Alaska Sled Dog Supply Challenge
The Trail Is Ready. Is Your Class?
A storm is closing in, a remote research station is waiting for emergency supplies, and your students are the team chosen to complete the delivery.
Your Class Becomes the Alaska Winter Supply Team
In this interactive, cross-curricular mission, your entire class becomes the Alaska Winter Supply Team. Students select their sled dogs, pack their cargo under a 100-pound limit, investigate how force and friction affect a sled, choose a route, and solve the challenges waiting along the snowy trail.
The teacher-guided slideshow leads the whole class through the adventure while student teams make the decisions that determine how their journey unfolds.
More than a worksheet activity, this is a complete classroom adventure that brings science, math, reading, writing, real Alaska history, and teamwork together in one mission your students will remember.
How the mission works
From the supply base to the station, one decision at a time
Every decision matters. The sled dogs students select and the supplies they pack will shape how successfully their team handles the challenges waiting along the trail.
Frozen Lake Route 54 milesForest Trail 60 milesCargo limit 100 lb
- North Star Supply Base
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Build the team
Meet the sled dogs
After learning about Denali’s real working sled dogs, students select four of six mission dogs to build their team. Each dog brings a unique strength, from leading the trail and pulling heavy loads to traveling through deep snow.
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Plan the load
Pack the supply sled
Every choice counts. The dogs students select and the supplies they pack will be put to the test as their team faces challenges along the trail. The sled has a 100-pound limit for mission cargo. Fifty pounds are reserved for the medicine, food, and science equipment the research station urgently needs. Teams must use the remaining 50 pounds wisely, because every pound matters on the trail.
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Investigate
Does load change the pull?
Students can conduct a fair test using a model sled or complete the no-prep option by analyzing provided data. Either way, they discover how load and friction affect the amount of force needed to move a sled.
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Choose a route
Frozen lake or forest?
Teams compare two very different routes. The Frozen Lake Route is shorter and flatter but exposed to strong winds, while the Forest Trail offers shelter at the cost of a longer journey through deeper snow. After weighing the tradeoffs, students choose a route and complete the math connected to their decision.
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Face the trail
Heavy snow, trail cards and a storm
Trail Challenge Cards put each team’s earlier decisions to the test. Then a storm warning requires students to rethink their strategy, develop two possible plans, compare their options, and defend the plan they believe gives the mission the best chance of success.
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Deliver
Report back to the station
To complete the mission, teams graph their travel data, calculate their final Mission Points, and write an evidence-based report explaining how their decisions shaped the journey.
- Aurora Research Station
The whole-class slideshow
38 colorful slides lead the way
Simply project the slideshow and follow along as it guides your class through every stage of the mission, from vocabulary and dog selection to team decisions, trail challenges, and the approaching storm.
Cross-curricular by design
Four Subjects. One Unforgettable Mission.
Science, math, reading, and writing are woven into one connected adventure. Every skill serves the mission, helping students make decisions, solve problems, and explain their thinking.
Science
Students investigate force, motion, friction, and load through a fair test or a ready-to-use data-analysis option. They also explore the adaptations that help sled dogs work and survive in Alaska’s extreme cold.
Math
Students calculate cargo weights, compare route distances, solve multi-step challenges, and create a scaled bar graph using their team’s own travel data.
Reading
Three engaging nonfiction passages build background knowledge about sled dogs and Alaska’s history, including the remarkable 1925 Serum Run to Nome. Text-dependent questions ask students to return to the passages and support their answers with evidence.
Writing
Students defend their team’s response to the approaching storm through opinion writing, then complete the journey with an explanatory mission report supported by evidence from their decisions, data, and results.
What's included
Everything that goes in the sled
| Item | Amount |
|---|---|
| Student mission booklet | 33 pages |
| Whole-class slideshow | 38 slides |
| Teacher pages | 42 pages |
| Google Slides version | Included |
| Nonfiction passages with questions | 3 |
| Trail Challenge station cards | 8 cards |
| Mission vocabulary and matching | 10 words |
| Mission letter | 1 |
| Optional extension pages | Included |
| All of it, in one download | $12.50 |
- 5 to 7 class periods
- About 45-60 minutes each. A five-day plan is in the pacing guide.
- Hands-on or no-prep
- Run the load test with a model sled, or analyze data recorded for students.
- Print + digital
- Paper booklet, projected slideshow, and Google Slides for Classroom.
- Every key done
- Including the math, the investigation and sample written answers.
Peek inside
Inside the student booklet
Standards
Standards-Aligned Across Subjects
The unit includes a detailed Standards Alignment page explaining how each standard connects to the mission. NGSS connections are supporting or partial rather than full mastery of the performance expectations.
| NGSS |
3-PS2-1: Partial/supporting alignment with the hands-on investigation only (Option A). Students help plan a fair test and observe how unbalanced forces cause the model sled to move. The no-prep data-analysis option does not address this standard fully. Supporting connections with either investigation option: 3-PS2-2 and 3-5-ETS1-1, 3-5-ETS1-2, and 3-5-ETS1-3. Conceptual connections: 3-LS4-2 and 4-LS1-1. |
|---|---|
| Math CCSS |
3.NBT.A.2 and 4.NBT.B.4: Addition and subtraction 3.OA.D.8 and 4.OA.A.3: Multistep word problems 3.MD.B.3: Scaled bar graphs 4.MD.A.2: Measurement word problems |
| ELA CCSS |
RI.3.1, RI.4.1, and RI.5.1: Using evidence from informational texts W.3.1, W.4.1, and W.5.1: Opinion writing supported with reasons W.3.2, W.4.2, and W.5.2: Informative and explanatory writing SL.3.1, SL.4.1, and SL.5.1: Collaborative discussions |
Questions teachers ask
Before you hit the trail
How long does the mission take?
Plan for five to seven class periods of approximately 45-60 minutes each. Need to finish in five days? The included pacing guide explains which activities to combine and how to use the no-prep investigation to shorten the mission.
Will I need special materials?
Only if you choose the hands-on investigation. Each team will need a cardboard tray, string, at least six blocks, a ruler, and either a spring scale or an elastic loop. The no-prep data-analysis option requires no additional materials.
Are the materials in color or black and white?
The whole-class slideshow is in color for easy projection. The student booklet is printer-friendly black and white. The mission letter and Trail Challenge Cards are included in both color and black-and-white versions.
Is a digital version included?
Yes. The download includes Google Slides versions of the whole-class presentation and student booklet.
Is this an Iditarod unit?
No. The supply mission and student mission dogs are fictional. However, students read about Denali’s real working sled dogs and the historic 1925 Serum Run to Nome, making the challenge a natural addition to an Alaska, sled dog, or Iditarod study.
Can I adjust the challenge for my students?
Absolutely. The teacher pages include suggestions for making the mission shorter, easier, or more challenging. Options include reading the passages aloud, using the ready-to-analyze investigation data, adding challenge questions, and completing an additional friction investigation.
Take Your Class on an Unforgettable Alaska Sled Dog Adventure!
One download is all it takes to send your class on an unforgettable adventure, starting tomorrow morning.
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