Building Background

• Ask students what they know about Alaska, sled dog racing, and the Iditarod. Where have they heard about the Iditarod and sled dog racing? What do they imagine sled dog racing across most of Alaska in the dead of winter would be like?
• Ask students if they have read other books about sporting events. What kind of information did they find in those books? Were there charts of scores or winners? Did they read about the history of the event or sport? 

Previewing the Book

• Hand out copies of the book and have students look at the front and back covers. Then, have students turn to the title page and look at the picture. What do the pictures tell them about the Iditarod? Using the pictures, how do they imagine the Iditarod?
• Turn to the map on page 10. Cross-reference the map with a world or U.S. map to give students a sense of scale.
• Have students turn to the winners' time chart on page 15. Guide students on how to read and understand the chart. 

Introducing the Comprehension    Strategy: Distinguishing fact and opinion

• Model: Write the sentences, The Iditarod is the longest sled-dog race in the world. and The Iditarod is the best sled dog race in the world. on the board.
• Explain that there are two kinds of statements: facts and opinions. Facts are things we can look up and check. They don't vary depending on someone's tastes. Opinions are statements of how people feel. We can't check them independently.
• Explain that the first statement is a fact. We can check whether or not the Iditarod is the longest sled-dog race, because we can measure the distance and compare it to other distances. The distance doesn't change based on how someone feels.
• The second statement is an opinion. Provide an example of someone who would prefer a shorter, more leisurely sled-dog race. To him or her, the Iditarod would not be the world's best sled-dog race. 

Set the Purpose
Instruct students that they should pay close attention to the kinds of statements they read. After they finish, you will go over the differences between the facts and the opinions in the book 

Word-Attack Strategies
Remind students to use any or all of the following strategies when they come to unfamiliar words:

• Reread the sentence
• Look for known prefixes, suffixes and roots in the word
• Use context clues to help them understand word meanings
• Keep reading and think about what might make sense