Third Graders and the Iditarod

Leading up to the Iditarod race, 3rd graders at PGS learn all about the Iditarod with activities that include the reading, writing, math, science and technology standards. 

First, they read The True Story of Balto, Akiak and Togo, all stories about sled dogs. The students focus on the special character traits of these dogs and choose one to write a persuasive essay about why the dog they chose is a true hero. 

Another fun aspect of this unit is the map they construct and display in the hallway. Each student colors a dog to put on the trail and each minute a student reads at home counts for a mile on the trail. To complete the entire trail, a student would need to read 998 minutes! They have a “Paw”ty to celebrate all of the reading done in the month of March. Each student also has a musher (driver of a dog sled) to follow along the trail. They color and label a picture of the musher to put on the trail. The classes check iditarod.com each day to look at the standings to see where their musher is located. 

Teachers also create a path in the gym similar to the trail. Students are responsible for moving the serum along part of the trail. In order to do that,  they use meter sticks to measure the distance between their checkpoints. They also need to determine what direction the robot needs to turn at each checkpoint. Once they have their measurements,  students  use the Blockly app on the iPads. They learn how to code or put in the data. They then pair a DASH robot to the iPad and try it out to see if it works. Problem-solving skills are put to use when programming the DASH robots.

The final stop for this unit is the Iditarod Race!! Each class has a chance to get the serum to Nome. (The Great Race of 1925 was when two kids in Nome, Alaska had diphtheria and needed medicine. The only way to get that medicine to the children was through dog sled teams. Both Balto and Togo were in the Great Race). Each DASH robot carries the serum in the sleds that they created. The races are timed to see who gets to Nome the fastest. This year, Bronze went to Ms. Marx’s class, Sliver to Mrs. Klein’s class, and Mrs. Pipkins' class was awarded Gold. This unit is always a favorite for 3rd graders!