The Iditarod
3/4/2018
One of the great things about our combined classroom is how easy it makes collaborations between the two classes. Recently, kindergarten and first grade paired together to plan and execute this year's PNA Iditarod. Our kindergarten mushers had a lot of fun preparing for the race, making sleds and other supplies, like axes, sleeping bags, and food for the dogs. I think one of the highlights of the preparation process was our field trip to the Learning Farm, where our mushers got to see real sled dogs and even practice mushing, giving commands, and being sled dogs (as well as visiting with the other animals). Real-world experiences and the opportunity to learn from experts are an important part of project based learning. While kindergarten prepared for the race, first grade prepared the course. First grade students were all eager to be part of the event that they had such fond memories of from their own race the previous year. They studied the Iditarod trail map and made each stretch of PNA's Iditarod like the real trail. As a result, kindergarten experienced ruts and rocks, crossed over icy lakes and through forests, fog, ground blizzards, and white outs. Excitement and emotions ran high during the actual race, but the kindergarten mushers had fun overall during this project and learned important lessons. There are things I will definitely do differently next year, and I will be interested to hear student reflections as well. Reflection is another important component of project based learning and an opportunity to continue to develop a growth mindset. All of our mushers were very excited to take their sled dogs home to retirement... or to run more races at home. I love school events and experiences that carry over into more play, learning, and exploring outside of school. Thank you to all of you who helped during our preparation or embraced the chaos and excitement to join us for the race. I appreciate all you do to help make these school events even more memorable.
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Saania AliMs. Ali graduated from the University of Houston with a Bachelors of Science in Interdisciplinary Studies. She specializes in Early Childhood Education, ESL, and Special Education. Her hobbies include traveling, reading, and painting! Archives
April 2021
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