Mush! Mush! Third Graders!
by Cindy Ducca
March 03, 2008
Third graders at Burton Elementary were thrilled to have Sally Dawson come to the classroom and speak on sled dog racing and even experience pulling a dogsled!
Many of you may already know Mrs. Dawson. She was a music teacher at Burton Elementary for one year, and currently teaches 1st year band. Along with giving private music lessons, her love and hobby is dog sled racing!!!
Using real equipment, Mrs. Dawson taught the students all about sled dog racing. She showed the harnesses, lines, dog booties, and other equipment used by mushers. She explained in detail all the necessities needed to race in the Iditarod Race. The children learned that dog sled teams need to have plenty of supplies in order to complete the race and survive along the course. She also taught the children about the special commands mushers use to direct their teams. After her presentation in the classroom, Mrs. Dawson even took the children outside, where they had the chance to work as a team to pull a real dog sled, with one child playing the part of a musher! Every student had a job to do! To close her presentation, Mrs. Dawson provided the students with many resources to continue their study of sled dogs.
Mrs. Claypool’s and Mrs. Kriz’s classes have been learning about sled dogs and famous sled dog races, such as the Iditarod, for the past several weeks. The students have read the true story of Balto, the dog who ran the final leg of the famous relay to transport medicine to Nome in 1925, when there was an outbreak of diphtheria. (The modern-day, 1000 mile Iditarod is a tribute to this historical event, and follows part of the original route!) Third graders have also read the book, Stone Fox—a touching story about the determination and love of a young boy and his dog who run in a sled dog race to save his grandfather’s farm. As a motivation to learn multiplication facts, both classes have used the sled dog theme, “recreating” a classroom Iditarod. On a large poster, each child moves his or her sled dog along the Iditarod Trail as they memorize their facts! This has been a fun and motivating unit of study in third grade.
Mrs. Dawson’s visit was a perfect way to culminate our learning experiences!!!
Here are a few quotes from the students about this fantastic, hands-on learning experience:
“It was fun! I was the swing dog, and it was easy to pull the sled with all the other ‘dogs’.”
-Molly Emig
“I was the lead dog. I thought it was pretty fun. It wasn’t that hard. It was fun pulling our musher, Sara.”
-Dillon Herendeen
If you would like more information or have any questions, you can contact Mrs. Dawson’s by e-mail :at mushing3dales@hotmail.com.
Thank you Mrs. Dawson for presenting a wonderful program to our third graders!!!
