I teach Advanced Language Arts to 7th graders and Language Arts to 8th graders in Wasilla, Alaska. They are kind and compassionate, as our school is trauma sensitive.
My students are so eager to learn and absolutely love a good story.
They are getting ready to be successful in high school and in life, and this unit is unforgettable. I have former students tell me that this unit is one of the only units they remember from middle school.
They make me laugh every day. I truly love my job!
My Project
My students need the books for this unit. We have used our books for so many years that the pages are falling out. I am asking for library grade, hardback and sewn books that will last forever!
We spend an entire quarter with this amazing story of heroic adventure.
Each week the students read from the book and compete to be classroom captains in activities that mimic the challenges the men faced over 100 years ago. One week they save the ponies. The next they have an ice-water challenge. Then they man-haul in sleds outside (remember we live in Alaska and it's cold in January!) so we have hot chocolate afterward.
The culminating activity is an Antarctic Fear Factor!! The students compete to answer trivia questions about the novel and eat foods from the time period (or as close as I can get). They eat Pilot Bread, sardines, pemmican, hoosh, and liver, and drink Tang and shelf milk. It is so much fun.
More than a third of students from low‑income households
Data about students' economic need comes from the National Center for Education Statistics, via our partners at MDR Education. Learn more
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As a teacher-founded nonprofit, we're trusted by thousands of teachers and supporters across the country. This classroom request for funding was created by Ms. Mack and reviewed by the DonorsChoose team.
