Maple Grove fourth graders raise their hands Friday to answer questions about the science, history and traditions of the Indianapolis 500.
Jayden Kennett | Daily Journal
More than 80 Maple Grove fourth graders shuffled between Indianapolis 500 stations learning about the science, history and traditions of the race during a mobile study trip on Friday.
Presented by Indiana University, the 500 Festival and Indianapolis 500 Education Program aims to add to the fourth-grade curriculum by teaching students about health and nutrition, driver equipment, flags and more through interactive racing stations. The 500 Festival offers the mobile study trip to exclusive groups of schools free of charge and with all resources provided, including an INDYCAR for students to take photos with.
This is the second year that Maple Grove Elementary has won the lottery for the mobile study trip.
Groups of students shuffled through six different stations throughout the day where Indy 500 volunteers and staff taught them about the history, traditions, the equipment drivers wear, the flags, and the car itself.
The Education Program is based on an Indiana Academic Standards-based curriculum and is designed for fourth-grade students to understand and appreciate the 500 Festival and the Indy 500, according to their website.
Fourth-grade teachers have been spending the last few weeks teaching students about the Indy 500 to bring the mobile learning lab to life, said Kara Nussbaum, a fourth-grade teacher at Maple Grove. Lining the fourth-grade hallway is a timeline made by students that marks each decade and research of different drivers, she said. Nussbaum hopes that students can apply the knowledge they learned in the classroom and become more interested in Indiana’s history.
“They’re kind of seeing ‘OK this is where I live. This is not just normal, these are fun things that we get to do.’ … So it’s been fun to see them make those connections and get excited,” Nussbaum said.
Indiana’s fourth graders spend the year focusing on state history, making the 500 a perfect learning opportunity for students.
Aside from being a race car driver, students have been interested in learning about all the intricacies and career paths of the Indy 500. A lot of the students are already asking parents to sign them up for the Indy Mini after the lesson plans, she said.
“We’re not just a state in the Midwest, we have really cool national and international ties,” Nussbaum said. “And I think when we were studying the history, they kind of got that; you’re starting to see Indiana history is actually more important than just the things that we learn in school.”
Fourth-grader Ellie Roegner said her favorite part of the day was learning about the history of the 500 and the milk tradition. Before today, she didn’t know about different flag colors and their meanings, she said.
Meanwhile, fourth-grader Wyatt Harmon said one of his favorite parts was working with other students to make a “pretend” Indy 500 car on paper and learning about the history of the bricks.
