How It Works
Download Idita-Read.org Flyer for printable information.
What Is Idita-Read.org?
Mirroring the annual Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race, Idita-Read.org students rely on reading minutes to travel the distance along the trail from Anchorage to Nome.
Based on the 2010 Race Schedule, students can take up to 56 days to complete the race, March 6 - April 30. Individual teams may wish to set an earlier deadline for to raise the challenge level.
- Total Reading Goal= 1,112 minutes (even years) or 1,131 minutes (odd years)
- Minimum Weekly Reading Goal = about 141 minutes/week
- Minimum Daily Reading Goal = about 20 minutes/day
What Students Do Online
Each student gets their own login to check-in at their Base Camp.
- Log Reading Mileage — Students (or teachers/teacher aides on student's behalf) inputs the total number of minutes they read since their last reading log. Logs can be added daily, weekly, or whenever it fits into your schooling schedule.
- Track Trail Progress — The online system will automatically show mushers their current or most recent checkpoint. Click the checkpoint name to see the location via satellite maps. They can compare their progress with other Idita-Read.org mushers on their Team page or on the global Trail Stats page.
- Write & Share Book Reviews — Quickly and easily search for your book through the Idita-Read.org system, click the matching title, and your book's complete title, author name, and ISBN-10 automatically fill in. Rate the book 1, 2, or 3 paws, and mark the best you have read as a Favorite. See our Book Reviews page for example reviews and ideas for new books to read.
- Learn — Along the way, we encourage students to take some time to explore some of the free Supplemental Learning Resources listed in our Race Kit.
What Students Do Offline
- Read, Read, READ! — Teachers, parents and students can work together to find some great and engaging books to read. Our Web site's Book Reviews section also offers some helpful suggestions. Or, you may want to find some books that are directly related to the Iditarod or dog mushing. For beginning readers, parents or teachers can set the standard for what counts as "reading" — looking at picture books, reading memorized pattern books, phonics readers, listening to a read aloud, or any combination of reading activities.
- Track Reading Mileage — Students can write down how much they read using the Reading Log Mileage sheets, included in our Race Kit.
- Related Activities — Educators are encouraged to include Idita-Read.org in other Iditarod-related activities. See our Information Flyer for some related activity ideas.
Who Participates?
Any kind of K-12 (primary/secondary education) group, no mater where they live worldwide, can subscribe to participate in Idita-Read.org — student groups in public, private, parochial, and home schools, as well as library groups or after-school programs. A family or an individual student can also purchase a subscription (with parent consent, if under age 18). For more information about pricing and team management, please see our Subscribe to Idita-Read page.
Each classroom teacher, homeschool parent, or other leading adult who signs up their "team" receives a special login as Musher Manager for his or her Team. Each manager can add students, create unique logins for each student, and view and edit mileage logs and book reviews, if needed. Technical support is provided, should you need any assistance.
See our Manager Guide for technical details and helpful tips.
Protecting Student Identity
We value the privacy and protection of all our participants. It is WW IDEA policy to not share any participant information with third-party entities. Furthermore, personal student information that is displayed publicly on the Idita-Read activity Web site will only include the following:
- Student's first name and first initial of last name
- Student's Team name
- Residency — state name if in the U.S., country name outside of the U.S.
- Student's grade level
A printable document, titled "Student Privacy & Permission Slip", describing these protections is available in our Racing Kit's Trail Tools. It can be printed to send home for parent information and signature, as needed.
We invite you to also review WW IDEA's complete Privacy Policy & Terms of Use and to email us at , if you have any additional concerns or questions.
Getting & Thanking Team Sponors
Often, school PTAs, local businesses, or individuals are proud to sponsor one or more local area Idita-Read.org teams to help cover subscription costs. Use the Idita-Read.org Flyer to distribute information about the event. Idita-Read.org will help you thank your sponsors by listing them on the Sponsors page, including which team(s) they are sponsoring, and add a link to their website (as applicable).
To recognize a sponsor, simply complete our online Subscription Sign-up Form and then notify us of your sponsor (include their formal name, teams sponsored, and website address) by emailing to . A link to the Sponsors page will be prominently displayed on the Idita-Read.org home page, as we receive them.
Technical Requirements
Idita-Read.org can be enjoyed using a variety of computer systems. However, for optimum usability of Idita-Read.org features, we strongly recommend that users ensure the following on their computers:
Supported Browsers
For Windows-based computers:
- Internet Explorer (IE) 7 and above
- Firefox 3 and above
For Mac:
- Safari 3 and above
- Firefox 3 and above
- Opera 8 and above
Basic Settings
- Connection Speed: 56k or higher
- JavaScript/Scripting: You must have JavaScript/Scripting enabled in order for critical functions to work.
- For most browsers, like IE, you will find these settings under Tools > Internet Options > Security > Custom. Within there, find Scripting or JavaScript and select "Enable". You will need to close and re-open your browser for the new setting to take effect.
- Screen Resolution: We recommend setting the screen resolution to 1024 x 768 or higher. See the references for how to change this setting for Windows XP, Windows Vista & Windows 7, Mac X.
If you have any technical difficulties with the Idita-Read.org website, please email us at .
Event Schedule
— 2010 Race —
November 1, 2009 — Ordering Starts
Complete and submit your subscription order using our secure, online Subscription Sign-up Form. Immediately upon submitting it, Team Managers can begin setting up their team rosters.
February 1 — Training Period Opens
Get your mushers warmed up before the race! Students can practice using the online Idita-Read.org tools and gauge their reading pace. Reading mileage and Book Reviews will display as Training mileage during this period before March 6 and will not count toward the official race mileage.
March 6 — Official Race Kicks Off!
Starting the same day as Alaska's Iditarod Sled Dog Trail Race, students begin tracking their reading minutes to mush along the Iditarod Trail.
April 30 — Race Ends
Teams can set earlier deadlines for when their local race ends, but this date is when team logins will be deactivated.
Subscription Rates
Open to K-12 public, private and home schools, as well as other types of groups (library, after-school, etc.)
- $35/team for 1-3 teams
- $30/team when 4+ teams sign-up per order
Each Team can include up to 50 students.
Race Rules
- During the official race, students should only log reading minutes actually completed March 6 — April 30 (the Training period starting February 1 allows warm-up practice).
- Students should avoid book review plagiarism.
- Double-check reading mileage logs for accuracy.
Team Managers
A teacher or other leading educator serves as the Team Manager for one or more local teams.
Related Screencasts
Team Manager Responsibilities
- 1. Inputting their team roster — each student's fist name, full or initial of last name, grade level, and login (username and password) — refer to the Team Manager Guide in the Racing Kit’s User Guides section.
- 2. Printing and providing helpful Trail Tools included in the Racing Kit.
- 3. Helping students log mileage and book reviews — review one-page or screencast Musher Guide in the Racing Kit’s User Guides section. Managers can allow students to login on their own or Managers (including their assistants) can log mileage and reviews on behalf of each student.
- 4. Monitoring student compliance with the Race Rules.
- 5. Integrating Idita-Read.org with related activities (optional). See our Racing Kit page for Supplemental Learning Links and Activity Ideas.
About Us
WW IDEA, which created and coordinates Idita-Read.org, is an educational 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization. Therefore, the money generated through these subscriptions helps cover basic expenses for the activity and also helps fund new or improved activity features.
We believe that every student can be successful and should be provided refreshing opportunities to learn.
