Using NewsHour Extra Worksheets

Overview: NewsHour Extra worksheets can help students follow along and identify key points in NewsHour science broadcast pieces.

Warm Up: Introduce the topic of the broadcast piece and find out how much your students know.

Main Activity: Hand out the worksheet and have students answer the questions as they watch the NewsHour segment.

Need a DVD of the science segment?: Write to science@newshour.org.

Story: Overpass Collapse Becomes Lesson in Construction, 5/10/07
http://www.pbs.org/newshour/bb/science/jan-june07/overpass_05-10.html

Worksheet Questions: (click here for printout)

1. What caused the California freeway highway overpass to collapse?

A gasoline truck crashed into a guard rail and burst into flames. The intense heat caused the overpass to collapse.

2. What temperature did professor Abolhassan Astaneh estimate that the fire reached? What did that do to the steel girders supporting the overpass?

Astaneh estimated that the fire reached 1,000 to 1,500 degrees, enough to soften the steel.

3. Name two changes that Astaneh suggests would improve highway construction safety.

Astaneh suggests building multilevel freeways further apart, so that a fire on one level won't destroy the one above it. He also suggests using fire-resistant steel and paint, or coating steel girders with fire-retardent concrete.

4. Who is paying to repair the overpass? How much will it cost?

The federal government is paying for the repairs, and it is estimated to cost at least $2 million.

For more NewsHour Science Reports, go to www.pbs.org/newshour/science.

For more science lesson plans and worksheets, go to www.pbs.org/newshour/extra/teachers/science.