Vale Middle School Reading Article
Car Windows May Not Protect From Sun (1070L)
Instructions: COMPLETE ALL QUESTIONS AND MARGIN NOTES using the CLOSE reading
strategies practiced in class. This requires reading of the article three times.
Read the following article carefully and make notes in the margin as you read.
Your notes should include:
o Comments that show that you understand the article. (A summary or statement of the main
idea of important sections may serve this purpose.)
o Questions you have that show what you are wondering about as you read.
o Notes that differentiate between fact and opinion.
o Observations about how the writer’s strategies (organization, word choice, perspective,
support) and choices affect the article.
Your margin notes are part of your score for this assessment.
Answer the questions carefully in complete sentences unless otherwise instructed.
Student ____________________________Class Period__________________
DETROIT (AP) — Car windows are designed to protect you in an accident. But they
won't necessarily protect you from the sun.
Notes on my thoughts,
reactions and questions as I
read:
Automotive glass must meet a host of government standards in the U.S. and elsewhere.
It has to let in the maximum amount of light to help drivers see. It has to shatter into
tiny pieces instead of shards that might hurt occupants in a crash. But there are no
requirements for sun protection. That can vary by vehicle, and even by window within a
vehicle.
Windshields offer the most sun protection, according to Pete Dishart, who leads product
development at Pittsburgh Glass Works in Pennsylvania. His company supplies glass to
nearly every major automaker, including Toyota, Mercedes-Benz, General Motors,
BMW and Hyundai.
By law, windshields must be made of laminated glass, which means they're formed
from three parts: two 2.1-millimeter layers of glass separated by an 0.8-millimeter piece
of stretchy plastic. The glass is made to break easily if something — the driver's head,
for example, or a deer — comes in contact with it. The plastic then stretches to absorb
that impact.
The layer of plastic helps windshields absorb nearly all of the sun's ultraviolet rays.
Plastic is naturally good at absorbing UV rays, Dishart says, and can be made with extra
UV absorbers to protect even more. He says windshields absorb 100 percent of UVB
rays, which cause sunburn, and around 98 percent of UVA rays, which don't cause
sunburn but can do long-term damage to the skin. That gives windshields a sun
protection factor — or SPF — of 50 or more, the equivalent of some of the strongest
sunscreens, Dishart said.
Sunroofs, too, often contain UV-absorbing technology that can block around 90 percent
Durbin, D. Car windows may not protect from sun. Associated Press. Sept. 3, 2014.