March 20, 2009
Iditarod 2009! Stay with us!
Lance Mackey is our 2009 Iditarod Champion! He has won the Iditarod for 3 years in a row! That makes him a 3 Peat Champion!
Great student activity or discussion: Make a list: Are you aware of any other 3 Peats in Iditarod? Are you aware of any other 3 Peats in other sports? Can you think of things that come in 3's? (wheels on a trike?) Can you multply by 3? Celebrate the 2009 Iditarod Champion by declaring next week: 3 Peat Week! Develop activities to go along with the 3 Peat theme. Send us an update and your comments by clicking here!
The race is not over yet!
Do not stop following the race. Unlike many races that are over when you have a winner, Iditarod is not over until the last musher on the Iditarod Trail has arrived in Nome. Check in with Zuma's Paw Prints, Cathy Walter's -- Target Teacher on the Trail, and the entire www.iditarod.com website for information all next week! Celebrate the goals that the mushers have achieved!
The race is not over! Your learning is not over! This is the Last Great Teaching Race!
Mushers must be creative!
What would you do if you were faced with the challenge of creating a pair of boots to keep your feet from freezing? This was the problem solving situation for Aliy Zirkle during her race to Nome. Read this story by Cathy Walters. Brainstorm other problem solving solutions. Assign students to design life saving boots according to the criteria and material list or suggestions you provide for them. We'd love to hear about your activity! Email us your ideas.
Awards Banquet in Nome
The Awards Banquet will be held in Nome on Sunday, March 22. Be sure to check the website next week for a list of awards given out to the mushers.
You can read more about the awards by clicking this link. (This is a PDF document located in the Press and Media section of www.iditarod.com. Scroll to page 19 for the list of awards. A description of the award and other information located at the link will help you explain to students about the awards mushers can be awarded.)
Share Your Success!
We want to hear about your teaching success! Email your work samples, highlights, digital images, ideas, and thoughts to us. We plan to put updates on the website and share them with our readers! To send an email, click here!
Teachers! Join us at Summer Camp: June 21 - 29 in Alaska!
Students go to camp and so do teachers! Don't miss the opportunity to attend our 2009 Summer Camp. Registrations are being accepted now through May 15. This year's camp runs from June 21 - 29 and is held in the Wasilla area. Campers will spend 3 over-nights at a musher's kennel. Campers will learn first-hand about Iditarod and mushing in our Teachers: Iditarod -Mushing 101 class, develop content driven lessons in science, math, and other curriculum areas, meet mushers, visit museums and other places of interest, and leave our camp experience with a 'sled bag' packed of lesson ideas. Campers will be empowered and energized for the 2009 - 2010 school year! University credit is available, too! This experience is like no other experience! Join us. Contact us today! (Race fans without teaching degree are welcome, too!)
To learn more about this unique opportunity, click here!
Join us for the 2010 Winter Conference in Alaska. Make your plans now! See the start of the race and attend the conference. Earn University Credit. Watch the website for soon to be released information.
Writing to Mushers?
If you are writing to mushers, please read the following article EVEN IF you have done this before and you already have addresses for mushers. Click here! It is extremely important that you follow the instructions which include sending with each musher's letter, a stamped self addressed envelope. Pay attention to where the letter is going. If the letter is going to a different country you must include the correct amount of postage for that letter to be returned to your students. HUNDREDS of letters go to the mushers and we want to keep our mushers happy and allow them to write back if they want--- without an additional expense. Please read the article above and contact me if you have questions. DO NOT send letters to Headquarters in Wasilla. WE DO NOT have volunteers on duty to deliver mail and mushers do not pick up mail at Headquarters. We do not have money in the budget to mail your letters for you, so please follow the instructions in the news article. Your cooperation is appreciated!
3 Peat Lance Mackey Shirt!
Check out the items that can be purchased at the Iditarod store. Click here to visit the site.
Target Iditarod Teacher on the Trail
Don't miss articles from the Iditarod Trail, written by Cathy Walters, the Target® 2009 Iditarod Teacher on the Trail™. What experiences did she encounter? What lessons did she learn and what lessons can your students learn from her experiences? Listen to the songs that she composed for her eductional connections. Sing along with Cathy. Do you have what it takes to be the next Target® Iditarod Teacher on the Trail™? Look at the application document. Review lessons and journals from past Iditarod Teacher on the Trail™ alumni. Connect this race with teaching from now through the end of your school year and start next school year with us. Lean more. Click here.
Who will be chosen as the Target® 2010 Iditarod Teacher on the Trail™? The selection process has been completed. The decision will be announced in early April. Meet this year's finalists by clicking here.
ATTENTION TRAIL MAIL SCHOOL PROJECT PARTICIPANTS
This year, a record 631 projects were involved in the Trail Mail Cachet project for students. Each year, Leo Rasmussen of Nome prepares the promotional material that the mushers carry in their sled. Within the packet are the student project letters. Last year, a record 156 letters were sent to Leo. The project continues to grow each year, bringing students to the trail in an amazing way. After reaching Nome, the projects are returned to the senders. Leo has a very small group of volunteers and does most of this work on his own. There is no master list of participants published on this or Leo's website. Calling Leo or contacting me won't speed up information about the project or get the project to you sooner. Your patience is appreciated. Your return mail will arrive and you'll be very pleased!
To learn about this year's project, click here to read what K-9 Journalist Libby has to say, or click here
We'll be doing this project next year, so watch the site for information in the fall. There will be an updated template for this project so please check back with us!
You have received this email because you have either subscribed to the Iditarod newsletter, purchased items or subscriptions from the Iditarod Trail Committee, or acted as volunteer during the race. If you don’t wish to receive mailings from the Iditarod Trail Committee, click the unsubscribe link at the bottom of this email.