One of Guilderland's priorities is to move students beyond New York State's standards, preparing them not just for the tests they will take in school but also for the real "tests" of life. Here is an example of how the district is accomplishing this priority:

Racing into education

Students explore the exciting world of the Iditarod

Imagine what it would be like to race across more than 1150 miles of harsh Alaskan terrain, passing through jagged mountain ranges, dense forests, and desolate tundra in temperatures well below zero. Now imagine making the journey on a sled, led by a team of well-trained dogs, with nothing more between you and the elements than a thick winter coat. This is the Iditarod.

For students in second grade at Altamont Elementary School, the Iditarod has become a daily part of classroom life. They have been studying the 12-day race, its participants, and the area of the globe in which it takes place since late February as part of an annual educational event.

“The project allows us to integrate areas of social studies, math, science, reading, and technology while studying a real-life event,” said second-grade teacher Jamilyn Rubin.

Prior to the race—which begins in early March—all AES second-grade students read numerous texts relating to mushing. In addition, they study the climate and geography of Alaska and examine the Iditarod route using various maps.

Students then partner with children in the fifth grade to research and choose a musher to follow throughout the event.

“It’s a great opportunity for younger students to work with and learn from older students who have already participated in the activity as second graders,” said Allan Lockwood, whose fifth graders partnered with children in Rubin’s class.

Once the race begins, students track the progress of their individual mushers on the Internet using iBook computers in the classroom. They keep daily logs of activity, recording each musher’s position on the trail, last checkpoint, speed, and number of dogs.

Students then use this information to make predictions and inferences about their musher’s progress.
Daily updates to each musher’s location are plotted on a classroom map, until a winner crosses the finish line.

“Following the Iditarod really gets students excited about learning,” said Rubin. Many children even track the race from home.

“I cannot wait to get up in the morning and see how my musher is doing,” said fifth grader Tyler Reinemann.

And the other students agree. “I like to see people do hard things and accomplish them without getting hurt,” said second grader Kemper Davis. “It makes me so proud of them.”

The Iditarod project culminated with a special visit from local musher Shawn Linendoll, who showcased his racing equipment and also brought along a few friends—racing dogs Devil and Socks.
 

--April 2006