Logan Elm 2nd and 3rd Grade Online Students Learn about the Last Great Race
Every teacher across the globe is always looking for new and interesting yet educational ways to instruct their students. Logan Elm Online Elementary teacher, Amie Bassett has figured out a way to incorporate all curriculum areas into a single project, and her online students will have fun learning at the same time.
These students are studying the Iditarod, the “Last Great Race” in Alaska. This race is over 1,000 miles through the most treacherous, yet beautiful terrain in Alaska with mushers, sleds and their dog teams. All of the online learners and their teacher have picked a musher and will be following the race via the Internet on Iditarod.com.
On Monday, March 8, 2021, the second and third grade online students at Logan Elm received an up close and personal look at the Iditarod. A long time friend of Mrs. Bassett, Jim Deprez, who is the 2021 Teacher on the Trail, met online with the online students to give them an in-depth look at what it takes to participate in the Last Great Race.
During the race, that started March 6th, students were able to go online and check out their musher as well as other interesting and educational information about the Iditarod. These students are studying information across all of the curriculum areas. In reading, they are reading a book, Stone Fox, about a boy who runs a sled dog race to save his grandfather’s farm. The students are writing in journals every day about the race. In social studies, the students are learning about the way the Inuits (Eskimos) live, the history of the race and using maps locating their musher throughout the race. In math, the students will be learning about measurements and addition of multiple digits. Finally, in Science the students will be learning about food that the musher makes for themselves and also their dogs, focusing on combinations and mixtures.
What is probably the most important lesson these students will learn through this unit is how a real life situation pulls resources from all subjects in school. A child can actually see the real life applications of math, science, reading, writing and social studies. The other equally important issue is that this is all done with using today’s technology. By using the Internet, students will achieve a better perspective and connect more with the project. They will be able to view pictures, maps and videos of the current race as well as read articles and other updates.
2nd and 3rd grade online teacher, Amie Bassett, said “This is a very exciting time for me because the students love learning about the race. With our online platform students are able to use technology 100% for this cross curriculum unit, learn a great deal of information and have fun.”
