My First Challenge as a Finalist

Dear Boys and Girls,

I have so much to tell you already. Yesterday was a big day. I had to complete my first challenge of the week. It began with a scavenger hunt. I was sent out to find and photograph a raven, mukluks, a mode of transportation, and a state symbol of Alaska. Then I had to find people to interview and ask them questions about the state of Alaska. That part of the challenge was fun. It didn't take me long to find all of the things to photograph. As soon as I walked outside I heard the squawking of ravens. They are scavengers and love to look for food in dumpsters. Soon, I found an art gallery called Native Alaskan Arts. Inside, I found a small handmade sled and a pair of mukluks decorated with the state flower of Alaska, the forget-me-not. I also met the business manager of the gallery who was a Native Alaskan. Her name was Carrie Swanson. She told me about her life and family. She grew up in a town called Bethel which is located in the far north of the state. Her family's specialty is making cozy parkas and clothing made of animal furs. She showed me a picture of her whole family dressed in the clothes they made. The next part of the challenge was harder. I had to go to a room and write a story about the scavenge hunt and interview for a new blog. People were talking in the room and I had very little time to write my story and add my pictures. I had a hard time not getting distracted by all the conversation. Having a deadline made me nervous and sometimes I couldn't think of anything to write because I was worried about running out of time. Just when the time was over, I finished. After that, I had to go to a meeting with the other finalists where we were given our next challenge. We had to work together to create a new blog using Wordpress, something none of us had ever done before. We were given a few directions and told it had to be done because it would be the new Iditarod Teacher on the Trail Finalists website. We didn't have to finish it right then, but it had to be done Tuesday night. I'm so proud of how the three of us worked together and created our new blog. I think it is going "live" tomorrow. That means you will be able to view it and read our articles online soon. I will send you the link when the blog is "live" so you can see what we accomplished. It was a lot of work, but we worked as a team and that made all the difference!

Dear Boys and Girls,
I'm thinking of all of you and wish you could be here. My trip is going great so far! I arrived in Anchorage Saturday afternoon after a long flight from Chicago. As you know, Anchorage is the largest city in Alaska. It is a busy place similar to Grand Rapids with streets full of cars, lots of restaurants, tall buildings, and many different stores. The first thing I did was check in at my hotel. When I entered my room, I was immediately met with the most beautiful view you can imagine. In the distance, majestic snow covered mountains welcomed me. My heart skipped a beat thinking of what the mushers must feel when they are out on the trail. Next, I noticed a festival going on in the streets below. Right beneath me was a city block of carnival rides and a big banner that said "Anchorage Fur Rendezvous." Also called the Fur Rondy, this festival celebrates the days when fur trappers met in Anchorage to trade and sell furs. I could see people milling around in line for the rides and a crowd in front of a stage. I wondered what the people were watching when I saw a man holding up a big, huge fur. It was a fur auction! Even today, trappers bring their furs here to sell. Wow! I guess I really got lucky. I could see all the action right from my hotel room. Since then, I've had a chance to walk around downtown and explore the festival a bit. Many people were dressed for the festival in fur hats and fur coats that looked so warm and cozy. I also saw a short dog sled race. It was just a short race that wound through the streets of Anchorage, but it got me excited for the big race that starts in less than a week. I'll keep writing about my trip in the days to come. I miss all of you! Mrs. A.

Assignment #5

Dear Boys and Girls,


Today in class, you explored a box full of artifacts related to the Iditarod. You also brainstormed questions about the Iditarod. By now, I bet you are realizing there is a LOT to learn about this race. Pick a question or a topic that you want to learn about this week. Try to find the answer using iditarod.com or other internet resources. Then, write what you learned in a google document or on paper. If you use google docs, share it with me by adding my e mail address in the appropriate place and print a copy to show the class. I'm excited to hear what you learned and I know your classmates will be, too!

Assignment #4

Read my last post titled "Mrs. A's Big Trip." When you are done, write down 5 questions that you would like me to answer about the trip BEFORE I leave. Bring them to school by Wednesday morning this week. If you write them on google docs, please bring a copy to school, too. For some unknown reason, some of the documents you share with me on google docs are not getting to me. I'm looking forward to your questions and I promise I will give you the answers in a COOL way!

Mrs. A's Big Trip

Dear Class,
Now you know who is taking your "Good Luck" cards to Anchorage-it's me! Yes, I reached my goal of being a finalist for the Iditarod Teacher on the TrailTM 2013! I am heading off on a "once in a lifetime" adventure to Alaska. I will be spending 10 days in Anchorage during the most exciting time of year, the week before the Iditarod. Volunteers will be busy setting up the official race headquarters at the Millenium Hotel. Fans, news reporters, and photographers from all over the world will be arriving. There will be veterinarians, race officials, and sponsors in town, too. Best of all, the mushers and their dogs will be there. I wonder what it will be like? What will I see? What will I hear? Who might I meet? One special event I plan to attend is the Mushers Banquet. All of the mushers go, and many will make time during the evening to greet fans. I will bring each of your cards and deliver them to your mushers. I know they will be glad to have special fans cheering for them all the way from Michigan!

Assignment #3

All of the mushers will need good luck to do their best in the Iditarod. For homework, make your musher a "Good Luck" card using paper from home. Make sure you put your musher's name on the front. Inside, write a note to your musher saying that you will be cheering for him/her during the race. Tell a little about yourself, too. Sign the inside with your name. Add pictures and decorations. Do your very best because I know someone who is going to Anchorage and will deliver your card to your musher before the race.

Iditarod Assignment #2

Hi Boys and Girls! The Iditarod Race is only 26 days away. This week, we need to learn about the checkpoints on the trail. Scroll down and find Websites on the right in this blog. Click on "Scholastic's Iditarod Race Across Alaska." Then click on "Explore the Trail." Click on "even numbered years" to show this year's checkpoints. Start at Anchorage and read about all the checkpoints. Then, answer these questions: If you could visit one checkpoint, which one would it be? What would you see there? Why is it your favorite checkpoint? You may answer the questions in a google document and share it with me or you may write it on paper.