Alaska & the Iditarod Literature Focus Unit EDU 315
Literature Selection Dogs of the Iditarod by Jeff Schultz The Iditarod: Story of the Last Race by Ian Young Loving a Happy Dog by Mary Shields Iditarod Dreams: Dusty and His Sled Dogs Compete in Alaska s Jr. Iditarod by Ted Wood Akiak: A Tale from the Iditarod by Robert J. Blake Animals with Jobs: Sled Dogs by Judith Janda Presnall Can Dogs Talk? by Mary Shields Secret Messages: Training a Happy Dog by Mary Shields Sled Dog Trails by Mary Shields Dog Heroes: Sled Dogs by Lori Haskins Sled Dogs Run by Jonathan London Sled Dogs Speeding Through Snow by Alice B. McGinty Welcome to the U.S.A.: Alaska by Ann Heinrichs Alaska: Hello U.S.A. by Joyce Johnston Alaska Animal Babies by Deb Vanasse The Salmon Princess: An Alaskan Cinderella Story by Mindy Dwyer Alaska ABC Book by Charlene Kreeger If You Lived in the Alaska Territory by Nancy Smiler Levinson Alaska s Three Bears by Shelly Gill Midnight Dance of the Snowshoe Hare: Poems of Alaska by Nancy Carlstrom
Theme Study The students will participate in this thematic unit about Alaska and the Iditarod Dogsled races. The thematic unit with integrate subjects from across the curriculum including: language arts (with reading, writing, speaking, listening, viewing and visually representing skills skills), science, mathematics, social studies, music and art, and physical education. Students will also be able to use technology as it is incorporated into several activities within these subjects. The purpose of this themed unit is to help students develop a better understanding of the state of Alaska and characteristics of that region, as well as the Iditarod race.
Language Arts: Reading Activities Students will participate in reading and listening to the teacher read various fiction and non-fiction books from the literature selection list through shared reading, guided reading, independent reading, buddy reading, and reading aloud to others while actively participating in grand conversations, focusing on terms, and examining the author s purpose. Students will buddy read one of the books from the literature selection about Alaska or the Iditarod and discuss 2 ideas or facts they liked or learned from the story. The teacher will read aloud from Iditarod Dream by Ted Wood throughout the week. Students will each take time to individually read a poem from Midnight Dance of the Snowshoe Hare: Poems of Alaska by Nancy Carlstrom. Students will read a few selections from their 10 day travel journal. Students will read their What Is It poems to the class and the audience will guess what the poem is about. Students will read their stories about their sled dog to the class. Students will read their acceptance speech to the class.
Language Arts: Writing Activities Students will participate in various types of writing genres including informational writing, narrative writing, personal writing, and poetry writing and take part in proofreading and group sharing exercises to improve writing skills. Students will write a What Is It? poem about something in Alaska: an animal, plant, mode of transportation, food, etc. Students will keep a 10 day travel journal of their experience on the Iditarod trail that includes descriptions of the weather, wildlife sightings, condition of the dog team, supplies on the journey, and pictures of the journey with captions. Students will write an acceptance speech for winning the Iditarod Jr. race. Students will write a story about a dog they own or found and include the dog s name, how they trained their dog for the race, and what the dog ate and so on. Students will write interview questions to ask a musher and dog sled team about the Iditarod. Students will be assigned a letter of the alphabet and help to create an Alaska or Iditarod alphabet using words from the Alaska and Iditarod resources. i.e. A is for Alaska, M is for Musher.
Language Arts: Speaking Activities Students will participate in several speaking/talking activities including observing a guest speaker, observing the teacher speaking, speaking as a group, participating in grand conversations, practice reciting new words in a different language, and give short oral reports in small groups and to the class. Students will share one of their favorite lines from the poem they read in Midnight Dance of the Snowshoe Hare: Poems of Alaska by Nancy Carlstrom and explain what they learned about poetry and/or Alaska from the poem to a small group of peers. As an introduction to the unit, students will participate in a group discussion about what they know about Alaska, the Iditarod, sled dogs, and etc. Students will take part in a question/answer relay Iditarod race where they advance to each checkpoint along the trail by answering Alaska and Iditarod trivia questions correctly as a small group or sled team. Students will participate in a grand conversation about various types of transportation used in Alaska in the past and the present and compare it to what we use here. Examples include: dog sleds, ferries, ocean barges, trains, boats, plains, cars, snowmobiles, and etc. Then, students will give a short oral report about a form of Alaskan transportation they have experienced or would like to experience some day and explain why. Students will listen to the teacher read If You Lived in the Alaska Territory by Nancy Smiler Levinson and practice old Eskimo language/words as a class. Teacher will invite a malamute or husky owner to come to class along with the dog and speak about that breed of dog. Students will also be encouraged to ask the speaker questions pertaining to the presentation.
Language Arts: Listening Activities Student will use three different types of listening including: discriminative, aesthetic, and efferent listening throughout this unit. Students will practice respectful listening skills as their peers present their stories, poems, and opinions in grand conversation and general discussion. Students will actively listen to the guest speaker s presentation and the teacher as she explains each aspect/activity of the unit. Students will listen to audio recordings of various selections from the literature selection of Alaska and Iditarod literature. Students will listen to original songs native to the Alaska region. Students will also respond to the music including information about different sounds they heard, how it makes them feel, and how that music is unique to that area of the world.
Language Arts: Viewing Activities Students will watch a short video that includes the lyrics of the Alaskan state song and beautiful pictures of the region as the song is being sung. Students will view artwork created by artists of Alaska. Students will view a short video from the history channel about the celebration of Alaska becoming the 49 th state and compare it to modern day events. Students will view a short video on a massive oil spill in Alaska (will tie into science activity). Students will view a short National Geographic clip about Brown Bears in Alaska. Students will view photographs of wildlife in Alaska. Students will view this website: http://www.jonvanzyle.com/ and discuss the artwork in the shown picture books. Students will view National Geographic photos of Denali National Park. Students will look at and explore a map of Alaska and its different landforms.
Language Arts: Visually Representing Activities Students will create travel brochures with pictures and captions to persuade tourists to vacation in Alaska. Students will add pictures and two facts to their Alaska/Iditarod alphabet letter and create a class alphabet book with the students artwork and facts and display the book in the class library. As a class, based off the group discussion, students will work together to create a KWL chart at the beginning middle and end of the unit listing what they already knew, what they want to learn throughout the unit, and the new information they learned throughout the unit about Alaska and the Iditarod. Students will create an idea web of items to take on a vacation to Alaska or on the Iditarod trail and the use for each in small groups and present them to the class. The class will then create two charts: Alaska Vacation and Iditarod Journey and how many times each item was repeated in the web ideas. Students will create their own Iditarod trail on a map of Alaska that includes a compass rose, at least 8 checkpoints, distances between each checkpoint and the total distance, and the distance measured in units of their choice along with a scale. Students will use Jing to create a short video on the Iditarod race that includes 10 facts.
Science Activities
Mathematics Activities Students will measure the distances of the Iditarod on a map using different materials. i.e. noodles, blocks, yarn, M&Ms, and etc. Students will use the dog teams from the Iditarod to practice addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division. Students will graph the distances between the checkpoints on the Iditarod trail using a bar graph. Using the information on the bar graph, they will determine the longest distance, shortest distance, and if there are any equal or almost equal distances. Students will create line graphs of the most recent Iditarod times using the musher s name or number for the x-axis and the times for the y-axis. Then, students will find the slowest time, fastest time, average time, and the difference between first and last place. Students will estimate how much dog sled weighs when it is ready to hit the Iditarod trail and how much it will weigh when it crosses the finish line.
Social Studies Activities Students will explore the different land forms found in, near, and around Alaska and how they contribute to the economics of the area. i.e. mountains, oceans, plains, etc. Students will locate Alaska on a map, discuss where it is in relation to where we live and in relation to the United States. Then, students and teacher will discuss the weather in this region and how it relates to its position on the earth. Students will research the local economy and ways of life related to Alaska, i.e., careers, food supply, wildlife, tourist attractions, and so on. Students will compare the size of Alaska to the rest of the United States and discuss population sizes.
Music and Art Activities Students will listen to music common in the region of Alaska. Students will look at and experiment with instruments heard in the Alaskan music and instruments commonly used in Alaska. Students will create a sign mushers would see at a checkpoint along the Iditarod trail, including: the banner/poster with the name of the checkpoint, what is available here (food, water, shelter), how long they stay at that spot, and words of encouragement. Students will create a collage or an Alaskan scene using various art supplies: glitter, sequins, National Geographic magazines, newspaper clippings, markers, paint, glue, cotton balls, and etc. Students will create their own sled team out of any animal they choose and clip them from magazines to create a winning team! Students will make little dog booties like the ones Iditarod dogs wear on their paws. They will decorate them and then put little dog treats inside and donate them to local animal shelters.
Physical Education Activities Students will divide into 3-4 teams and have their own dog sled races in the snow with one student as the musher and the rest as the dog team. Students will dig out their own little pit and burrow down in them like the dogs do when they take a break from the race to rest or weather out a storm. Students will discuss healthy habits for children and adults. Then, students will discuss what dogs need to eat and do to stay healthy and prepare for the Iditarod. Students will create an Iditarod trail mix for a healthy snack based on what the mushers eat during the race and foods found in Alaska. Students will go sledding in the snow and ride on the sled like an injured or resting musher.
Technology http://www.apples4theteacher.com/usa-states/alaska http://www.scholastic.com/teachers/studentactivities/search?query=alaska http://www.watchknowlearn.org/video.aspx?videoid=5810&categoryid= 1183 http://www.history.com/topics/alaska/videos#alaska-becomes-49th-state http://www.teachersdomain.org/assets/wgbh/ean08/ean08_int_contamina nts/ean08_int_contaminants.swf http://www.watchknowlearn.org/video.aspx?videoid=6176&categoryid= 1183 (brownbearvideo) http://travel.nationalgeographic.com/travel/national-parks/denali-photos/ National Geographic magazines Ranger Rick magazines Newspapers http://www.techsmith.com/jing.html Audiotapes/CDs/MP3s of selected Alaskan/Iditarod literature
Language Arts Strategies Activating Background Knowledge: students will reflect on what they already know about Alaska and the Iditarod. Connecting: students will relate ideas they learn about Alaska and the Iditarod to real world application through journaling and writing stories. Play With Language: students will use language creatively by learning Eskimo words, and writing creative stories, poems, and journals. Recognize Genre: students will recognize journals, artwork, poetry, fiction, and non-fiction stories about Alaska and the Iditarod. Integrate Multimedia: students will view videos, listen to audiotapes, and use technology to create a project online. Visualizing: students will visualize themselves in the Iditarod race and in Alaska through stories, poems, videos, and journals they read and write. Elaborate: students will discuss information they have learned in the different genres of literature and multimedia. Organize: students will organize their ideas about topics of Alaska and the Iditarod to write in their journals and stories and present ideas to the class. Proofreading and Revising: students will reread and make changes to their writing. Observe: students will observe a guest speaker and an actual sled dog, other students opinions and speaking abilities.
Grouping Patterns Large Group: grand conversations, class introductions and discussions, simulated dog-sled races in the snow, sledding, viewing videos, listening to guest speaker, creating a KWL chart, listening to peers oral presentations/readings, listening to teacher reading, compiling Alaskan/Iditarod alphabet, making Iditarod trial mix, creating graphs to measure distances and time. Small Group: peer conferencing, small group discussions, partner reading, making dog booties with treats to donate, measuring distances between checkpoints, Individual: reading poems and other literature individually, keeping a travel journal, writing a poem, short stories and other short pieces, creating Alaskan/Iditarod alphabet letter
Assessments Participation in group discussion/grand conversations. Contributing to the KWL chart Travel journal entries and short stories: rubric Math graphs and Iditarod maps: checklist Active participation in physical activities and asking questions to guest speaker Informal observation of oral presentations, participation in science experiment and discussions, and other small group discussions Informal observation of student work on Alaskan/Iditarod alphabet with facts and pictures What Is It? Poem: checklist and observation Short stories: 6+1 Writing Traits