The Iditarod: A Listening (or Reading) Comprehension Game

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Stephany Hunt
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com, Clip Art by www.clker.com and The LibraryFox.

2 The Iditarod: A Listening (or Reading) Comprehension Game Set Up: 1. Each player should get a WH- Question Mat. 2. Cards should be placed facedown, in a pile. If playing the game as a listening comprehension activity, the teacher/therapist should keep the cards. If playing as a reading comprehension activity, they should be placed in the center. Directions: 1. Read or listen to the Iditarod fact and answer the question. Place the question on the WHplace on the mat, matching its question type. 2. The first player to fill up their board wins.

3 Who When What Where Why

4 Who When What Where Why

5 Who When What Where Why

6 The Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race is held every year in Alaska, beginning the first Saturday in March. When is the Iditarod? The Iditarod is a longdistance dog sled race, which begins in Anchorage and ends in Nome, Alaska. Where is the Iditarod? Dog sled drivers, called mushers, must start the race with 16 dogs, and finish the race with 6 dogs on their tow line. Who drives a dog sled? Many mushers hate the start in Anchorage because there are so many people. The dogs get too jumpy and overexcited by the crowds. Why do many mushers not like the start in Anchorage? The starting order is decided at a special dinner two days before the Iditarod. The mushers take turns choosing their starting positions. When is the starting order for the race decided? The Iditarod started in 1973 and has become the most popular sporting event in Alaska. When was the first Iditarod?

7 The Iditarod typically takes 9-15 days to complete. The record for the fastest Iditarod was set in 2011 at 8 days and about 20 hours. What was the fastest time it took to finish the Iditarod? The Iditarod mushers often race in blizzard conditions with strong winds and -100 degrees F wind chill. What is the weather often like? Each year there are about mushers and 1000 dogs who enter the Iditarod. What is the typical number of mushers in the race? The sleds race through tundra, forests, over hills, mountain passes and over rivers. The trail is beautiful but very rough. Where do the mushers sled? The Iditarod Race got a lot of attention in 1985 after Libby Riddles became the first woman to win the race. Why did the Iditarod get attention in 1985? There are actually two different Iditarod routes, one northern and one southern. They take the northern route on even numbered years and the southern on odd numbered years. When do the racers take the northern trail?

8 Because there are two different routes, the distance of the race is different each year. The northern route is 1112 miles and the southern route is 1131 miles. Why is the distance different from year to year? The Iditarod has been stopped only one time. In 1985, they stopped the race because the weather was so bad they couldn t get the supplies to the checkpoints. Why did they stop the race in 1985? There are 26 or 27 checkpoints along the race trail where the mushers must check in and pick up supplies, like food and tools. What do the mushers do at the checkpoints? The Iditarod finish line is the burled arch in Nome, Alaska. On it are the words, End of Iditarod Sled Dog Race. Where is the Iditarod finish line? Mushers and their dogs can rest at the checkpoints or can stop and rest along the trail. They are required to rest at least three different times. Where can mushers and their dogs rest? A lighted lantern hangs from the finish line arch until the last racer finishes. For this reason, the last place finisher is known as the red lantern. Why is the last place finisher called the red lantern?

9 The Iditarod is often called the Last Great Race on Earth. What is the Iditarod sometimes called? The dogs wear boots, or booties, on their feet to protect against them getting cut on ice or being injured by hard packed snow. Why do the dogs wear booties? The Iditarod Trail was made famous in 1925 when sled dogs, including the famous Balto, were used to carry medicine to Nome, Alaska when Diptheria broke out. Who was the famous sled dog who carried medicine to Nome? When the mushers pull into each checkpoint, the first thing they do is care for and feed their dogs. Who takes care of the dogs? A musher must have an arctic coat, sleeping bag, an ax, snow shoes, musher food, dog food and boots for each dogs feet. What are some things a musher must have? The winner of the Iditarod wins about $50,000. The mushers also become famous celebrities in Alaska. Who gets $50,000?

10 The Iditarod dogs eat about 12,000 calories per day by eating a combination of special food and raw meat. The mushers also eat a lot of meat for snacks and meals. Who eats special food and raw meat? In 2003, the Iditarod race started in Fairbanks because there wasn t enough snow in Anchorage. Where did the race start in 2003? Teams of veterinarians are at every checkpoint. They check the dogs and help them if they re injured. If a dog is not well, the vets can take the dogs, and their team will go on without them. Who is at the checkpoints to check the dogs? Dog sleds were commonly used for carrying goods in rural Alaska until the airplane and snowmobile were invented. Now it s more common to use plane or snowmobile. When did people stop using dog sleds to deliver goods? Sled dogs start training for the Iditarod before they turn 1 year old. When do dogs start training for the Iditarod? Although the Iditarod starts in Anchorage, that part of the race is just for show. The teams restart the race in Willow, where their official race time starts. Where do the teams officially start the Iditarod?

complete. Would you like to race in the Iditarod someday? Why or why not?

complete. Would you like to race in the Iditarod someday? Why or why not? Hi. This is Tina again. I like dogsled races, so I get to type this week's Notes from the Trail. People often ask Acorn, Tank and me if we have ever been in a dogsled race. The answer is yes. Most dogsled