The Alaskan flag was designed by 13 year old Benny Benson while he was a resident at the Jesse Lee Home orphanage in Seward. The North star is for the future of the state, the most northerly of the union. The dipper is for the Great Bear - symbolizing strength  

The Alaskan Flag

Benny Benson- the boy who created Alaska’s flag.

Flag Contest

http://www.encompassmag.com/2009/03/alaska_flag.html

                                              

                     

The Northern Lights

The Iditarod

1973 Howard Farley at Start of First Iditarod

The Last Great Race on EarthYou can’t compare it to any other competitive event in the world! A race over 1150 miles of the roughest, most beautiful terrain Mother Nature has to offer. She throws jagged mountain ranges, frozen river, dense forest, desolate tundra and miles of windswept coast at the mushers and their dog teams. Add to that temperatures far below zero, winds that can cause a complete loss of visibility, the hazards of overflow, long hours of darkness and treacherous climbs and side hills, and you have the Iditarod. A race extraordinaire, a race only possible in Alaska.

From Anchorage, in south central Alaska, to Nome on the western Bering Sea coast, each team of 12 to 16 dogs and their musher cover over 1150 miles in 10 to 17 days. It has been called the “Last Great Race on Earth” and it has won worldwide acclaim and interest. It’s not just a dog sled race, it’s a race in which unique men and woman compete. Mushers enter from all walks of life. Fishermen, lawyers, doctors, miners, artists, natives, Canadians, Swiss, French and others; men and women each with their own story, each with their own reasons for going the distance. It’s a race organized and run primarily by volunteers, thousands of volunteers, men and women, students and village residents.

The Spirit of Alaska! More Than a Race… a Commemoration

The race pits man and animal against nature, against wild Alaska at her best and as each mile is covered, a tribute to Alaska’s past is issued. The Iditarod is a tie to — a commemoration of — that colorful past. In 1925, part of the Iditarod Trail became a life saving highway for epidemic-stricken Nome. Diphtheria threatened and serum had to be brought in; again by intrepid dog mushers and their faithful hard-driving dogs. The Iditarod is a commemoration of those yesterdays, a not-so-distant past that Alaskans honor and are proud of.

On the Trail

Every musher has a different tactic. Each one has a special menu for feeding and snacking the dogs. Each one has a different strategy — some run in the daylight, some run at night. Each one has a different training schedule and his own ideas on dog care, dog stamina and his own personal ability.

RulesThere are certain pieces of equipment each team must have —

an arctic parka,

a heavy sleeping bag,

an ax, snowshoes,

musher food,

dog food and boots for each dog’s feet

TrainingSome mushers spend an entire year getting ready and raising the money needed to get to Nome. Some prepare around a full-time job. In addition to planning the equipment and feeding needs for up to three weeks on the trail, hundreds of hours and hundreds of miles of training have to be put on each team.

What does Iditarod Mean?

We have come across three different definitions — take your pick! Iditarod means clear water and was named by the Shageluk Indians for the Iditarod River. The word comes from the Ingalik Indian word HaIditarod which was the name for the river on which the town was built. It means distant place. The name Iditarod came from an Ingalik and Holikachuk word hidedhod for the Iditarod River. This name means distant or distant place. This word is still known by elders in the villages of Shageluk, Anvik, Grayling and Holy Cross.

Iditarod FactsThe first Iditarod race to Nome started

March 3, 1973.

Broken Records: In 1986, Susan Butcher broke Rick Swenson’s record, set in 1981, by completing the 1049+ miles in 11 days. In 2002, Martin Buser broke the record when he crossed the finish line in 8 days, 22 hours, 46 minutes and 2 seconds.

Iditarod Facts

The teams average 16 dogs, which means over 1,000 dogs leave Anchorage for Nome.

There are 26 checkpoints on the northern route, the first in Anchorage and the last in Nome. On the southern route, there are 27 checkpoints.

The largest number of mushers to finish a single race was 77 in 2004.

A red lantern is awarded to the last musher to finish. The longest time for a Red Lantern was 32 days, 15 hours, nine minutes and one second by John Schultz in 1973.

How does Iditarod keep Track of the Dogs?

MicrochippingWhat are microchips? The “microchip” is a tiny computer chip programmed with an identification number and encapsulated by a biocompatible material. Microchips are about the size of a grain of rice. They are usually implanted under the dog’s skin either in the shoulder area, back of the neck or behind the ear, where they stay for the life of the animal. The process is quick and easy. Since your pet is unable to ask directions or tell anyone who he/she belongs to, we always suggest to our fans that they have their pets microchipped.

Collar Tags

In the Iditarod Race, dogs are marked in two ways, by the microchip identification system and by collar tags.

The Iditarod - The Race

“The Last Great Race on Earth” Over 1000 miles Anchorage to NomeFirst Saturday of March

“Alaska: Where men are men and women win

the Iditarod.”

I Did a What?

Your winter coat has grown thick, the snow crunches underfoot, you’ve been strengthened after months of training.The Iditarod will begin soon and your team must be ready!As the veteran dogs on the team, your challenge is training the rookie dog for the race. You already know the ropes but there is much to teach this new friend – you better get started!

Rookie Questions1. What are the High and Low temperatures in Alaska

during the Iditarod?2. How long is the race?3. List at least 5 animals native to Alaska.4. List at least 5 new words and write the meaning.5. When did the race begin?6. Who started the race?7. What are the rules of the race?8. When does the race begin and when does it end?9. How are the dogs grained?10. What do the mushers wear during the race?

Haw =means left (the lead dog(s) must know this)

Gee = means right (the lead dog(s) must know this)

Hike = means to go or to keep moving.

Whoa = means to stop

Easy = means to slow up

Come Gee = means to turn around to the right

Come Haw = means to turn around to the left

Dog Sledding: Basic Commands for the dogs

Iditarod Reading

What are Drop Bags?

http://ncarroll.edu.glogster.com/Iditarod/

Time to Relax!

Preparing for the Race

Study origins of the Iditarod Prepare wall mapPick a musher to follow

Preparing for the Race

Learn about and prepare spreadsheetsPrepare temperature graphs

Following the Race

Track progress on wall mapCheck and graph the weather

Following the Race(continued)

Track the number of dogs each day Spreadsheet Graph

Language ArtsLiterature Stone Fox

Writing Emails to Zuma and mushers Iditarod chat rooms Letters to/biographies of mushers

Mushing Vocabulary

Social SciencesGeography skills Map skills

Mushers’ hometowns

Alaska Scavenger HuntCompare Alaska and South DakotaNative culture of Alaska

ScienceTemperature Below zero Wind-chill

Weather conditionsAnimals of Alaska: sea and land Camouflage

MathGraphing Coordinates

Temperature Counting by fives Negative numbers

Math (continued)

AveragesMilitary Time Adding/ SubtractingProblems of the Day

Additional Activities (continued)

Word Searches/ Crossword PuzzlesMake Polar Bear PopsMake and race sledsTimelines

Additional Activities (continued)

Iditarod.com Teachers & Students page Teacher on the Trail

Cabela’s.comUltimateIditraod.com