Sept. 10, 2008: The Science Behind NASCAR

The Mini Page is a syndicated, four-page tabloid written for young children found each Wednesday in the Rocky Mountain News. This issue of The Mini Page is available through the eEdition Archive to registered eEdition subscribers. Click here to learn about subscribing to the eEdition at no cost to you (for Colorado teachers).

Activities:

1. Draw a large car on a piece of paper. Then paste newspaper words that remind you of NASCAR cars or races on your car.

2. Look at the car ads in the classified section of your newspaper. Find at least five car safety features shown in the ads. Put a star by the feature you think is most important. Write a sentence explaining how that safety feature protects drivers.

3. Look in the sports section of your newspaper to find stories and information about auto racing. Circle all the stories in blue. Circle any stories about NASCAR in red. Write a sentence about the story you think is most interesting.

4. How do these NASCAR features protect the driver: (a) inside "cage," (b) frequent tire changes, (c) special driving suit, and (d) side-door foam?

5. Use the eEdition of the newspaper or the Internet to find the names of today's top NASCAR drivers. Select one driver to research. Use the Internet to learn more about your driver. Use these questions to guide your research: Who sponsors the driver? How old is the driver? How did the driver become interested in racing? What did the driver do to become a top NASCAR driver?
Write a brief biography of your driver.

This week's standards:

• Students develop understanding about science and technology. (Science: Science and Technology)
• Students understand the abilities of technological design. (Science: Science and Technology)
  
  (standards by Dr. Sherrye D. Garrett, Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi)