Iditarod: An educational adventure, The

Teaching Pre K-8, Mar 2001 by Barnes, Peter

Take a look at this Ohio-grown unit based on a dog-sled race across the frozen wilds of Alaska

Four fifth graders march briskly through snow-- covered woods and stop at a sign marked "Station 6, Ophir." Jackriya quickly removes her gloves and takes a small compass from her coat pocket.

"We are heading due west," she reports to Robert, who records the information in his journal along with a temperature reading. Meanwhile, Tiffany and Eric write down observations about the terrain and check the contents of their cardboard sled. The four students rearrange their belongings and disappear into the woods, dragging the cardboard sled behind them.

No, these children are not lost in the wilderness. They are participants in the fifth annual Iditarod sled dog race at Georgian Heights Math/Science Alternative in Columbus, Ohio. The students are simulating a popular event that pits man and dog against the fierce conditions of an Alaskan winter. During the race, each group of fourth and fifth graders must pass six stations, at which they make scientific observations, answer questions about Alaskan wildlife or simulate feeding their dog team. Their goal: Complete the course in the least possible time and receive maximum points for teamwork and good sportsmanship.

Rescue mission. During the real Iditarod Trail sled dog race, dogsled drivers (called mushers) race dog teams across 1,100 miles of frozen terrain from Anchorage to Nome. Mushers and dogs are pushed to their extreme physical limits to win about $50,000 in prize money. The Iditarod race was inspired by a dramatic rescue mission in 1925, when brave mushers carried medicine from Nenana to Nome during a diptheria epidemic.

The Georgian Heights Iditarod in Columbus is the culminating activity in a six-week integrated unit of study created about eight years ago by two veteran teachers, Toni Wolfe and Debbie Rehl.

"We both loved books about Alaska and sled dogs and had been collecting them for years," said Debbie. "We started off small -just a few books and a two-week unit. Every year it got bigger. When we came up with the idea of a mock sled race, everybody thought we were nuts. Maybe we are."

Discovering Alaska. After lots of discussion and experimentation, the teachers developed a series of activities related to the Iditarod race. To encourage the reading of Alaskan wildlife books, the teachers create huge maps of Alaska, on which the Iditarod trail is traced in yellow yam. Each student is awarded one mile for every page he or she reads. Progress is tracked using numbered pushpins, with prizes given to the fastest readers. Each student chooses a musher, who is followed during the Iditarod via the Internet. The students write letters of encouragement to their mushers during the race. The website, www.iditarod.com. offers personal information about the mushers as well as daily updates on the race.

The students also create maps of Alaska and use their map skills to locate important landmarks and topographical formations in the state. Each student chooses an Alaskan animal to research. This research is used for background information for a class-created book of animal riddles.

Continuing the race. The mock Iditarod offers students important lessons about personal values. They learn many of these lessons when learning more about life as a musher. Iditarod mushers are dedicated individuals who persevere through extremely difficult conditions during the race.

"We all talk about setting goals and achieving them through hard work," said Toni. "Many of the mushers Peter Barnes teaches fifth grade at Cedarwood School, Columbus, OH. continue the race even after they know they won't win. This is a difficult concept for some kids to understand."

Academic benefits. The young Iditarod fans get a healthy dose of teamwork training during preparations for the mock Iditarod. Team members are continually reminded that they must work together, just like the dogs in a sled team. The teams must decide what supplies they will need, how many dogs they will take and how much food they will consume during the race. These decisions are recorded on note cards carried in the cardboard sleds. Teams are awarded points based on the validity of their decisions.

The mock Iditarod offers many academic benefits, too. Here, for example, is a brief rundown of how the Iditarod unit meets the fifth grade benchmarks in the Columbus Public Schools curriculum benchmark guides:

SOCIAL STUDIES

Benchmark: Apply latitude and longitude to locate points on maps and globes.

Iditarod Unit: We give the students maps of Alaska with the sled routes outlined. The students are given the latitude and longitude of each racer and have to plot their locations on the map.

Benchmark: Have students explore and analyze a variety of maps (e.g., relief, road, political, time zone, historical, physical, natural resources, climate, weather patterns). Iditarod Unit: We use several maps of the Alaskan area that help students develop different map skills. Students identify the physical characteristics of Alaska, including mountain ranges, rivers, peninsulas, etc. They also use a map scale to identify the distances covered by mushers during the race. This idea can be taken further by introducing natural resource maps, climate maps or other types of map to provide even broader experiences.