I make no bones about the fact that I love the Iditarod as an integrated Winter unit for the classroom. This year there are more websites than ever to help you do it up big with your students. And now is the time to begin your unit study: history, geography, traditions, culture, musher biographies and so much more. Regardless of how you plan to approach the topic, there's resources here for you.

In addition to all the goodies offered here, you may wish to peruse my short pieces on a rationale for following the race at http://surfaquarium.com/romance.htm and the humane treatment of the dogs during the race http://surfaquarium.com/dogs.htm Beyond this, feel free to email me if you have specific questions or resource needs you can't seem to find anywhere else. I'll be glad to help you discover the excitement and possibilities of this fabulous study!

Don't forget to check out my 1998 Last Great Race unit at http://www.classroom.com/edsoasis/TGuild/Lessons/Race.html. It contains loose guidelines so you can adapt it as you need, with basic time frames and essential resources to make your experience smooth and successful with the kids. Also, just announced this past Monday, the eIditarod project for grades K-8 has open registration until January 26th at http://surfaquarium.com/e_iditarod.htm. Have your class follow a musher while participating in an interactive, online set of problem solving tasks! It's sponsored by Arlington Science Focus School here in Virginia. Enjoy this special double issue!

• Official 2000 Iditarod Site - http://www.iditarod.com/
  This is the official site of the Iditarod Trail Committee, and it's very comprehensive. There's lots of information here - everything you need to follow the race for FREE: history, geography, weather, news sources, strategy, mushers biographies, information on the dogs, and real time updates of the race once it begins March 3rd!! This will be a major resource for the eIditarod project mentioned above.
• 2Net Iditarod - http://www.go2net.org/alaska/idita.htm
  Lots of good basic information in a plain format: Iditarod Trail Route Map, Official Race News, Weather, the 2Net Dog mushing page, Other Sled Dog Races and the Northern Lights Predictor. Check out the link to AlaskaSeek - an Alaskan Search Engine!
• ABCNews Special Report - http://abcnews.go.com/sections/sports/Iditarod/Iditarod_intro.html
  ABC presents coverage of the 1998 race for those of us trying to get a feel for the drama and excitement the race offers. The Meet the Mushers feature is quite interesting, especially since many mushers enter every year and the info is still quite useful. Pick the name of a musher from the drop down menu and find out his or her hometown and notable accomplishments over the years.
• About Sled Dogs and Sled Dog Racing - http://www.ooowoo.com/
  Stephen R. Lee's coverage of the basics of mushing in simple, easy to understand format ! The Junior Mushers link is especially fascinating for teachers who would like to allow their students to immerse themselves in all it takes to become a musher on the trail. Check out the detailed directions on how to build your own dog sled!
• AKC Alaskan Malamute Page - http://www.akc.org/breeds/recbreeds/alasmal.cfm
  The American Kennel Club offers wonderful, detailed information on the breed that fuels the race; the kids love the dogs and this site makes you an instant authority on their characteristics, breeding and upkeep. The entire package is nicely formatted and colorfully attractive for kids.
• Alaska - http://www.education-world.com/a_sites/sites071.shtml
  This is a recent Great Sites piece I wrote for Education World on classroom resources for the study of our 49th state.
• Alaska History Toolbox - http://www.kpbsd.k12.ak.us/akhistory/aktools.htm#akplans
  Great material for the teacher who wants to dig deeper into the history and culture of the land that gives us this enduring racing tradition. And look at the depth of material here. If you're looking to implement an Alaska unit in which the Iditarod is one component, this is a great place to start.
• Alaska Science Explained - http://www.alaskascience.com/
  Neal Brown hosts this site, which includes a nice segment on the Aurora Borealis and a good presentation of remote mapping to boot. There's links for further study and an interesting section on rockets that may be useful in other units you will cover this year.
• Alaska Daily News - http://www.adn.com/iditarod/
  The ADN is a great source of information on the race as it happens - even the Official Iditarod Website links to it. Here is an archive of last year's race, including lots of information of recent dominant musher Doug Swingley and plenty of material on other past races. It is sure to be updated as this year's race gets underway.
• Alaska's Iditarod Sled Dog Race - http://tqjunior.thinkquest.org/3796/Index.htm
  Alaskan school children from Mountain View Elementary in Kenai, Alaska made this ThinkQuest Junior entry. While the text is a bit oversized, the activities and information are many and the use of JAVA and streaming video technologies make it a treat for other classes.
• 2001 Anadyr Siberian Husky Iditarod Team - http://www.ssanadyr.com/
  Here is a new site dedicated completely to "Bob Chlupach and the Iditarod Team of AKC registered Siberian Huskies from Earl and Natalie Norris' famous Howling Dog Farm". Want a team to follow in this year's race? Here's a website tailor made for you!
• John Beargrease Sled Dog Marathon - http://www.cloquet.k12.mn.us/was/Kim/newbear/bear1.html
  Now two years old, this remains a great site for young dog sledding enthusiasts who want to learn more about all that is required to be a musher. The detail on the Beargrease race makes for great comparisons and contrasts with the much larger Iditarod contest. Great for critical thinking skills!
• Beyond Land's End - http://beyond.landsend.com/iditarod/prologue/
  The Land's End company features Bill Cotter, his family and his dogs as he races and prepares for his participation in the Last great Race - nice, personal insights. The section on preparing for the Iditarod contains great material including Bill's journals, and the online press kit can easily be adapted for creative uses in your classroom as an "Iditarod Central".
• Dee Dee Jonrowe - http://www.eddiebauer.com/deedee/
  Eddie Bauer is sponsoring Dee Dee this year and hosts this site dedicated to sharing her team's experience with fans online. This is perhaps not as in-depth a treatment as other musher sites, but it is well done and girls will love learning more about a female musher!
• Dog Mushing and Iditarod Coverage - http://dogsled.com/
  Dogsled.com has long been a first class home base for covering the Iditarod. They tend to bend a little more towards the human interest side of the race, so it's definitely designed for use with kids. It's very easy on the eyes, too, so you don't mind spending some time here!
• Fairbanks Daily-News Miner - http://www.newsminer.com/iditarod/
  This Fairbanks, Alaska newspaper archives information on past races here going all the way back to 1973. The race stories from last year are probably the most compelling reason to visit this site, full of human interest and drama. There's also a map and a set of final standings from last year.
• Vern Halter's Iditarod Update - http://208.248.72.89/halter/index.cfm
  Vern is a regular in the race, and this page allows you to follow his team exclusively during the upcoming race.- Check out the teacher's toolbox for lots of useful activities like Build a Dog Sled, the Iditarod Dance, a Word Search, Idita-Dogs, and a Crossword Puzzle, too!
• How to Help a Musher - http://members.spree.com/sip/wolfsong/help.htm
  You may not be ready to take up a collection for large sums of money, but this page is useful even as a Math comparison to appreciate the costs of keeping and caring for a dog team. Simple text format for quick loading! See also How to Support a Musher at http://members.spree.com/education/sunhusky/support.htm.
• Iditarod: The Last Great Race - http://www.education-world.com/a_lesson/lesson103.shtml
  This is an article I wrote for Education World back in 1999 that offers lots of curriculum connections for teachers wanting to make their room come alive this Winter celebrating this unique race.
• Iditarod 411 - http://www.designperfect.com/iditarod/
  Jan Wong keeps current this great site for teachers on the Iditarod, including a template for planning your own iditarod unit. The literature extensions are great and the links to other people's resources are a help too.
• Iditarod National Historic Trail - http://www.anchorage.ak.blm.gov/inhthome.html
  This trail was designated by Congress in recognition of its significance as a historic transportation route; the system was created to provide areas for hiking and for meeting the outdoor recreation needs of an ever expanding urban population. The website offers more information on the trail and its upkeep.
• Iditarod Elementary School - http://www.ide.mat-su.k12.ak.us/
  Located right in Wasilla, this school is in the heart of Iditarod country; a nice way to have your class compare your environment with that of the Alaskans! The page includes Iditarod links and the opportunity to email the school.
• Iditarod 2000 Unit - http://www.alexandriacentral.org/iditarod.html
  A group of fifth graders at Cove Kid Elementary in Alexandria Bay, New York hosts this unit on the race that is easily adaptable to this year's event. Links include history, rules, the dogs and sled gear.
• Iditarod Tour - http://www.virtualblackboard.com/webtours/idit-s/framever.htm
  This virtual tour brings together a dozen or so resources on the race, from the history and rules to online collaboration and the tradition of the red lantern. The frames tend to be a little distracting, but you are given the option of opening each page in a new window, so you can be free of them if you like.
• Learning Expedition - http://www.midtel.net/~burtont/
  Here are 5 web-based lessons for grades 4-6 along with a quiz and a survey on favorite mushers of the race. While this site hasn't been updated since 1999, it is still very applicable to classroom studies of the Iditarod.
• Natives of the Midnight Sun - http://library.thinkquest.org/26020/
  This ThinkQuest presentation on the Inuit peoples of Alaska, their history, culture and traditions as well as the geology of the region and a look at the plants and animals therein. Fully searchable, this is a great study for middle schoolers.
• Official Student Information Guide- http://www.dced.state.ak.us/tourism/student.htm
  Presented by the state of Alaska, this site has everything your class will need to learn about state facts, economy, geography, boroughs, population, public lands, the pipeline, and so much more. I especially like the usefulness of sections on native peoples, the gold rush days, wildlife and the aurora borealis.
• Gary Paulsen - http://www.scils.rutgers.edu/special/kay/paulsen.html
  This Paulsen page covers all his books, many of which have to do with dogs and sledding - never mind the fact that he's an awesome writer. NB Woodsong, Dogsong and Dogteam.
• The Race is On! - http://teacher.scholastic.com/iditarod/home.htm
  Scholastic has put together this presentation on the Iditarod with help from veteran mushers Martin Buser and Mitch Seavey. The teacher's guide brings together Standards Correlations, Lesson Plans and Skill sheets to boot. You'll have to ignore the commercial pitches, but the content is fairly good.
• A Rookie Gets Ready for the Iditarod - http://www.discovery.com/area/exploration/iditarod/iditarod.html
  Discovery Online presents the chronicle of Billy Snodgrass as he makes the journey from the lower 48 to his first run in the Iditarod. This is a classic story wonderfully formatted and full of high interest information for anyone who dreams of making it as an entry in the Last Great Race!
• Joe Runyan's Iditarod Updates - http://www.joerunyan.com/ie_index.htm
  Joe loves working dogs, and he uses his site to tout the malamutes and the Iditarod with an array of resources suitable for classroom use. Especially noteworthy are the various articles and the photo album offered here for your class's consumption.
• Tilford on the Trail - http://www.vinton-shellsburg.k12.ia.us/tms/seventh/rdg7/iditarod/idit.html
  Judy Tilford brings together a great collection of information for anyone learning about the Iditarod Sled Dog Race. There's history, fascinating facts, and in-depth information. The musher's links need to be updated, but if Judy's true to form she'll have them updated before the race is close. Definitely worth a look!
• Webquest - http://inkido.indiana.edu/w310work/Iditarod_webquest/
  If you haven't seen this site before, it's a good one; not too heavy on the problem solving but a nice product for following the race. If you like the Webquest format this may be an easy way to ease into following the race in the elementary classroom.
• Wild-Eyed Alaska - http://www.hhmi.org/Alaska/
  This site is dedicated to the wild life of Alaska - beautiful pics, audio and video clips; a great Science extension for your Iditarod unit. Featured animals include Puffins, Gulls, Chicks and a variety of underwater animals.
• Women of the Iditarod - http://library.thinkquest.org/11313/Iditarod/index.html
  Susan Butcher, Libby Riddles, DeeDee Jonrowe and Mary Shields: four reasons for the saying "Alaska...where men are men and women win the Iditarod", and nicely presented here for students learning about the race and its storied traditions.
• Working Dog Web - http://www.workingdogweb.com/Iditarod.htm
  Lots of information here and some teacher links too. The nice child-friendly design makes it easy to incorporate into your class studies. Topics include Race History, the Iditarod Trail, Dogs & Mushers, News Media Coverage, Equipment & Strategy and Iditarod in the Classroom.
  

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