paulson.
Task 6: Let the race begin! (ideas borrowed from Jeanie Olson Schroeder, Middle School, Grand Forks, ND)
How many miles did your musher travel since the last time you checked? Click on Iditarod Trail
How many miles are you from Anchorage? Click on Iditarod Trail
How many more miles will you travel before arriving at Nome? Click on Iditarod Trail
What is today's temperature at your checkpoint in Alaska? Click on Weather Center
What is today's temperature in Grand Island? Click on Weather Channel
What is Alaska's weather like today? Click on Weather Center
Part 3: Journal Entries
These are the steps that you will need to perform each and every day to complete your daily journal
entry. Choose one musher to write about in your journal. Paste journal guidelines onto the inside back cover of your
journal. This way you will have it each day when you need
it.
Label each page with the date
and the journal entry number in the top right-hand
corner. Write in the first person
form, using the pronoun, "I." Be sure to write your entry
in paragraph form. Pay close attention to all proper grammar
mechanics you've learned. Be creative and use detailed,
interesting, and complete sentences. Be realistic. You are trying
to get your audience to feel and see what you do. You are encouraged to include humor or make up some
details in your daily journal, however, you may not kill off dogs, yourself, or other mushers in your writings. See the sample
journal entries from a
previous musher. You are encouraged to follow the
daily updates for accuracy and facts. You may use
information in your entries from internet updates such as Zuma Reports, Anchorage Daily News articles, and other resources. Each entry should be at
least one page in length and include the
following information:
The position(place) your
musher is currently in. Click on Current Race Update
Make note of the number of dogs you
have. Check Anchorage
Daily News updates to find
out why you may have dropped dogs. Also be aware of any dogs that
expire on the trail. If you have a dog die on you, the trail officials don't allow you to proceed
further until necropsy has been performed.
Names of all checkpoints passed; the times in and out of those checkpoints. Click on Current Race Update
Read Trail Notes to locate
interesting geographical information about the location you are at
and what you may have been involved in overnight. These will be in the classroom in notebooks.
Locate daily
temperatures closest to your checkpoint
location. Remember this is 1,000+
mile race and the temperatures vary severely from the interior of Alaska to
other regions. Type in the name of your checkpoint closest to
you!
Keep track of your daily progress on a
classroom Iditarod Trail map by creating a sled dog with your name and bib number on it. As you progress through the race,
move your dog.
Team
Introduction:
