Football in Alaska (A Think)

Ok, I don't think that this story would be picked up on by all of the major networks but the L.A. Times is running a feature on it so it fits the criteria for this blog. The article is about football in Alaska. As teachers it's so important that we remember that many students who wouldn't be engaged by a discussion of President Bush's eavesdropping program or JonBenet Ramsey's killer would be engaged by football. The article states:

Here in the Last Frontier, football marches to decidedly different rhythms from those in the lower 48, or 49, for that matter. Two-a-day practices start in July, regular competition kicks off in early August, and Alaska almost always crowns a state champion before major league baseball has a World Series winner.

Lesson Ideas:

1. Life in Alaska is so much different than life in the Lower 48. Find a class in Alaska that would enjoy blogging with your own class. The teacher in Alaska could ask his/her students to blog and you could ask your students to blog. Then you'd comment on each other's blogs. If you email me or simply post a comment I'd be happy to help facilitate this program.
2. The article discusses how difficult it is for Alaska football players to get noticed in the Lower 48. Ask students to consider how Alaskan football players, or football players anywhere might help themselves get noticed. The fact is that while a player has to be good at football to get noticed, he/she can help faciliate the process by sending out video clips, letters and reviews by other players to recruiters. The article mentions "Elmore Laws III, publisher alaskapreps.com, a website that covers high school sports." Encourage students in your class to promote an athlete to a website that covers high school sports in your state. After all, if the website covers the athlete it will be more likely for recruiters to notice him/her.
3. Parts of Alaska are in the Arctic Circle. Ask students to imagine that they were in the Arctic Circle where it stays light much of the summer and dark much of the winter and is obviously very cold. Ask them to write a journal entry explaining what their life might be like.
4. Ask students to draw a map of Alaska. Highlighting important natural characteristics. Here's a map showing some of the towns mentioned in the article.
This site contains several different maps on Alaska.

Tags: (I dont' know how to add tags yet, so hopefully this will work: "bloggingbestpractice" AND "writing" "bloggingbestpractice" AND "marketing"