  
| 
| ||||||||||||
CNN Presents Classroom: NASCAR: Driven to Extremes
RELATEDSPECIAL REPORTCNN STUDENT NEWS(CNN Student News) -- Set your VCR to record the CNN Special Classroom Edition: NASCAR: Driven to Extremes when it airs commercial-free on Monday, November 21, 2005, from 4:00 -- 5:00 a.m. ET on CNN. Program OverviewIn the CNN Special NASCAR: Driven to Extremes, Dr. Sanjay Gupta gets behind the wheel and in the pits to examine safety and athletic performance in NASCAR racing. Grade Level: 9 -- 12 Subject Areas: Health, Physical Education, Biology, Physical Science Objectives: The CNN Special Classroom Edition: NASCAR: Driven to Extremes and its corresponding discussion questions and activities challenge students to: Curriculum ConnectionsHealth Standard 5: Knows essential concepts and practices concerning injury prevention and safety Level IV [Grade 9-12] Benchmark 1. Knows injury prevention strategies for community health (e.g., neighborhood safety, traffic safety, safe driving) Standard 7. Knows how to maintain and promote personal health Level IV [Grade 9-12] Benchmark 1. Knows how personal behaviors relate to health and well being and how these behaviors can be modified if necessary to promote achievement of health goals throughout life (e.g., following a personal nutrition plan to reduce the risk of disease, periodically self-assessing physical fitness) Content Knowledge: A Compendium of Standards and Benchmarks for K-12 Education (Copyright 2000 McREL) is published online by Mid-continent Research for Education and Learning (McREL) (http://www.mcrel.org/standards-benchmarks Physical Education Standard 3. Understands the benefits and costs associated with participation in physical activity Level IV [Grade 9-12] Benchmark 3. Understands the potentially dangerous consequences and outcomes of participation in physical activity (e.g., physical injury, potential conflicts with others) Standard 4. Understands how to monitor and maintain a health-enhancing level of physical fitness Level IV [Grade 9-12] Benchmark 8. Designs a personal fitness program that is based on the basic principles of training and encompasses all components of fitness (e.g., cardiovascular and respiratory efficiency, muscular strength and endurance, flexibility, and body composition) Content Knowledge: A Compendium of Standards and Benchmarks for K-12 Education (Copyright 2000 McREL) is published online by Mid-continent Research for Education and Learning (McREL) (http://www.mcrel.org/standards-benchmarks Science Standard 10. Understands forces and motion Level IV [Grade 9-12] Benchmark 3. Knows that the strength of the gravitational force between two masses is proportional to the masses and inversely proportional to the square of the distance between them Benchmark 8. Knows that laws of motion can be used to determine the effects of forces on the motion of objects Standard 13. Understands the scientific enterprise Level IV [Grade 9-12] Benchmark 1. Knows that, throughout history, diverse cultures have developed scientific ideas and solved human problems through technology Content Knowledge: A Compendium of Standards and Benchmarks for K-12 Education (Copyright 2000 McREL) is published online by Mid-continent Research for Education and Learning (McREL) (http://www.mcrel.org/standards-benchmarks Discussion Questions1. According to the program, why is it important for racecar drivers to be mentally and physically fit? What aspects of racecar drivers' physical health are tested during races? How do some of the drivers featured in this program address these health-related issues? 2. Why is it important for racecar drivers to stay hydrated before and during a race? 3. To what extent is endurance training important for drivers? 4. What are G-forces? How can these forces affect drivers during a race? 5. What does driver Mark Martin suggest are three benefits of exercise and fitness? 6. What do you think are the criteria for determining whether someone is an athlete? Based on those criteria, and on what you learned in the program, do you think that racecar drivers are athletes? State your rationale. 7. How would you describe the role of the pit crew during a NASCAR race? What types of skills are necessary to be an effective member of the pit crew? What types of athletes do NASCAR teams look for when recruiting high school athletes for their pit crews? 8. Based on what you learned in the program, what are some of NASCAR's safety regulations? What do you think were the driving forces behind these safety measures? 9. How does knowledge of the principles of physics help NASCAR safety experts to develop better and safer equipment and procedures? 10. According to the story, why are head injuries the biggest risk for racecar drivers? What type of head injury did driver Jerry Nadeau sustain in his car crash at the Richmond International Speedway? Why is it more dangerous to slam into a wall flush than to flip a car over multiple times? 11. What is the "Hands and Neck Support" system (HANS)? When and why was it developed? 12. What are "safer barriers"? What do you think are the potential benefits and drawbacks to placing so-called "soft walls" around the racing tracks? 13. What reasons are presented in the program for setting the minimum age for NASCAR drivers at 18? Based on the information presented in the program, do you think that teenagers under the age of 18 should be allowed to drive at all? Explain. 14. What lessons learned by NASCAR officials, if any, can be applied to the average motorist? Suggested Activities1. Sports Safety As a class, list the many safety features mentioned in the program that are either used or are in the planning stages of being used in NASCAR racing. These might include helmets, padded supports, web netting on the windows, Head and Neck Support (HANS), five, six or seven-point harness, "soft walls," restrictor plates, fire-retardant suits and roof flaps. Have students offer rationales for why they think that each feature was developed. Ask: How might any of these safety precautions apply to ordinary drivers and consumer automobiles? Do you think that NASCAR officials should mandate that all its drivers adhere to these safety precautions, or should drivers be able to choose which safety precautions to adopt? Explain. Then, have students create a list of sports that kids their age might play or participate in, such as baseball, softball, soccer, football, go-kart racing, basketball, wrestling, karate, gymnastics, swimming, tennis, skiing, snowboarding, biking, skateboarding, in-line skating, etc. Organize students into small groups, and assign each group one of the sports on the list. Have groups determine the potential hazards or injuries that can happen as a result of participating in their assigned sports. Then, have them investigate what, if any, safety equipment or procedures are currently used in their sports, when and why the equipment or procedures were developed, and how, if at all, the use of the safety equipment is enforced (e.g., are helmets required by law for skateboarding). As a result of their research, have students list their recommendations for additional safety equipment, procedures or laws to make it safer to participate in sports. After the groups have presented their findings, develop a "Sports Safety" guide for the school's Web site. Students may also choose to develop pamphlets to distribute to youth sports leagues or write articles to be published in local newspapers or magazines. As an extension, challenge students to write letters to legislators in support of or criticizing current laws regarding sports safety in their state or community. 2. A Closer Look at Fitness Throughout NASCAR: Driven to Extremes, CNN's Sanjay Gupta explores the question, "Are racecar drivers athletes?" Ask students: How does Gupta go about trying to answer this question? What criteria are used to determine athleticism? What are the characteristics of physical fitness? Explain to students that physical fitness can relate to a person's health and to the skills that he or she possesses. Health-related fitness might include body composition, flexibility, muscular strength, muscular endurance and cardio respiratory endurance, while skills-related fitness might include agility, balance, coordination, speed, reaction time and power. Ask: What health-related issues most affect racecar drivers (e.g., cardiovascular, respiratory and muscular endurance)? How can drivers improve their fitness levels in these areas? Can better fitness in these areas improve a driver's chances for success? Explain. Then, have students discuss what physical skills racecar drivers need to be successful in their sport (e.g., reaction time, coordination, balance). Ask: Based on what you have learned about physical fitness, would you describe racecar drivers as athletes? State your rationale. Next, have students consider the fitness levels of participants in other sports. Create a class chart -- on the left side of the chart, list the sports that students might play, and across the top, have students list the health-related and skills-related fitness characteristics. Have the students identify what fitness characteristics are necessary for each sport. Then, on a scale from 1 -- 5, 5 being extremely fit, have students rate what they think are the health and skills fitness levels for athletes in each of the sports listed. Based on the overall scores for each sport, discuss which sports require the greatest levels of fitness for participation. Finally, challenge students to rate their own fitness levels. Have them select sports or activities that they enjoy, and help them to develop fitness programs that will improve both their overall health and the skills necessary to participate in their chosen sports or activities. For example, students who love to play lacrosse could investigate ways to improve their cardiovascular endurance, their flexibility or their muscle strength, in addition to working on how to improve their reaction time, speed and agility. Encourage students to work with the school and community sports and health experts as they develop their fitness plans. KeywordsNASCAR, Rusty Wallace, Jerry Nadeau, Carl Edwards, endurance, Nextel Cup, pit crews, G-force, Dale Earnhardt, "soft walls," Gary Nelson, Joey Logano 
|
| ||||||||||||
| © 2007 Cable News Network. A Time Warner Company. All Rights Reserved. Terms under which this service is provided to you. Read our privacy guidelines. Contact us. Site Map. |
 |
|
), 2550 S. Parker Road, Suite 500, Aurora, CO 80014; Telephone: 303/337-0990.
Pay service with live and archived video. 
