Dog Sled Racing Project

Yukon Quest ~ February 9, 2008
"The Toughest Sled Dog Race in the World"

Trail: from Fairbanks Alaska to Whitehorse, Canada
1000 miles
10 - 17 days
17 Checkpoints
29 teams registered / 24 teams started at 11:00 AM on 2/9/08
How many dogs per team? (14) How many dogs total? (336)

Lance Mackey won the 2008 Yukon Quest on 2/20/08 at 1:23 am with an official time of 10 days, 12 hours, 14 minutes. This is the 4th year in a row Lance has come in first in the YQ. He also won the 2007 Iditarod ~ will he do it again this year? Visit Lance Mackey's web site to learn more about him.

Iditarod ~ March 1, 2008
"The Last Great Race"

Anchorage to Nome, Alaska
1112 Miles (Northern Route - even year)
10 - 17 days
26 Checkpoints
113 teams registered
How many dogs per team? How many dogs
total?

TASKS

In class, you will have the choice of reading one of two novels ~ Stone Fox or Puppies, Dogs, and Blue Northers, participate in a reading group with the teacher, and complete all the activities for the book.

Independently, you will read another novel with a dog sled racing plot. (List of Titles)
     Be prepared to ...
          Complete a Story Map of the book (Here is one style)
          Write a Book Review to entice others to read the book (Directions: follow this format)
          Create an interesting way to share the book with the class. (List of Possibilities)

Research the two races and create a compare / contrast chart. The information above will get you started. You may use a Venn Diagram, T - chart, or any other graphic to display your findings.

Choose a musher / team in each race to follow. Read the musher's biography to get to know him/her better. Maintain a log of their progress throughout the two races.

Other Helpful Resources

A Special Challenge

In 2007, the Yukon Quest Educational Department posted a challenge to students ~ "A team or class of students must read faster than the mushers and their dogs can travel down the trail."

I am challenging my students, this year, to the same goal ~ for BOTH races, so you have two chances! ... This is how it will work.
     10 pages = 1 mile* ~ This will include reading in ELA class (your novel) and independent /
         at home reading.
     Each student will maintain a daily reading log of the number of pages read. Parents
         will need to verify and initial amount of time read at home. Lit. Circle Discussion
         Directors will verify reading completed in class.
     Every morning, the total number of pages read by each student will be
         totaled and compared to the mushers' progress on the trail. The results will be graphed
         in class and on this site.

* GOAL: 10 pages for every mile a musher/team runs ... accumulated collectively as a class
              Yukon Quest Race = 1000 miles ... that is 10,000 pages in 10-17 days!
                   10,000 pages / 10 days (minimum number) = 1,000 pages per day / 30 readers =
                        34 pages per day/per student (rounded to nearest full page)
              Iditarod Race = 1112 miles ... that is 11,120 pages in 10-17 days!
                         11,112 pages / 10 days (minimum number) = 1112 pages per day / 30 readers =
                         38 pages per day/per student (rounded to nearest full page)

*The inspiration for this project ... It began in July 2007 on a trip to Alaska. Mrs. Harvey was cruising the Inside Passage with her husband and stopped in Skagway, one of several ports-of-call. The land excursion for the day was a visit to a mushers' camp with the promise of a dog sled ride and the chance to meet the dogs and cuddle puppies. The sleds had been modified to run on terrain since there was no snow that time of year. It was a wild ride ~ the dogs pulling the open sided, topless sled 40-50 mph over a rain soaked, muddy, rocky trail. By the end everyone was muddy to one degree on another. The lead dogs, and the last couple on the sled (the Harvey's) had a distinct advantage. The Musher introduced himself as Jeremie, and his lead dog, Grommit. He told us to follow his progress in the 2008 Yukon Quest Race. He said it would be his first time running the race and needed our support.

Exploring the Yukon Quest official site for the 2008 race I found Jeremie listed among the registered mushers. His profile page even has a picture of Grommit. Viola - the classroom project was born.

Unfortunately, I discovered 1/22/08 Jeremie and Grommit have withdrawn from the race.