Mush!

First, you and your teammates will need to become experts on the Iditarod race. You will need to use the websites on this page to gather information, and you will need to organize the information you collect into four different categories. The categories are:

*The geography of the trail

*What it takes to be a musher

*Dangers/challenges of the trail

*Fun facts

Before you start your research, decide how you will organize your notes. Then, follow the instructions and websites below to learn all you can about the Iditarod.

Category 1: The Geography of the Trail

Gathering information for this category will be particularly helpful when you are designing your game board. You will be able to make a game board that helps the players feel like they are really in Alaska and on the Iditarod trail if you know lots of details about the geography of the trail. To get started, think about finding the answers to such questions as:

*Where does the race start?

*Where does the race end?

*How many checkpoints are there along the way, what are they called, and what is the distance between them?

*What is Alaska's landscape and climate like?

http://iditarod.com/about/the-iditarod-trail/

http://teacher.scholastic.com/activities/iditarod/explore/index.asp?article=oddnumber_year

Category 2: What it takes to be a musher

Gathering information for this category will be particularly helpful when thinking about who the "characters" in your game will be and what kinds of things they will have to do to advance during the game. To get started, think about finding answers to such questions as:

*How old do you have to be to be a musher?

*How do you prepare for the race?

*How do you care for your dogs on the trail?

*What kind of equipment do you need?

There are many more questions that you might answer as part of finding information for this category. These are just to get you started.

Use the websites below to research what it's like to be a musher:

http://www.mushwithpride.org/Guidelines/Guidelines.htm

http://teacher.scholastic.com/activities/iditarod/young_mushers/index.asp?article=blind.musher

http://teacher.scholastic.com/activities/iditarod/dogs_life/index.asp?article=dogs_life

http://teacher.scholastic.com/activities/iditarod/dogs_life/index.asp?article=training

Musher- Dictionary of mushing terms

Category 3: Challenges Along the Trail

Players usually encounter challenges and obstacles along the way while they are playing a game. Gathering information about what makes the Iditarod such a challenging race will help you get ideas for challenges the players in your game might face as they try to get to the end of your game board. To get started, think about finding answers to questions such as:

*How can the weather be dangerous?

*What other dangers, such as animals, are there along the trail?

*How do you follow the trail?

There are many more questions that you might answer as part of finding information for this category. These are just to get you started.

Use these websites to learn about challenges along the trail:

http://teacher.scholastic.com/activities/iditarod/dogs_life/index.asp?article=trail

http://teacher.scholastic.com/activities/iditarod/activities/index.asp?article=be_a_musher

Category 4: Fun Facts

Gathering information for this section will help you make your game unique and interesting. The more you know, the more fun little twists, decorations, and other ideas you can incorporate into your game. For example, if you find out what the prize for winning the Iditarod is you might include that as a piece in your game, or if you find out who some of the famous past winners have been you might make those mushers the characters for your game pieces.

Use these websites to learn even more fun facts about the race:

Second, you will need to plan out with your teammates how your game will actually work. You will study some professional board games to learn how they are designed in order to make decisions about how you will design your board game.

Use the attached file called "Board Game Investigation" to think about four different board games.  You and your partner will have about 10-15 minutes to examine, play, and think about Name That State, Chutes and Ladders, Sorry, and Candyland.  Your observations will help you when you start designing your own game.