Musher Bio-Poems

In this activity, you will create your own biographical poems about the musher you have chosen to follow in this year's race. You may find it beneficial to use the Official Iditarod website for musher information. There are some helpful musher biographical data there for you to read through. Good luck and Have FUN! >^..^<

First line Second line Third line Fourth line Fifth line Sixth line Seventh line Eighth line Last line

Write your musher's first name. Write three (3) positive adjectives that describe your musher. Write "Who likes..." and two to four things your musher might like. Write "Who feels..." and a short phrase to finish the thought. Write "Who needs..." and a short phrase to finish the thought. Write "Who would like to see..." and a short phrase to finish the thought. Write "Who enjoys..." and a short phrase to finish the thought. Write "Who likes to wear..." and a short phrase to finish the thought. Write your musher's first name again!

Brad Pozarnzky Bio Poem

Brad Dedicated, Hard-working, Humorous Who likes sled dogs, pizza, and winter in ND. Who feels the Iditarod is a great challenge. Who needs to keep positive during the race. Who would like to see more ND mushers. Who enjoys his job with wildlife and nature. Who likes to wear warm clothing while mushing. Brad

Musher Biography Art

This idea was submitted by Jeanne Clermont of South Londonderry School, in Londonderry, New Hampshire! It sounds like a neat idea for displaying your musher biographies.

1. 2. 3. 4.

5.

6.

Make a large oval head (to represent your musher). Surround the edge with cotton balls (to represent a hooded parka). Add colored eyes. Create a pair of goggles using colored cellophane for the lenses and black construction paper for the goggle frames. Mount this musher over a large piece of construction paper with your biographies of musher(s) you are following. Add 2 decorated mittens on the side of the construction paper to make it look as though the musher is holding up your page. You can hang them out in a corridor and put a post-it note on the musher's biography daily to inform others as to the progress of your musher!

Character Study Trustworthiness

Few things can help an individual more than to place responsibility on him, and to let him know that you trust him." -Booker T. Washington

A Trustworthy Person:

Tells the truth Does the right thing even if it's not popular Shows committment, courage, and self discipline Keeps promises Stands by, supports, and protects family, friends, and community Seeks advice and/or assistance of an adult when challenging decisions or in a dangerour or troublesome situation Returns what was borrowed

Musher Activities:
Write a sentence that starts out with your musher's name with one of the above phrases. 2. Illustrate on a sheet of construction paper your statement. 3. Make it colorful and clear as to how your musher is exhibiting that character trait.
1.

(Example: A student might draw a picture of Martin Buser rubbing his dogs' paws or donating some of his award earnings to a local community such as Linwood Fiedler did in 2001. This shows committment as well as support of family (some mushers consider their dogs - as family - their children), it shows support of community as well. Have students make an illustrated brochure of other pillars of character they see their musher exhibiting throughout the race. 2. Students can use adn.com for daily updates; include internet photos in their brochure from sites such as cabelasiditarod.com or iditarod.com
1.

Students may want to make separate brochures for each character trait their musher is caught doing or make one brochure with each fold (page) dedicated to one character trait. 4. Ask students to decorate around the photos with markers, etc. 5. Ask students to write about what their musher is doing that involves the desired character trait. 6. Display or share with other classes or exhibit in the library.
3.

Building Trust Activity - Character Counts site!

Writing Activities:
1. 2.

3. 4.

5.

Are you a trustworthy person? In what ways? In what ways are you, perhaps, not so trustworthy? What could you do to improve? Write a short essay describing what society today might be like if nobody were trustworthy. If suspicion, dishonesty, and betrayal were normal? If nobody could be counted on to keep his or her commitments. Write about a person you trust? Why do you trust this person? How important is that trust to you? How do you reciprocate? Keep a journal for a short period of time (week or month) that focuses on your relationships with your family and friends. Keep note of the areas of trustworthiness you remember or experience. If there are things that displease you, develop some ideas or a plan to improve the situation. Have you ever lost somebody's trust? Have you lost trust in another? What happened? Was this trust ever regained? how did you learn from that experience?

Student Activities:
Many people complain that political leaders cannot be trusted. Develop a checklist for evaluating the trustworthiness of political leaders. Test out your checklist by listening to a politician speaking on TV. You can see entire speeches on C-SPAN. 2. Divide the class into small groups. Have each group develop a list of do's and don'ts for being a trustworthy person. Have them make oral reports to the class addressing the following questions: What happens when people live in accordance with these guidelines? What happens when they don't? In what ways does trustworthy and untrustworthy behavior affect our community and society? In what ways can/do young people demonstrate trustworthiness? 3. Have the students watch a movie, TV drama or sitcom, paying particular attention to the behavior of the main characters with regard to trustworthiness. How much trustworthy behavior did they find? How much
1.

untrustworthy behavior? Have a class discussion about these issues. (A great many TV plots are based on a deceit.) 4. Most people consider loyalty to be an important part of trustworthiness. What, exactly, is loyalty? Who should be loyal to whom or what, and under what circumstances? When is loyalty appropriate, and when might it be a bad thing? Give some specific examples. Break the class into small groups to ponder these issues and have each group give an oral report to the class.

Building Trust Activity

Overview: Youngsters learn to be more conscious of their day-to-day behavior when the teacher or youth leader formally recognizes those who demonstrate good character. The youngsters track their collective progress as marbles (or other small items) are placed in a jar each time one of them is spotted "practicing a Pillar." Preparation / Materials:

clear glass jar marbles, gumballs, beads, jelly beans or buttons in the Six Pillars colors: blue, gold (or yellow), green, orange, red and purple

Setting: classroom or other regular meeting location Procedure: Announce to the group that you will be on the lookout for behavior which demonstrates one or more of the six values. If I spot an act of honesty (which isn't planned just for this activity), a blue marble (or other item) will be put in the jar. If caring is noticed, a red one; gold for respectful acts; green for responsibility; orange for fairness; and purple for an act of good citizenship. When the jar is full, the group gets a reward. Write down and display the colorcoding system. It is important that this activity not be a race. Go for quality over quantity. Look for out-of-theordinary displays of good character, and make sure they are genuine. Of course, each time an act of good character is recognized, you should be sure to praise the child. Keep the jar in view of the children and comment periodically on which colors are prominent in the jar and which are not well represented. Get a small jar so that it will fill quickly - maybe within a week or two - even if there are only one or two additions a day. Make the payoff as significant as possible (e.g., a special snack like pizza for everyone or a good field trip).

Copywork
Few things can help an individual more than to place responsibility on him, and to let him know that you trust him." -Booker T. Washington

Responsibility
"I am only one, but still, I am one. I cannot do everything, but I can do something. And, because I can't do everything, I will not refuse to do what I can."
- Edward Everett Hale

A Responsible Person:

Thinks before acting Considers consequences of actions Thinks for the long term Is reliable and accountable Accepts the consequences of personal actions or failures to act Sets a good example for others Strives for excellence and never gives up easily Uses self restraint Acknowledges making a mistake Reports harmful or hateful behavior to a trustworthy authority figure

Musher Activities:
1. Read the story about the Ant and the Grasshopper at this website. Internally 2.

3. 4. 5.

6.

reflect or discuss as a group the following: Think of the many ways a musher has to prepare for entering the Iditarod Sled Dog Race; from training, vet care of the dogs, paying entry fee on time, planning food and drop bags, sled packing, etc. What might happen if a musher put things off until the last moment? What might be the repurcussions of his/her failure to be timely in preparations? Have you ever experienced a similar situation to the Ant and the Grasshopper? If so, what was the situation? What became of your failure to be responsible? Did anyone else suffer consequences because of it? How do you make certain you "follow through?" What steps can you take?

Writing Activities:
1. What responsibilities do you believe you personally have for: 1) yourself, 2)

your family, 3) your community, 4) the world?

2. Think of an instance when you were impressed by the way a teenager took

3.

4.

5. 6. 7.

responsibility for something. Write a news story (or letter to the editor) about this person. Write a letter to someone in the news who did something that you think was irresponsible. Be specific about why you don't think it was right and why you think this action sets a bad example. Mail the letter. Write an essay about the relationship between your age and level of responsibility. How do responsibilities differ for people your age and for older adults? How has your sense of responsibility changed as you have gotten older? At what age should we become totally responsible and accountable for our actions? Write at least five things you could say to yourself when you are tempted to act irresponsibly. Explain the meaning and significance of each. Describe something you've done that was really irresponsible. How did you feel afterward? What did you learn from it? Describe what this society might be like if nobody was accountable for their actions, if nobody kept their commitments.

Student Activities:
1. Divide the class into small groups. Have each group develop a list of do's and

don'ts for being a responsible person. Have them make oral reports to the class addressing the following questions: What happens when people live in accordance with these guidelines. What happens when they don't. In what ways does irresponsible behavior affect our community and society? In what ways can/do young people demonstrate personal responsibility? 2. Role play: You've made a commitment to spend the weekend working on your part of a class project that's due Monday. Then, some friends invite you to go on a weekend camping trip in the mountains. You can't do both, so you decide to go on the camping trip. Try to explain your decision to the other people working on the class project. After the role play, have the class analyze what each person did to accomplish his/her objective. What general principles or guidelines can be drawn from this incident about responsibility? 3. Have several students search for the word "responsibility" on the Internet. Make a list of resources. Then create a Responsibility Web Page with links to these resources. E-mail this list to several of the websites recommending that they link to these resources.

Copywork
I am only one, but still, I am one. I cannot do everything, but I can do something. And, because I can't do everything, I will not refuse to do what I can."
- Edward Everett Hale

Ant and the Grasshopper The Ant and the Grasshopper

Illustrated by Scott Roberto In a field one summer's day a Grasshopper was hopping about, chirping and singing to its heart's content. An Ant passed by, bearing along with great toil an ear of corn he was taking to the nest.

"Why not come and chat with me," said the Grasshopper, "instead of toiling and moiling in that way?" "I am helping to lay up food for the winter," said the Ant, "and recommend you to do the same." "Why bother about winter?" said the Grasshopper; we have got plenty of food at present." But the Ant went on its way and continued its toil. When the winter came the Grasshopper found itself dying of hunger, while it saw the ants distributing, every day, corn and grain from the stores they had collected in the summer.

Then the Grasshopper knew...

It is best to prepare for the days of necessity.

Caring
"No act of kindness, no matter how small, is ever wasted."
&emdash; Aesop

A Caring Person:

Is compassionate Treats all people with kindness Possesses an ability to empathize with fellow human beings Lends a helping hand to those in need Expresses gratitude Forgive others

Musher Activities:
1. What acts of kindess or caring do you think go on during the Iditarod Sled Dog

race? 2. What award is given to the musher who exhibits this particular character trait? 3. Try these sites for help.

Cabelas Iditarod Awards section - a detailed account of who and what Iditarod.com site - very basic information Have you read any articles during the race about your musher or another that exhibited a "caring" or "kind" act?

Writing Activities:
1. Describe the most caring thing anyone has ever done for you. What effect did

that have on you? 2. Write a thank you note to someone who did something very caring - OR 3. Write a thank you note to a historic figure, to thank him/her for what they did. 4. Watch a movie or TV program, and then write about how the actions of the characters demonstrated either caring or uncaring. Write a critique of an uncaring character suggesting how he or she could have been a more caring person.

5. Write about a real or an imagined experience in which YOU performed a

random act of caring/kindness and the results it produced. 6. Imagine that you just inherited $20,000 and you want to spend it all to help other people. What would you do with it, and why? What effect would it have on the people you would be helping?

Student Activities:
1. Brainstorm ways to make your school environment more caring. Create a list of

recommendations, and place them in your school newspaper or on a poster. Find a way to deal with the cynics who will sneer at the whole idea. 2. Write two headings on the blackboard: Caring and Uncaring. Take turns listing things under these headings. Then discuss what it would kinds of efforts it would take to move all of the items from the uncaring column into the caring column.

Copywork
"No act of kindness, no matter how small, is ever wasted."
Aesop

Respect
"Never look down on anybody unless you're helping him up." &emdash; Jesse Jackson,

A Respectful person:

Tolerates views and beliefs that differ from personal views and beliefs Follows the Golden Rule Supports and contributes to healthful habits and safe environments for self and others Is courteous and polite Is considerate of the feelings of others Appreciates and honors diversity

Musher Activities:
1. Research the many different examples of the Golden Rule. 2. Divide a 12 x 18 sheet of white construction paper into half (the hamburger

way). 3. On one side illustrate your chosen Golden Rule example 4. On the other half, illustrate your musher practicing that Golden Rule. (Example: Students may illustrate the "Do unto others as you would have them do unto you" rule. On the musher side, they could have their musher doing a number of things; helping another musher holding a runaway team; assisting another musher in fixing a broken sled; giving "Trail" to another faster musher who is about to pass them.)

Writing Activities:
1. How does government "of, by, and for the people" depend on respect? Write an

2. 3.

4.

5.

essay connecting the concepts of democracy and respect. How is listening to different points of view a sign of respect and a cornerstone of democracy? What is it about the concept of democracy that relies upon mutual respect among people? How is the very concept of democracy related to respect for the individual? Watch a sitcom on television, and then write about how the actions of the characters demonstrated either respectful or disrespectful behavior. Bullies are often trying to make people "respect" them. Is this really respect, or is it fear? What is the difference? How is bullying and violent behavior an act of disrespect? Write about a time when you were disrespectful to someone. Why did it happen? Was it the right thing to do? What were the consequences? How did it make the other person feel? What did you learn from the experience? Describe three things you could do to be a more respectful person. How would that affect your relationships with others? How does it benefit you to be a respectful person?

Student Activities:
1. Conduct a survey in your school or community, asking questions like these. Do

you think people are respectful enough? What are some disrespectful acts that really annoy you? What are some respectful acts that you especially appreciate? Compile the results into a report. 2. Brainstorm ways to make your school environment more respectful. Create a list of recommendations and place them in your school newspaper or on a poster.

3. Divide the class into small groups. Have each group develop a list of do's and

don'ts for being a respectful person. Have them make oral reports to the class addressing the following questions: What happens when people live in accordance with these guidelines. What happens when they don't. In what ways does respectful and disrespectful behavior affect our community and society? 4. Bring in articles from newspapers and magazines describing situations in which respect or disrespect are issues. Talk about who is acting respectfully, and who is acting disrespectfully in these situations. Using the articles as evidence, tell the class about the consequences of disrespectful and respectful behaviors. 5. Role play some typical situations in which disrespectful behavior leads to hostility and maybe even violence. Then, change one of the disrespectful actions into one of respect and see how the outcome changes.

Copywork
"Never look down on anybody unless you're helping him up." Jesse Jackson,

Golden Rule

The Golden Rule

The Golden Rule or the ethic of reciprocity is found in the scriptures of nearly every religion. It is often regarded as the most concise and general principle of ethics. It is a condensation in one principle of all longer lists of ordinances such as the Decalogue. Bah' Faith And if thine eyes be turned towards justice, choose thou for thy neighbour that which thou choosest for thyself. _Epistle to the Son of the Wolf_, 30 Hindu Faith This is the sum of duty: do naught to others which if done to thee would cause thee pain. The Mahabharata Jewish Faith What is hateful to you, do not to your fellow men. That is the entire Law; all the rest is commentary. The Talmud Zoroastrian Faith Whatever is disagreeable to yourself do not do unto others. Shayast-na-Shayast 13:29 Buddhist Faith Hurt not others with that which pains yourself. Udana-Varga

Christian Faith All things whatsoever ye would that men should do to you, do ye even so to them: for this is the law and the prophets. The Gospel of Matthew Matt 7:12, Luke 6:31 Muslim Faith No one of you is a believer until he desires for his brother that which he desires for himself. Hadith And yet some other sources: Do not do unto others what angers you if done to you by others. Isocrates 436-338 BCE

An it harm none, do what thou wilt. Wiccan Rede Tzu-kung asked, 'Is there a single word which can be a guide to conduct throughout one's life?' The Master said, 'It is perhaps the word shu. Do not impose on others what you yourself do not desire.' Analects, 15.24 Refraining from doing what we blame in others. By Thales As quoted in Diogenes Laertius, vol I, page 39 {submitted by Gaylen Bunker} Christianity: Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself. Summations by the author of this article did not include the following comparable statement of Jesus Christ in the New Testament, King James version, which says a bit more that what the author is representing under Christianity It is found in the book of Matthew, Chapter 7 verse 12, and says Therefore all things whatsoever ye would that men should do to you, do ye even so to them: for this is the law and the prophets. You shall love your neighbor as yourself. Judaism and Christianity. Bible, Leviticus 19.18 Whatever you wish that men would do to you, do so to them. Christianity. Bible, Matthew 7.12 Not one of you is a believer until he loves for his brother what he loves for himself. Islam. Forty Hadith of an-Nawawi 13 A man should wander about treating all creatures as he himself would be treated. Jainism. Sutrakritanga 1.11.33 Try your best to treat others as you would wish to be treated yourself, and you will find that this is the shortest way to benevolence. Confucianism. Mencius VII.A.4 One should not behave towards others in a way which is disagreeable to oneself. This is the essence of morality. All other activities are due to selfish desire. Hinduism. Mahabharata, Anusasana Parva 113.8

Tsekung asked, Is there one word that can serve as a principle of conduct for life? Confucius replied, It is the word shu--reciprocity: Do not do to others what you do not want them to do to you. Confucianism. Analects 15.23 Leviticus 19.18: Quoted by Jesus in Matthew 22.36-40. Mencius VII.A.4 and Analects 15.23: Cf. Analects 6.28.2, p. 975. Comparing oneself to others in such terms as Just as I am so are they, just as they are so am I, he should neither kill nor cause others to kill. Buddhism. Sutta Nipata 705 One going to take a pointed stick to pinch a baby bird should first try it on himself to feel how it hurts. African Traditional Religions. Yoruba Proverb (Nigeria) One who you think should be hit is none else but you. One who you think should be governed is none else but you. One who you think should be tortured is none else but you. One who you think should be enslaved is none else but you. One who you think should be killed is none else but you. A sage is ingenuous and leads his life after comprehending the parity of the killed and the killer. Therefore, neither does he cause violence to others nor does he make others do so. Jainism. Acarangasutra 5.101-2 The Ariyan disciple thus reflects, Here am I, fond of my life, not wanting to die, fond of pleasure and averse from pain. Suppose someone should rob me of my life... it would not be a thing pleasing and delightful to me. If I, in my turn, should rob of his life one fond of his life, not wanting to die, one fond of pleasure and averse from pain, it would not be a thing pleasing or delightful to him. For a state that is not pleasant or delightful to me must also be to him also; and a state that is not pleasing or delightful to me, how could I inflict that upon another? As a result of such reflection he himself abstains from taking the life of creatures and he encourages others so to abstain, and speaks in praise of so abstaining. Buddhism. Samyutta Nikaya v.353 A certain heathen came to Shammai and said to him, Make me a proselyte, on condition that you teach me the whole Torah while I stand on one foot. Thereupon he repulsed him with the rod which was in his hand. When he went to Hillel, he said to him, What is hateful to you, do not do to your neighbor: that is the whole Torah; all the rest of it is commentary; go and learn. Judaism. Talmud, Shabbat 31a Teacher, which is the great commandment in the law? Jesus said to him, You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind. This is the great and first commandment. And a second is like it, You shall love your neighbor as yourself. Christianity. Bible, Matthew 22.36-40

Fairness
"This country will not be a good place for any of us to live in unless we make it a good place for all of us to live in."
Theodore Roosevelt,

A Fair Person:

Takes turns and shares Plays by the rules Treats others the way he or she would like to be treated Makes decisions that affect others only after consideration Listens to others Doesn't take advantage of others Is open minded Understands the difference between justice and vengeance

Musher Activities:
1. Read through the current race rules and policies of the Iditarod Sled Dog Race. 2. Discuss in small groups your "feelings" about one that you find interesting in

particular. Perhaps it's rather ridiculous to you what the musher's have to do if they come upon a moose on the trail and it attacks their team. (See Rule #35) The Killing of Game Animals. 3. What is the policy and rules about "drug use?" 4. Why do you think this is necessary? 5. Do you think that the Iditarod dogs are considered "athletes?" 6. What is the definition of an "athlete?" Use dictionary.com as an online reference. 7. Compare the Iditarod dogs to a professional athlete. There is a lesson online at marcopolo.worldcom.com about "Underpaid Millionaires" in reference to athletes. 8. Read "Are Baseball Players Underpaid?". Make sure you are in the "student version" of the lesson so it makes better sense to you. Follow the links and do the work as instructed. This is self-guided. 9. Discuss in a small group your findings. 10. Complete any work asked of you in the lesson plans

Writing Activities:
1. Think of a time when you've taken unfair advantage of a person or a situation,

or when someone has taken unfair advantage of you. Describe it. What was unfair about it? How did it make you feel? What did you learn from the experience? 2. How is fairness related to having respect for others? How is it related to honesty? To being reliable? To being a good citizen? 3. Craig Kielburger has written a book about his experiences fighting child labor called Free the Children (Harper Collins). It is very powerful, inspiring, and beautifully written. Have your students read it and write a book report.

4. Describe an unfair situation in your community and what you think should be

done about it. 5. Research and write about how the legal system in a democracy attempts to administer fairness or justice. What are the elements of the legal system that are designed to make justice work?

Student Activities:
1. As a class, make the following two lists: a list of things we sometimes do in our

personal lives that are unfair, and a list of things we do as a society that are unfair. What could be done to rectify these injustices so we can cross them off the list? Whose responsibility is it to correct the injustices in our society? How could you contribute to the effort? How could we do better in our personal lives? 2. Invite a judge to come and talk to your class about how he/she makes a fair decision in the courtroom. 3. Bring in articles from newspapers and magazines describing situations in which fairness and justice is an issue. Decide who is acting fairly, and who is acting unfairly in these situations. 4. One aspect of fairness is equal opportunity. Do a research study in your school to see if students feel that they have equal opportunities. Are there groups of students who don't think they do? Consider race, class, and sex in your study. Is there a group of "outcasts" in your school who feel that they're being treated unfairly? What could be done to address these complaints. Share the results of the study with the staff and other students.

Copywork
"This country will not be a good place for any of us to live in unless we make it a good place for all of us to live in."
Theodore Roosevelt,

Citizenship
"Life is not so short but that there is always time enough for courtesy."
- Ralph Waldo Emerson

A Person of good Citizenship:

Plays by the rules Obeys laws and rules Does his or her share of the work

Stays informed Cooperates Protects the environment and conserves resources Respects authority Pays taxes

Musher Activities:
1. Write an essay about why your musher is a good citizen. 2. Martin Buser took the oath of becoming a U.S. Citizen under the Burled Arch

3. 4. 5. 6.

in Nome at the end of the Iditarod Sled Dog Race. What is that oath? See if you can locate it. What is U.S. Citizenship and Naturalization? What does an immigrant have to do in order to become a citizen of the U.S.? In 2000, a new law allows the waiver of citizenship oath. Whom is this new law going to benefit? What types of actions do you see musher exhibiting on the trail during the Iditarod race that exhibit citizenship? What is the sportsmanship award criteria? Do you think your musher should receive it? Why or why not? Who would you vote for this year to win that award?

Writing Activities:
1. Identify a good citizen in your community. Write an essay describing why he or 2.

3.

4.

5.

6.

she deservesthat title. Write a letter to the editor of your newspaper about a problem in the community that needs tobe addressed. Lay out a plan for rectifying the problem. From a newspaper, magazine, TV show, or movie, identify an act of poor citizenship displayedby an adult who should know better. Write a letter of criticism to this person with the intention of trying to convince him or her to shape up. Provide specific ways in which this person can improve his/her behavior. Write a speech describing the essential balance of rights and responsibilities in ourdemocracy. Try to convince your fellow classmates that in a democracy the preservation of our rights depends on our exercise of responsibility. In ancient Greece, people felt that it was important for all people to try to leave Athens better than they found it. Write an essay in which you apply this principle to your own community. Think of some kind of volunteer work you might like to do. Describe it and tell why you think you would like it. If you have done volunteer work in the past describe what it was like and what you got out of it.

Student Activities:
1. Divide the class into small groups. Have each group develop a list of do's and

don'ts for good citizenship.Have them make oral reports to the class addressing the following questions: What happens when people live in accordance with these guidelines. What happens when they don't? In what ways does apathy or failure to act as good citizens affect our community and society? How can young people demonstrate civic responsibility? 2. Identify some individuals or organizations who are making a positive difference in your community. Work in groups to interview these people and then give class reports on how they got started, why they do what they do, how they have accomplished what they have. 3. Service Project: Have the class (as a whole, or in groups) evaluate real needs in the school or community and plan a service project to meet those needs. Then, implement the plan and document its activities. 4. Have a brainstorming session about ways to improve your school. Then, develop a comprehensive plan for carrying out these changes. Be sure this plan considers the students, teachers, administrators, and everyone else who has a stake in the school.

Copywork
"Life is not so short but that there is always time enough for courtesy."
- Ralph Waldo Emerson

STAR PROCESS
When you have an important decision to make or a problem to solve, this fourstep process can help! Do you think mushers of the Iditarod use this process? Could they? Read through these components and reflect on a time or times when your chosen musher may have had to rely on a process such as this? Look through the activities at the bottom to test your reflection on the STAR PROCESS!
In order to solve problems, prepare for action or make plans or a decision, you must STOP long enough to think about what you are about to do. Once you stop, you have time to THINK so that you can make the BEST choice! Whats hould you think about? The ABC's of responsible behavior!

STOP THINK

ACT

Once you decide on your best choice, you must act upon it. Remember, you are making the choice. You are ACTING. You are responsible for what you do. After taking action, review what happened as a result. Ask yourself:

REVIEW

Did my action get me closer to or further from my goal? How did my action get me closer or further from my goal?

What you can learn from your answers will help you with future problems to solve or decisions to make.

ABC's of Responsible Behavior

A B C

What are my Alternatives or my choices? What is the Behavior that I will choose? What might be the Consequences of the action I am about to take?

Musher Activities 1. Arctic Challenges - Do you think the STAR process would come in

handy for these life-threatening situations? 2. MOOSE! - Read this short account of Susan Butcher's experience with a moose in 1985. Think about the thinking process she had to use and how fast she had to react? Did she make the right decision?

Arctic Challenges
Science Cooperative Learning Project
Each group has a survival problem to solve in the Arctic. The groups need to brainstorm as many ways possible to solve their survival situation. Come up with two logical ideas and write down specific ways the problem could be solved. All members must work together and share in the brainstorming. Each group then presents their findings to the rest of the class.

You are crossing the open tundra Problem in the winter when a snowstorm What can you strikes. You know you won't be do to keep able to reach home for many hours. Fortunately, you have your yourself warm knife and adequate food with you. until the storm is over? You walk across vast stretches of snow-covered ground each day. During the spring when the sun's rays are strongest, the glare of sunlight off the snow hurts your eyes and can lead to blindness. Problem How can you protect your eyes from the sun and still be able to see? Think about what animals do.

You have decided to move camp. You harness your dog team and tie your Problem belongings to the How can you control your sled. You know that sled on downhill slopes? when going down steep slopes your sled can build up so much momentun that it can

run out of control and overtake the dogs.

Problem

In winter, temperatures in the Arctic often plunge to What kind of clothing will you wear to stay -40 F. and are frequently warm on a typical accompanied by gusting winter day such as winds. In this kind of this? Describe in detail climate an unprotected at least one specific person can survive for feature of the clothes only about 15 minutes. you design or choose to wear. Even in the harsh Arctic Problem environment there is time for What kind of special ceremonies and musical instrument feasts. You and your group dance, wear masks, and make would you make? What would you music during these annual use? How would celebrations. you make it?

1986, 1987, & 1988 Winner of the Iditarod There is only one woman who enters a race called the Iditarod, that takes her 1,161 miles across the Alaskan wilderness, enduring 100 m.p.h. winds, arctic blizzards, snow blindness, wild animals, thin ice, sleep deprivation, avalanches, and whatever else nature feels like throwing at a person up in the land of the

midnight sun -- and wins three times in a row. That woman is Susan Butcher. Susan Butcher grew up in the city of Boston. She hated city life, she thought it was unhealthy and crowded. She moved to the Wrangell Mountains of Alaska to pursue her first love - dog-sled racing and breeding huskies! She is an animal lover, a businesswoman, a wife and a mother. She is also the only person ever to win the 1,161 mile Iditarod three consecutive times. She trains between twelve to sixteen hours a day, usually seven days a week. She trains herself through running, cycling, weight lifting program, and then for about nine months of the year she can actually use a sled. She mushes fifty to seventy miles a day. "I have been known to walk in front of my team for 55 miles, with snow shoes, to lead them through snow storms, in non-racing situations, where I could have just as easily radioed for a plane to come and get me." She went to Colorado State University, and became a veterinarian technician. She then took courses above and beyond technician work in the veterinary field. But she was not a student, mostly because of her dyslexia. She worked to become a vet for three years before deciding not to pursue it further. Once when she was interviewed she was asked to describe one of her adventures while mushing. "A less common danger, but nonetheless very serious, is the moose. The wolves are simply curious. They never cause us any problems. The bears, except for the polar bears, are in hibernation, and most of the polar bears are much further north than where we race. So the only danger for us really is the moose and the buffalo. But we only run through one herd of buffalo on the way to Nome. The moose generally run away from a dog team but occasionally they will somehow feel entrapped, and they feel they have to run toward you, and in essence, through the dog team. That has probably happened to me three or four times. No serious injuries to the dogs, none to me. Only minor injuries. In 1985, I was traveling alone at night in the lead of the race and ran into an obviously crazed moose. She was starving to death. There was something wrong with her. She was just skin and bones. And rather than run away, she turned to charge the team. I thought she would just run through me. I stopped the team, threw the sled over. She had plenty of room to pass us along the trail. She came into the team and stopped. She just started stomping and kicking the dogs. She charged at me. for twenty minutes, I held her off with my ax and with my parka, waving it in her face. And finally, another musher came along and we shot her, but not before she had killed two of my dogs, and she injured thirteen others, leaving me to scratch from the race. She bruised my shoulder. We spent the next two weeks at a veterinary hospital, saving the lives of the injured dogs." Susan and her husband Dave Monson have run in and won almost every major dog sled race worldwide. Additionally, Susan has even taken a team of dogs to the 20,230 foot summit of Mount McKinley! They have a little daughter named Marguerita.

LIMERICKS

A limerick is a funny five-line verse that has a particular pattern of rhyme and rhythm. The lighthearted rhythm and rhyming pattern of a limerick lends itself to humor and nonsense. Limericks are written in five lines with two rhyming patterns. Lines 1, 2, and 5 have one rhyming sound. Lines 3 and 4 have another.
.
Musher Brad There was a young musher named Brad, 16 Husky dogs the man had. They rammed him in trees, He raced on his knees. To finish the race he was glad.

Brad from Bottineau Brad is a musher from Bottineau, Who lives most his days in the snow. He ran the great race, Red Lantern he placed. Forever the people will know!

CINQUAINS
After a brief poetry lesson, students created their own cinquains about a topic of interest related to the Iditarod Sled Dog Race. Have students illustrate their work, too.

To create a CINQUAIN follow this menu:

First line Second line

Noun 2 adjectives (describing your noun

Third line Fourth line

Fifth line

3 verbs or action words describing your noun A 4 word short phrase that makes a statement about your noun. Another noun other than your first line. This should be a synonym to the first line.

VETERINARIAN Thoughtful, serious Caring, loving, helping A lover of animals Doctor

CARIBOU Deer, Alaska Walking, running, hunting Leaping across the land Reindeer

KAYAK Waterproof, buoyant Floating, drifting, rowing It's used for hunting Boat

VILLAGE Small, content Sitting, staying, sheltering Home to some people Town

MUKLUKS Comfortable, cozy Warming, protecting, covering Used especially for snow Boots

FLOE Ice, cold Moving, stopping, staying Sometimes they sink ships Iceberg

IDITAROD Dogs, mushers Grueling, challenging, competing 1,049 miles over wilderness Race

Click here for map with links to each checkpoint's notes

Iditarod Trail Notes by Checkpoint

Anchorage
On the first Saturday of March every year, teams start the Iditarod in Anchorage. The Anchorage start is actually just for show. Teams run 25 miles from Anchorage to Eagle River, carrying riders who have paid up to 7,000 dollars for the chance to be a part of the action. This ceremonial start is a way to involve many excited race fans and increase the media exposure that both the mushers and race receive. Teams run from 4th Avenue in downtown Anchorage, through the streets and parks of the city, and then along highways and trails to Eagle River, just north of Anchorage along the Glenn Highway.

Eagle River
Checkpoint #1 at Eagle River is the finish of the ceremonial leg. The checkpoint is the Eagle River VFW post, and it is a busy scene as teams come in just seconds apart from each other. The staff of the checkpoint are excellent at traffic management and parking dog trucks and teams in limited space. Once mushers have cared for their dogs, they can enjoy a bowl of chili and a piece of cornbread served by members of the VFW. From Eagle River, teams travel in their dog trucks to Wasilla for the restart on the following day. The trail between Eagle River and Wasilla is too dangerous to be a practical part of the race trail.

Wasilla
Mile 0 Wasilla is the official Iditarod start. While the Anchorage start was just for show the clock starts here. You can feel the tension in the air as the teams are harnessed and the sleds are loaded, although most of the competitive teams have appeared relaxed up until this point, its crunch time now. All of the teams are required to carry a handler from Wasilla to Knik, so for most the teams that means hauling a second sled which is cut loose as they pass through Knik.

Knik
Mile 14 Knik is the last farewell as the mushers leave the road system and head out into the bush. For most of the mushers this is the last time they will see their friends and family until the cross the finish line in Nome. But the meeting is brief, as most the racers spend less than five minutes in this checkpoint.

Yentna
Mile 66 Yentna Station, a small lodge on the Yentna River, is the first remote checkpoint, which means it can only be acsessed by snowmobile or air. The mushers strategy starts here. How far they push on the first run will affect their entire race.

Skwentna
Mile 100 Skwentna, during the race, has so much air traffic that most of the mushers travel through the checkpoint and camp a few mile north just to escape the noise and confusion. The trail to Skwentna is mostly flat and runs down lakes and rivers, but once the teams leave Skwentna they head into mountain country.

Finger Lake
Mile 145 The Finger Lake checkpoint is operated out of Winter Lake Lodge. Many of the teams camp here before they begin their climb up into Rainy Pass. Again, because of air traffic, many teams will camp just a few miles out of the checkpoint.

Rainy Pass
Mile 175 Rainy Pass is one of Alaskas most spectacular places. While the checkpoint is at Puntilla Lake, a few miles from the actual pass, the view is breathtaking. As soon as you leave Puntilla Lake you climb a few hundred feet and the pass opens up in front of you. It really brings you down to size.

Rohn
Mile 223 The Rohn checkpoint is a solitary cabin on the bank of the Kuskokwim River. Often there is so little snow here that the wind whips sand from the exposed gravel bars and covers up what little snow there is, leaving the trails extremely rough.

Nikolai
Mile 303 Nikolai is the light at the end of the tunnel! After nearly one hundred miles of poor snow and rough trails they emerge battered. You can start to pick the winning teams here. Many teams that once dreamed of winning are now forced just to hang on. Nikolai has a population of 104, so this is the first big city the mushers have seen since Knik. Nikolai is a favorite for the mandatory 24hour rest. Often a large percentage of the mushers will take advantage of the legendary Nikolai hospitality.

McGrath
Mile 351 McGrath is the largest village on the southern part of the trail and is another 24hour rest favorite, so they have a real nice facility set up for the mushers so they can dry their gear and get a little sleep. McGrath has a fairly large airfield and daily commercial flights so many mushers choose to send a spare sled here.

Takotna
Mile 369 Takotna was a booming mining town for many years and the hills are laced with four-wheeler trails going to all the abandoned mines. The fifty residents of Takotna go out of their way every year to make the mushers feel welcome in this remote village on the Takotna River.

Ophir
Mile 394 Ophir is another single log cabin checkpoint. Like many settlements in this part of Alaska, Ophir was once a gold mining encampment. Much of the gold in this area has been mined, and Ophir's heydays are past. But every in March of every year, Ophir turns into a busy checkpoint on the Iditarod Trail. Just north of Ophir the trail splits; on even numbered years the mushers continue north to the checkpoint at Cripple, while on the odd numbered years they take a more southerly trail to the checkpoint at Iditarod. The trails reconnect at the village of Kaltag on the Yukon River.

Iditarod
(Southern Route--odd numbered years only)--Mile 484 The trail from Ophir to Iditarod passes over a range of hills known as the Beaver Mountains. This part of Alaska is very isolated, and it is not uncommon for mushers to pass through this area without seeing ANY sign of another human being. When teams crest the hill that marks the edge of the shallow Iditarod River Valley, mushers and dogs are greeting with the eerie sight of the massive ghost town of Iditarod. The town of Iditarod was a major boom town during the last major Alaskan gold strike in the early part of the 20th century. Eager miners flocked to the area, and merchants quickly followed. At one point, estimates have the population of Iditarod marked around 10,000. Iditarod had bakeries, slaughterhouses, a soda pop bottling factory, and even a crude telephone system by 1919. Because of this, the need for transportation in and out of the Iditarod mining district was very great. In the summer months, riverboats could navigate the river system from the Bering Sea all the way up to Iditarod. But in the winter, with the river system frozen, dog teams became the link between Iditarod and the rest of the world. Trails running southeast from Nome and northwest from Seward converged on the Iditarod mining district to create what is known today as the Iditarod National Historic Trail. This trail was one of the only routes connecting the icefree ports in southern Alaska to the isolated gold camps and villages of the frontier. People, supplies, the U.S. Mail, and even gold traveled this trail, and the mushers and dogs of the Iditarod Race follow much of its route on their 1,150-mile trip from Anchorage to Nome. By the mid-1920s, much of the gold in the Iditarod mining district was gone, and the population of the town quickly dropped to zero. However, the remains of a city that would be considered large in Alaska by today's standards remains along the banks of the Iditarod River. The checkpoint itself is located at the edge of the townsite. A small cabin provides shelter for mushers and race officials. It is one of the only inhabitable structures that remains in this once bustling town.

Shageluk
(Southern Route--odd numbered years only)--Mile 546

Shageluk literally translated means "village of the dog people," a reference to the importance of sled dogs throughout Alaska prior to the arrival of the airplane and snowmobile. Shageluk is a small village with very generous residents. In 2001, the trail from Iditarod to Shageluk was extremely rough, and many mushers broke their sleds. Musher Cindy Gallea was working to repair her sled when a young high school student from the village walked by. He saw that she was trying to repair a bracket and quickly went to the metal shop at the school and made a replacement. The replacement bracket remained on the sled for the rest of the race.

Anvik
(Southern Route--odd numbered years only)--Mile 571 The small village of Anvik lies adjacent to a slough on the west bank of the mighty Yukon River. The first musher to reach Anvik is awarded the "First Musher to the Yukon Award." The Award is sponsored by the Millennium Alaskan Hotel in Anchorage, and the lucky musher to receive the Award is treated to a seven-course meal prepared on a camp stove by the hotels executive chef, who flies out just for the occasion! The "after dinner mint" is a cool stack of $3,000 cash.

Grayling
(Southern Route--odd numbered years only)--Mile 589 Grayling is another small village on the Yukon River just 18 miles upstream from Anvik. Because Anvik and Grayling are so close together, most mushers don't stop at both checkpoints. Some mushers will run from Shageluk straight to Grayling (not stopping at Anvik). These mushers will then continue on up river to Eagle Island after resting at Grayling. Remember, mushers must take an 8-hour rest at either Shageluk, Anvik, Grayling, Eagle Island, or Kaltag. This is one of the three required rest stops along the trail. Of course, mushers take many other rest stops, but those rest stops are typically in the 6-hour range at this point in the race.

Eagle Island
(Southern Route--odd numbered years only)--Mile 659 Eagle Island is the Hawaii of the North! In 1995, temperatures at Eagle Island were 55 degrees BELOW zero! The checkpoint is essentially a couple of wall tents put up by hearty volunteers who spend a week living on the frozen ice of the Yukon River to staff the checkpoint. A cabin used to stand on the bank of the river and marked the only permanent structure at the checkpoint, but it burned after the 1997 Iditarod and has not been rebuilt. No villages exist in the 130 miles between Grayling and Kaltag. Eagle island is the only "civilization" on this part of the Yukon for the mushers and their teams. Next checkpoint: Kaltag.

Cripple (the next checkpoint after Ophir on the northern route)

(Northern Route--even numbered years only)--Mile 454 Cripple was once a booming gold town and in a 17-year period Cripple once saw $35 million dollars worth of gold taken from her soil. Now there is no Cripple town, just a group of tents flown in by the Iditarod Trail Committee. Cripple is the official halfway point in the race and the first team into Cripple receives a $3,000 prize awarded by Iditarod sponsor GCI.

Ruby
(Northern Route--even numbered years only)--Mile 566

Ruby is the first village on the Yukon River, and after a 112-mile stretch with a wilderness camp most the mushers are cold and wet and so they usually choose to spend at least six hours in Ruby. No musher has ever taken their 24hour rest past Ruby and gone on to win the race.

Galena
(Northern Route--even numbered years only)--Mile 618 Galena is a U.S. Air Force Base on the Yukon River. Many mushers, if they hope to be competitive in the race, will choose to skip through this checkpoint and take advantage of the flat, easy trail on the river to make a long push.

Nulato
(Northern Route--even numbered years only)--Mile 670 Nulato is a favorite for the mandatory eight hour rest that must be taken somewhere in one of the Yukon River checkpoints. This is especially true for the mushers who have been running straight from Ruby. The mushers can take advantage of the community hall to dry gear or to get a bite to eat.

Kaltag
Mile 712 -- (northern and southern routes reconnect here) Reaching Kaltag can signify one of two things. A relief from gale force winds as you leave the Yukon River in a bad year, or the end of a beautiful flat trail and the start of another hilly stretch in a good year. The northern and southern routes reconnect here so the rest of the trail is the same every year. Once you leave Kaltag you are in caribou country. Its not uncommon to see herds of several hundred caribou crossing the trail or foraging on the hillsides.

Unalakleet
Mile 802 Unalakleet is the first checkpoint on the Norton Sound and is famous for its wind. Local volunteers, in an effort to reduce the wind, pile up huge snow-banks to offer the dogs shelter. Unalakleet happens to have, in my opinion, the best restaurant this side of New York! An interesting note: for at least ten years the first team to leave Unalakleet has gone on to win the Iditarod.

Shaktoolik
Mile 844 Shaktoolik is on the end of a 20-foot wide, 15-mile long, never ending spit. Last year, even on a snowmobile, it seem that after two eternities we were no closer to Shaktoolik. About the time you resign yourself to the fact that youre just never going to get there you start to see buildings, thus encouraged you decide that maybe you are still alive and not really being punished for all those time you missed church. But, those building are Old Shaktoolik, five more miles to go!

Koyuk
Mile 892

Once you reach the Koyuk checkpoint you are mostly done with the sea ice, which can be very hazardous. The Koyuk River is famous for its excellent ice fishing, but I think most the mushers arent very concerned about that at this point.

Elim
Mile 940 Elim checkpoint can be one of the most important places on the race. If you have the gas in the tank you can push through Elim and gain a huge time advantage on your competitors. If the musher decides he doesnt have the gas he has to rest in the checkpoint for a couple of hours until the team is ready to continue. The absolute worst possible thing the musher can do is to leave Elim if the dogs are too tired. It is a long way to the next food drop checkpoint.

Golovin
Mile 968 Golovin Bay is a pass-through checkpoint, which means there is no dog-drop or food-drop. All the mushers must sign in at this checkpoint to prove they followed the trail and didnt take the extremely dangerous short cut across the Norton Sound.

White Mountain
Mile 986 White Mountain is the last rest stop for most of the mushers. There is a mandatory eight-hour stop that the mushers take before traveling the last 77 miles to Nome. In a normal year you can get a pretty good feel for who is going to win the race at this point. In 1978 Dick Mackey and Rick Swenson left the White Mountain checkpoint just minutes apart. They raced neck-and-neck the entire last run and as the crossed under the Burled Arches (the finish line) Dick Mackey pulled ahead for a one-second win. The closest finish in Iditarod history.

Safety
Mile 1041 Safety checkpoint is just 22 miles from the finish line. In fact on a clear year the mushers can see the lights on Nome from just a few miles north of Safety.

Nome
Mile 1063 NOME! The finish line. With a population of 3,500 (that swells to over twice that number during race time) they provide quite the welcome to the mushers who have championed the Iditarod Trail. Note that the actual mileage of the trail, about 1,060 miles, is somewhere between the originally estimated mileage (1,150 miles) and the symbolic mileage of the race (1,049 miles because the race was at least 1,000 miles long, and Alaska is the 49th state).

Seward

Seward is the historic beginning of the Iditarod Trail. The reason that Seward was the starting site was the fact that Seward sits at the head of Resurrection Bay, one of the best ice-free ports in Alaska. Ships could come into Seward year round to deliver mail and supplies and dog teams would head into the interior of Alaska from there.