The Great Race

Facilitators: Holly Easterling, Brooke Foster, Laura Palmer, and Tosha Johnson

Mission Statement:
Come join us on the adventure of the Great Race. Leaving from Nom we will take our adventure on the Iditarod, a spin tingling adventure across Alaska most dangerous terrain. At each checkpoint we will learn about the history if the Iditarod, survival techniques, and explore a day in the life of a musher with hands on activities. Let our race begin and may we survive to tell the tale.

Focus Questions
Core:
• What is the Iditarod?
• Who is involved?
• How did it begin?

Connection:
• What are the similarities and differences between the races now compared to the first race?
• How are mushers similar to other athletes?
Practice:
• How can knowing survival skills help mushers?
• How much weight can be carried in a sled?
Identity:
• How has extreme weather condition influenced survivorship of humans?

Guiding Questions:
• How can one animal stand for the whole experience?
• How did the Iditarod come about?
• Why is the dog sled critical in the distance in the race?
• How does nutrition and food affect the survivability?
• How can preparations help a musher adjust to the changes in temperature during the race?

Principles and Generalizations:
• Knowledge of survival mechanisms is crucial to humans during extreme weather conditions.
• Medical and transportation advances have developed simultaneously to improve the human survival rate.
• The relationship between man and dog continues to be interdependent.

Learning Experiences

Experiences for the Iditarod race:
Cooperatively working together as a group they will learn about the Iditarod, sleds, survivorship, and nutrition of mushers. Opportunities will include exploring what the Iditarod is and how it came about. What it takes in order to survive in Alaska’s harsh climate from extreme cold weather and the effects of hypothermia. Utilize information as a journalist through the experience, Lead the Way. Identify the characteristics of a musher and the different types of nutrition that mushers need in order to endure the extreme weather. Demonstrate the ability to construct and design dog sleds and simulates The Great Race.

Iditarod:
• Generate a KWL on the Iditarod
• Explore how the Iditarod began
• View a short video on the Iditarod
• Write about A Day in the Life of Balto

Survival Ship:
• Create a list of five items that they would prefer to have if abandoned on a deserted island
• Determine the levels of insulation from various types of gloves
• Analyze and justify choices for items chosen for a dog sled race

Mushers:
• Discuss the attributes of being an athlete.
• Discuss metabolism and nutrition
• Compare and contrast the differences in an Olympic athlete and a musher.
• Analyze different types of drinks and snacks that is better for endurance for athletes such as an Alaska’s mushers
• Create a collage of athleticism

Sled:
• Create a sled using different types of materials
• Design the terrain of the Iditarod
• Test their sled to see if it would make the trip
• Explain why or why not the reasons they would like to be a musher

Reflection Opportunity:
• Write about A Day in the Life of Balto.
• Explain why or why not the reasons they would like to be a musher
• Lead the Way experience