Category Archives: Messages from Martha

Without Target, this article would not be possible, so, first, a thanks to Target® as the sponsor of the Iditarod Teacher on the Trail™ position. Its sponsorship is the reason I am writing for this E-runner. From assistance with cold … Continue reading →

Spring is bursting out all over here, and classes are enjoying hearing about the 2011 Iditarod. Patriot Elementary students saw cold weather gear and asked questions about the race and the dogs. This school held two Idita-Reads, one for kindergarten … Continue reading →

How many forms of communication did you use today? Generate a list. Were all of the forms on your list electronic, or did you include forms like sign language, writing, or speaking? Make a chronological list or timeline of the … Continue reading →

Last night the last group of volunteers, except those working in the dog lot in Nome where teams rested awaiting their flights home, returned to Anchorage. The group included cooks, dog handlers, vets, trail sweeps (people who follow the end … Continue reading →

Nome, cloudy skies, some snow, perhaps drizzle falling today   In Takotna a week ago, the Northern Lights appeared brightly, shimmering green. A friend sent me photos he took of them that night; to photograph these, a tripod is necessary … Continue reading →

View the previous post for a video of Wattie’s team in Anchorage. The photos in this gallery show were shot with the sport setting of the camera, capturing Wattie’s arrival in the chute in Nome.

Wattie (pronounce the a in his name like “ah”) is back again for his second Iditarod. He’s from Scotland. Notice the flags being carries, the kilts, and the dogs’ coats.

Temperature 16 degrees F, feels like 2 degrees F People sported green for St. Patrick’s Day in Nome, attended their parade, and took their pictures under the burled arch finish line attired in green. Kelly Maixner finished his race today … Continue reading →

What do these mushers have in common?

Temperature in Nome 0°F, winds 3 mph Last night there were some CLOSE finishes which is very unusual in a sled dog race. Ken Anderson and Jessie Royer raced into the chute at the same time, Ken’s team taking 9th position … Continue reading →

Koyuk is a beautiful, peaceful village. Under bright sunshine, the river ice sparkles. During the night, we stood outside and spotted headlamps coming across the ice. During the day, we spotted the teams, dark caterpillars moving along the trail. Children … Continue reading →

3.12.11 Anvik temperature 8 a.m., 8 degrees F 3.13.11 Unalakleet 10 a.m., 5 degrees F, winds 5 mph  Shageluk, Grayling, and Eagle Island—I dropped in on these three checkpoints briefly over one day. The principal/teacher’s daughters were bestowing rubs on … Continue reading →

Temperature in Anvik 3.11.11, 21°F, winds 5 mph. Search for the formula to convert Fahrenheit to Celsius to calculate the temperature. All the mushers have a GPS tracker strapped to the front of their sled or inside their sled bag. … Continue reading →

 Temperature in Takotna, 8 a.m., -12°F, no wind  Mushers left last night beginning at 2200 (can you convert that to a 12 hour clock?) with Martin Buser. A few mushers who had taken their 24 hour layover in McGrath blew … Continue reading →

What’s a hodge-podge? Can you figure out what it means by looking at these different photos? You’ll see photos of students, teachers, mushers, dogs, and sleds. When you think you’ve made a good guess at what hodge-podge means, ascertain its … Continue reading →

Temperature in McGrath 3.9.11, 20 ° F, winds 9 mph. That means it feels like 9°F. Clicking on a photo will enlarge it. In literature, juxtaposition means to contrast two objects or texts that oppose each other. Describe the juxtaposition … Continue reading →

Temperature Nikolai 3.8.11, -2 degrees F according to the round thermometer on Schnuelle’s sled Follow me using my GPS tracker and when I’m flying, I’ll be zooming. You can see what checkpoint I’m staying in, too. Compare my speed to … Continue reading →

Temperature 3.6.11 in Skwentna, 25 degrees F, calm wind Temperature at 7 a.m. 0 degrees F, calm wind On a gorgeous day, the 39th Iditarod got off yesterday and mushers went through Yentna and Skwenta during the night and early … Continue reading →

Here’s Part One of Women Mushing On. Use these photos of the 2011 women mushers, plus Libby Riddles, the first woman to win the Iditarod, to create a memory game. Research the women, find an important fact or bit of … Continue reading →

Temperature about 20 degrees F, calm wind Snow is dumped on 4th Ave. in Anchorage, teams start leaving at 10 a.m. at 2 minute intervals, and I rode with Matt Hayashida, bib #61. Beautiful day for a sled ride!

Temperature 3.3.11 average 20°F, wind speed 13 mph Temperature 3.4.11 20°F, wind gusting 15-23 mph  Feels like 6°F Last night the mushers drew their starting positions for the race. Unlike a horse race, all the mushers don’t begin at the … Continue reading →

Temperature in Anchorage at 7 a.m. 4° F, calm wind After two days of ferocious (one of my favorite words) wind, it died down in the Anchorage area. My day started with a couple of Skype calls to East Coast … Continue reading →

Temperature 22 °F, wind speed 10 mph (which makes the wind chill temperature 11°F) Did you calculate the wind chill factor and temperature for yesterday? It’s still windy in Anchorage today, giving us the 11 degree temperature stated above. This … Continue reading →

Temperature in Anchorage, 27°F, wind speed 12 mph Calculate wind chill using this formula. Wind chill temperature = 35.74 + 0.6215T – 35.75V (**0.16) + 0.4275TV(**0.16) In the formula, V is in the wind speed in statute miles per hour, … Continue reading →

Yentna Station Roadhouse 2.27.11, 4 degrees  Temperature Updates Wasilla 2.26.11, 12 degrees, windchill -1 degree The Junior Iditarod started yesterday at Knik Lake, (say ka-nick) near the homestead of Joe Redington, Sr., Father of the Iditarod. The 14 -17 year old … Continue reading →

The thirty-fourth running of the Junior Iditarod race start is Saturday, February 26. The field of 14 mushers, ages 14-17 years old, departs Knik Lake at 10 a.m. with mushers leaving every 2 minutes. This 150 mile race from Knik … Continue reading →

Temperature in Wasilla, high 32°F, winds 5 mph During my school visits the past two days, I’ve noticed that the schools are more than the place young people attend to learn. These buildings serve as community centers, a place for … Continue reading →

Temperature in Wasilla, high of 22, light winds Surrounded by the Chugach Mountains, we drove to Anchorage from Wasilla. I kept my eyes open for moose and eagles. A moose was spotted far off the road, as well as an eagle perched … Continue reading →

Temperature in Anchorage, 8 a.m. 14 °F Fill Your Sled is the theme of this year’s posts—fill your sled with ideas for your classroom, fill your sled with photographs, fill your sled with experiences to enrich your students’ learning. Today … Continue reading →

Bullseye, the Target® mascot, travels with me to presentations I make and on trips I take. We’ve traveled to schools in North Carolina and to Asheville, NC, where we hiked a short section of the Mountains to the Sea Trail  with Cathy Walters, … Continue reading →

THE box arrived a week ago. THE box I’ve been waiting for contains an anorak, arctic boot and a mukluk to try on for size. Target® provides my anorak and arctic boots, and now is the time to get the … Continue reading →

Learn about an old sprint sled, introduced by a couple of my students on our school’s TV announcements.

Quilt squares-remnants of fabric that by themselves are of little use, but sewn together, they become protection against cold, works of art, and expressions of individuals and the times they live in, achieving something that no one square could achieve. … Continue reading →

Enjoy this slide show of photos. I created it with the Word Processing lesson in mind. Several of the choices were inspired by the subject matter of the documents to format. Mushing on, Martha

Whenever the Iditarod is mentioned, folks are curious to learn more about the race and the athletes, both canine and human. Of course, I am excited to tell them about my trips to the race starts in Alaska, what I … Continue reading →

 When I introduce the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race™ to my students, I use an article, The Story of the Iditarod Trail, for them to read. I watch them reading it to themselves or to their partners, and, it never … Continue reading →

Since I started using Iditarod as a teaching tool in the classroom, I’ve been surprised and amazed by the connections the race has made for me. First, the connections the race makes for my students. The race, the mushers, and … Continue reading →

While I was in Alaska, I had the chance to sightsee, and what a place Alaska is to sightsee! Everywhere you turn, whether driving out of Anchorage to the Glenn Highway or headed to Homer on the Seward Highway, there … Continue reading →

Enjoy these photos from the musher picnic 2011 race signup on Saturday.

 Before going to the musher picnic and signup for the 2011 race, I had the chance to go on the Hatcher Pass road. This road leads to the Independence Gold Mine which is closed, but you can visit it. The … Continue reading →

Native Alaskan cultures fascinated us on Thursday.  Native Alaskan cultures are the people first found in  Alaska who have the same language and customs. There are four Native cultures in Alaska, the Aleut, the Athabascan, the Tlingit, and the Eskimos.   At the Native Alaska … Continue reading →

Enjoy the dog pictures! These super athletes live at Dream a Dream Dog Farm or the Van Zyle’s kennel. Mouse over the picture for more information. I met Aurora three years ago when she was a pup. Now, she’s running … Continue reading →

Today on the first ATV run behind the 16 dog team, the gangline separated from the harness on the ATV and, since sled dogs love to run, that’s what they did. They ran all the way to the turnaround where … Continue reading →

Rest stop on the puppy walk First day of summer camp for teachers, and there were lots of firsts for us. First puppy walk, first ride behind a 16 dog team, first day of dog chores. We learned the basics … Continue reading →

I titled this message The Beginning, although it isn’t the true beginning of my journey to this point. The very beginning of my journey was six or seven years ago. Today is The Beginning of the next section of my trail that I’m … Continue reading →