Race to the Eating Line

Skills: Reading,- Listening, Speaking, Questioning, Problem solving, and Writing
Grade Level: 7th Grade
Objectives: The student will participate in the building and racing of a vegetable and fruit race car.
Time Required: One or two class periods Group size: Six members per group
Materials Needed: Fresh Ideas letters on the various vegetables A variety of vegetables and fruits such as apples, pears, broccoli, cauliflower, tornatoes, celery, potatoes, carrots, cantaloupes, etch Toothpicks Light dowel rods Review sheet on writing a newspaper sports article Paper Pens or pencils

Procedure: This activity will be done following a discussion on writing a sports article for a newspaper.

A review sheet will be distributed to each student describing the steps in writing a sports article. Another sheet will be handed out to each student so that the student can jot down some notes concerning the results of each of the heats. Students will be divided into groups of six. Each student will be given a card with the numbers one through six. Each card will have the following descriptions.

#1- Owner of the car - The owner gets to decide what he/she wants on the car. The owner must inform the designer and the advertising managers what fruits and vegetables will appear on the car.

#2 - Designer - The designer draws a picture of what he/she thinks the car will look like according to the wants of the owner. The designer must label the parts of the car with the vegetables and fruits that will be used. Wheels and fires must be included.

#3 and #4 - Mechanics - The mechanics will put the car together according to the specifications of the designer. The mechanics must work together) and follow the specification's orders of the designer. If the mechanics feel that something may not be right, then they must converse with the designer and the owner. The decisions of the owner are final though.

#5 and #6 - Advertising managers - The advertising managers research the vegetables and fruits that are used in the car. Information that must be included is where it ranks in production of crops in Pennsylvania, how many acres are used for farming that product, growing season, number of calories in a cup and the major vitamins found in that product. The advertising managers must also name the car.

After the students have built the racing car, they are then given the opportunity to race the cars between the groups. The students are to be reminded that they will need to take notes on the results of each heat Items to be included in the article would be the names of the owner and designer of each car, the name of each car, what vegetables and fruits were included in each car and a description of each car. Of course the winner of the race must be included.

Once the students have gathered up the results from the Veggie 500, they will then use the data that has been collected to write a sports article about the Veggie 500.

Evaluation: Informal assessment to see how members of the class get along with each other. The sports article will be graded according to the steps used in writing a sports article and the content.