Iditarod Dog Sled Race 2007

Bark River Racing and the University of Minnesota Duluth have created an exciting educational opportunity for teachers and students. Matt Rossi, of Bark River Racing, who is also the head of catering at UMD, will be racing in this year's Iditarod dog sled race from Anchorage to Nome, Alaska. We have created a list of resources as well as nine lesson plans that correspond with this "The Last Great Race on Earth."

The 2007 race will begin on Saturday, March 3, and will take about 8 to 15 days. During these two weeks, students will be able to follow Matt and the other 82 mushers on this 1,131 mile journey, complete the lessons and join people, worldwide, in the spirit of adventure.

The lesson plans and other documents available below may be downloaded in either Microsoft Word format or Adobe Portable Document Format (PDF) format.

• Where is Matt? -- (as a Word file) or (as a PDF file)
• Southern Route for Iditarod 2007 (map) -- (as a Word file) or (as a PDF file)
• Iditarod Profile for Musher Matt Rossi

Lesson Plans

1. Harness UP! -- (as a Word file) or (as a PDF file)
2. Going the Distance -- (as a Word file) or (as a PDF file)
3. How Big Is It? -- (as a Word file) or (as a PDF file)
4. Inuksuk -- (as a Word file) or (as a PDF file)
5. Minnesota vs. Alaska -- (as a Word file) or (as a PDF file)
6. And the Story Goes… -- (as a Word file) or (as a PDF file)
7. The Meltdown -- (as a Word file) or (as a PDF file)
8. Woodsong -- (as a Word file) or (as a PDF file)
9. Brrr Its Cold with Temperature Comparison Graph and Wind Chill Calculation Chart -- (as a Word file) or (as a PDF file)

Project Coordinator

Nick J. Olson
University of Minnesota Duluth
Phone: (218) 726-8058
Email: olso1991@d.umn.edu

Additional Information

• http://www.barkriverracing.com
• http://www.iditarod.com
• http://www.cabelasiditarod.com
• http://www.earthslot.org/iditarod
• http://mushing.bssd.org
• http://teacher.scholastic.com/activities/iditarod
• http://www.iditarodpodcast.com
• http://www.ultimateiditarod.com
• http://www.arcticinuitart.com/culture/inuk.html (Inuksuk Resource)
• http://www.pinnaclefarms.ca/ORIANAsite/AboutNameandLogo/InuksukNew.html (Inuksuk Resource)

Photo credits: Bark River Racing.