Our exemplary lessons and units have been written, field-tested, and vetted by teachers and experts around the country.
This Language Arts module is designed for the second quarter and addresses Harcourt's Storytown Lesson 8 anthology story, "The Great Serum Race: Blazing the Iditarod Trail." In this module, sixth grade students critically analyze the basics of the Great Serum Race of 1925 and connect that race to the current Iditarod. The additional textual content included for reading was specifically chosen and the prompts were specifically created to encourage a meaningful investigation -- not a judgment or critique. Learning about the students' prior knowledge with regards to sled-dog racing will give a sense of how to direct the discussions. After multiple readings of the text, students apply their understanding of the Iditarod to analyze the pros or cons of the Iditarod. The goal in creating this module is to provide students with a small but solid foundation upon which they could seek to address their curiosity and an appreciation for common ground upon which they can build a hunger for deeper understanding.
Students write an argumentative essay of the impact of the Great Serum Race on the Iditarod. The writing portion of this essay is designed with the expectation students have already written at least one essay in class so there is a certain expectation students already know what an essay looks like with the use of proper grammar without much scaffolding. If this is not the case for other classrooms, additional explicit instruction in essay writing would need to be taught.
Task Template A4 - Argumentation
To race or not to race? After reading The Great Serum Race, and other selected texts, write an argumentative essay in which you argue whether we should continue the Iditarod or stop this annual tradition. Support your position with evidence from the text/s.
The Iditarod brings about numerous debates regarding the pros and cons of modern dog-sled racing. Your job will be to determine whether or not the dog-sled racing event called the Iditarod has a positive or negative impact on our society. Then, you will write an argumentative essay supporting your position.
Argumentative Writing: Is dog-sledding worth it? After reading several informational texts about modern dog-sledding, write an essay in which you conclude whether the achievement of the 1925 Great Serum Race warrants the celebration of the Iditrarod. Support your opinion with evidence from the texts.
Informational Writing: How can we learn from dog-sledding mistakes in the past? After reading several informational texts about dog-sledding in the past and present, write an informational essay in which you summarize how modern-day dog-sled mushers can use the experience of the past to shape future dog-sled racing. Support your response with evidence from texts.
Narrative Writing: Re-write history! Imagine how a dog-sled team could have done things differently. Recreate one of the dog-sled expeditions by changing the mistakes that occurred throughout the race to model ideal dog-sledding practices. Write a children's book depicting what the dog-sled race would have been like it the dog musher would have made better choices than he actually did.
Students will read and analyze an exemplar argumentative text. In groups they will list and discuss key features they identified while reading the text. This text will be used as a model throughout the writing process. Students can and should refer to it at any time.