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Questions for discussion

Strong dollar

1. Discuss the main points raised in the Strong dollar story.

2. Countries around the world have their own money called ______________.

3. People buy and sell money, just like you see in the share market. True or false?

4. How can people make a profit buying and selling money?

5. Why is the Australian dollar doing well at the moment?

6. Why is a high Australian dollar good news for shoppers?

7. What does it mean for tourists wanting to visit Australia?

8. What impact could it have on farmers?

9. What do some experts predict about the value of the Aussie dollar?

10. What does the high Australian dollar mean for you? Share your response with another student.

Use an online currency calculator to convert the value of 100 Australian dollars into ten different currencies.

Tornado

1. Summarise the BtN story.

2. Describe the damage a tornado can cause.

3. Tornadoes are the same as cyclones. True or false?

4. What do some people say a tornado sounds like?

5. What is another name for a tornado?

6. Why are they most common in the part of the US called `Tornado Alley’?

7. A tornado is formed when hot hair rushes to colder areas and starts spinning into a spiral called a __________.

8. How are tornadoes measured?

9. The tip of the vortex can be as wide as…

a. 3 km

b. 9 km

c. 15 km

10. List five facts you learnt watching the Tornado story.

Test your knowledge in the online Tornadoes quiz. Go to the BtN website and follow the links.

Head knocks

1. What are some symptoms of concussion?

2. Give an example of a contact sport.

3. In your own words, describe what happens to the brain when someone gets concussed.

4. It’s estimated that NFL players get about how many hits to the head every season

a. 100

b. 500

c. 1500

5. What sort of problems can repeated head injuries cause later in life?

6. What changes are being made to some Aussie contact sports?

7. Complete the following sentence: If a player gets concussed in a game, it’s recommended they…

8. What are some local football clubs being doing about the problem?

9. Why do some people think wearing head protection could make things worse?

10. Do you think wearing head protection should be compulsory for all contact sports? Explain your answer.

`Should kids wear head protection when playing contact sports?’ Vote in the BtN online poll

Posture problem

1. What was the main point of the Posture problem story?

2. Some health experts are concerned that the way we use modern technology is leading to…

3. Describe the position people are getting into when using computers, phones and video games?

4. Which part of our body is most affected?

5. How should school bags be carried?

6. What can people do to improve their posture when they use a computer?

7. Why is regular exercise important?

8. Name three facts you learnt watching this story.

9. What do you think good posture looks like? Illustrate your answer.

10. What changes do you think you could make to improve your own posture?

Create a poster that teaches young people about having good posture.

Refugee kids

1. Retell the Refugee kids story.

2. Why do people flee their home country?

3. Who is the program `Imagine the Future’ for?

4. What is the program trying to achieve?

5. What sort of activities do the kids do?

6. Why do you think learning to trust people is important for the refugee kids?

7. Describe how the refugees’ attitudes towards the police may change.

8. What difference has it made to the refugee kids’ lives?

9. Post a message about this story on the BtN guestbook

10. How did this story make you feel?

The UN Refugee Agency website has a game that gives some insight into what it’s like to be a refugee What did the game teach you about refugees that you didn’t already know?

Head knocks

Focus Questions

1. What are some symptoms of concussion?

2. Give an example of a contact sport.

3. In your own words, describe what happens to the brain when someone gets concussed.

4. It’s estimated that NFL players get about how many hits to the head every season

a. 100

b. 500

c. 1500

5. What sort of problems can repeated head injuries cause later in life?

6. What changes are being made to some Aussie contact sports?

7. Complete the following sentence: If a player gets concussed in a game, it’s recommended they…

8. What are some local football clubs being doing about the problem?

9. Why do some people think wearing head protection could make things worse?

10. Do you think wearing head protection should be compulsory for all contact sports? Explain your answer.

Head knocks

Students will research and debate the following statement:

`All children should wear head protection when playing contact sports’

Divide the class into teams of 6, 3 speaking for the affirmative and 3 against. Other roles that can be assigned are chairperson, time keeper and the remaining class members can adjudicate using the rubric at the end of this activity. Discuss with students the length of time each speaker talks for. Students will need sufficient time to research the topic. There are some web links at the end of this activity to support students.

The debate can be structured in the following way:

Speaker 1 Introduce the topic and team’s argument. The 1st speaker for the negative can also rebut (argue against).

Speaker 2 Rebuttal and continue team’s argument

Speaker 3 Rebuttal and summarise/conclude debate

Some key issues/questions students can explore for the debate include:

• Whether wearing head protection should be optional or compulsory

• Medical evidence that supports the arguments for or against

• Whether wearing head protection encourages `rougher’ play

Peer adjudication rubric

| Levels of performance |

|Criteria |Needs improvement |Satisfactory |Good |Excellent |

|Information |Information was |Some information was |Most information was |All information was |

| |inaccurate and unclear|accurate and clear |accurate and clear |accurate and clear |

|Organisation |Arguments were |Most arguments were |Some arguments were |All arguments were |

| |illogical |illogical |illogical |logical |

|Rebuttal |Counter arguments were|Some counter arguments|Most counter arguments|All counter arguments |

| |not accurate or |were accurate and |were accurate and |were accurate and |

| |relevant |relevant |relevant |relevant |

|Examples and facts |Few or no relevant |Some relevant examples|Many examples and |Many examples and |

| |examples or facts |or facts |facts given – most |facts given – all |

| | | |relevant |relevant |

|Presentation |Poor presentation |Satisfactory |Good presentation |Excellent presentation|

|(tone of voice, body |style |presentation style |style |style |

|language, | | | | |

|enthusiastic, | | | | |

|convincing) | | | | |

Reflection

Ask students to think about how difficult it was to think of arguments to support their case. Do they think they could have created a stronger argument if they were speaking for the opposing view?

( Related Research Links

ABC Catalyst – School of Hard Knocks



BBC Sport – Concussion



Kidshealth – Concussion



Betterhealth – Head injuries



AFL – Stringent new concussion rules in place



Refugee kids

Focus Questions

1. Retell the Refugee kids story.

2. Why do people flee their home country?

3. Who is the program `Imagine the Future’ for?

4. What is the program trying to achieve?

5. What sort of activities do the kids do?

6. Why do you think learning to trust people is important for the refugee kids?

7. Describe how the refugees’ attitudes towards the police may change.

8. What difference has it made to the refugee kids’ lives?

9. Post a message about this story on the BtN guestbook

10. How did this story make you feel?

Refugee kids

Students will develop an understanding of what a refugee is. In small groups, ask students to brainstorm and record words they associate with `refugee’.

As a class, share what each group brainstormed. Record all responses on a large sheet of paper. Ask students to consider the following questions:

• Which words have a positive or negative meaning?

• Where they have heard the words used - media, friends, family?

• What has shaped their understanding and opinion of refugees?

Come up with a class definition of what a refugee is.

Students can choose one or more of the following activities to complete:

Which countries around the world resettle refugees and people in humanitarian need each year? What proportion does Australia accept? Display the information in a table.

The UN Refugee Agency website has a game that gives some insight into what it’s like to be a refugee What did the game teach you about refugees that you didn’t already know?

People don’t plan to become refugees. Usually circumstances beyond their control force them to flee. Imagine you had to flee your home in a hurry leaving your family and belongings to move to another country. Think about where you will go, how you will travel and what resources you will need. Write a story or draw a picture that describes the experience.

How does Australia help refugees? What support do they get to resettle? Work with a partner to find out what is being done and make a list of things that could be done to help refugees. What is done in your school or local community to help refugees resettle? Present your information to the class.

Explore how some refugees use art to tell their stories. The following website has artwork created by refugees.

Choose one artwork to respond to. What story does it tell about the artist’s experiences?

( Related Research Links

730 SA – Program delivers lessons in trust



Australian Human Rights Commission – Refugees



UNHCR – Refugees



Department of Immigration – How Australia helps refugees



BtN: Episode 14 Transcript 31/5/11

On this week's Behind the News:

• Terrifying twisters hit America. What are they and how do they start?

• We look at the winners and losers as the Aussie dollar continues to rise.

• And don't be a slouch why having good posture is important.

Hi I'm Nathan Bazley, welcome to Behind the News. Also on the show today: why head injuries have become a talking point in some of Australia's favourite sports but before all that let's take a look at some of the big stories making the news this week in the wire.

The Wire

US President Barack Obama has made his first official state visit to Britain during a tour of Europe. He and wife Michelle Obama were greeted at Buckingham Palace by the Queen. Even Prince William and his new bride Catherine got to meet the US leader. The Obama's then called in on Downing Street where they met British Prime Minister David Cameron. The two leaders visited a school together meeting students and even taking them on in table tennis.

******

To Iceland where an erupting volcano caused headaches in Europe as drifting ash disrupted travel for thousands of people. About five hundred flights in Northern England, Scotland and Northern Ireland were grounded to make sure passengers would remain safe. Another Icelandic volcano erupted last year causing widespread problems but experts say this volcano won't cause as many problems.

******

And the space shuttle Endeavour's final voyage has come to an end. Astronauts aboard Endeavour said an emotional farewell to the international space station and are finally heading home. This was the shuttle's twelfth and last visit to the station during which the crew delivered a two billion dollar cosmic ray detector that will stay there for at least 10 years. The shuttle is expected to touch down in Florida on Wednesday before it is retired for good.

Tornado

Reporter: Natasha Thiele

INTRO: Wild weather has been causing serious problems in the US. Massive tornadoes have devastated parts of the country killing lots of people and tearing homes apart. Tash takes a look at tornadoes and how they start.

NATASHA THIELE, REPORTER: This is the sort of destruction a MASSIVE tornado can cause. This is what happened when a tornado swept through the State of Missouri in the mid-west of America. It destroyed everything in its path. It ripped up homes, buildings and pulled up trees.

WOMAN: When they say it sounds like a freight train coming, that's what I'd always heard, that's exactly what it sounds like. The house was shaking and it was scary, scary.

MAN: Being in that house and hearing things come down and the water, all of a sudden rushing through and just concrete, we knew the house came down on us.

With only a 20-minute warning, many couldn't get away in time and more than a hundred people were killed.

Tornadoes are also known as twisters and they can happen anywhere in the world. But they're most common in this part of the US. They get so many of them; it's been nicknamed 'Tornado Alley'. It's where hot humid air from the Gulf of Mexico meets dry cold air from Canada. It all makes for perfect conditions for tornadoes.

The hot and cold winds mix together and that can form a massive storm. When the hot air rushes to the colder areas, it starts spinning into a spiral and that's called a 'vortex'. As it spins, it gets faster and faster reaching wind speeds up to 480-kays an hour and the tip of the vortex can be as wide as 3-kays where it touches the ground.

NATASHA: You've probably seen one of these vortexes before. When you take the plug out of the bath it's a similar thing. But instead of air, it's water trying to escape down the plug hole and it creates something that looks very similar.

Tornadoes are a spectacular weather event and storm chasers head to Tornado Alley hoping to grab amazing video footage, which is really dangerous because tornadoes are highly destructive and unpredictable. The interesting thing is, they're not measured by how strong their winds are, they're graded depending on how much damage they leave behind. It's called the Fujita Damage Scale. It can range from the lowest, which might damage rooves of houses, to the highest where houses can be ripped completely from their foundations and the debris scattered for kilometres.

While the clean-up and recovery begins for locals in Missouri, they're hoping there won't be any more. But it's the season for tornadoes, so this might not be the last we see.

Top Dollar

Reporter: Kirsty Bennett

INTRO: If you've ever watched the evening news, you'll have seen the bit where they talk about finance. And recently, they've been going on about how strong the Aussie dollar is. It's a sign that our economy is doing relatively well so on the whole it's good news but there are also some down-sides. Kirsty explains.

KIRSTY BENNETT, REPORTER: The Aussie dollar is going further than it's ever gone before. Lots of people are talking about the movement of the Aussie dollar that's because it recently reached a record high.

KIRSTY: So how did this little dollar become so valuable?

Countries around the world have their own money it's called currency. And people here buy it and sell it just like you see in the share-market. The idea is to buy a country's currency if you think it's going to go up in value. If it does you can sell it for a profit. So investors try to buy money from countries that are doing well. And that's what's been happening with the Australian dollar because the mining boom has kept the economy ticking over, while many other countries have been having a hard time. This buying and selling of currency is happening all the time that's why the price of money is always changing.

If I take ten Aussie dollars to get changed for my trip to the US on one day I could get 11 American dollars in return. But if I take that same amount of Aussie dollars in the next day I could get back a bit more or a bit less. So the value of money goes up and down but what does a high dollar mean for us?

Well it's good news for shoppers! A high Aussie dollar means imported products like TVs and mp3 players are cheaper.

KID: It's also good if you want to pick up some clothes online!

KIRSTY: Overseas travel is also more appealing because a high Aussie dollar means it converts to even more money in some countries.

KID: Great! Everything here seems so cheap.

KIRSTY: But a strong Aussie dollar isn't good for everyone. Tourists wanting to visit Australia might be put off because everything seems too expensive. They won't get many Aussie dollars when they convert their currency so their holiday spending money won't stretch very far. It can also make it difficult for local businesses to compete with overseas ones. Some farmers could struggle to sell their wool or cattle overseas because it's more expensive for people there to buy it.

KID: And that can mean I might not have a job!

KIRSTY: The Aussie dollar is always going to jump around it's just how far that's got people thinking. Some experts have predicted it could end up being worth twice as much as a US dollar. Whether that happens or not one thing's for sure with every rise or fall in the dollar there will always be winners and losers.

Quiz 1

We saw a rolling dollar coin at the start of that story. Let's see how closely you were watching. It's time for a quiz!

How many kangaroos are on the dollar coin?

3

4

5

Answer: 5

Head Knocks

Reporter: Kirsty Bennett

INTRO: Getting to the top in sport can sometimes mean putting your body on the line But is our desire to win so strong that we're prepared to put our health at risk? Well, quite often the answer is yes. Kirsty reports on some changes that have been made in professional sport around how we deal with head injuries.

KIRSTY BENNETT, REPORTER: No pain. No gain.

COMMENTATOR: Crack bang.

KIRSTY: That seems to be the motto of many elite sports stars. But in this battle for a win you might see some players walk off like this.

COMMENTATOR: He'll get up and head off in the wrong direction.

KIRSTY: Dizzy, blurred vision, confused and sick, these are some of the signs of a concussion. They can happen a lot in contact sports like boxing, footy and rugby. So how does someone get a concussion?

To find that out let's look at this model of the human brain. It sits in the skull in a liquid that's kind of like saltwater so it floats and can move around. So if you collide with someone or something with your head the brain can bounce against the front and back of the skull, which can cause bruising.

A concussion can make small tears in the nerves that can stop the messages flowing around the brain. So messages from the eyes and so on are disturbed that's why people get blurry vision and lose balance. A concussion can be serious but research has found that players don't even need to get a concussion to damage the brain. To better explain it, let's visit the US.

American footballers have their fair share of head knocks. It's estimated that NFL players get around 1500 hits to the head every season. These knocks don't always lead to a concussion but US researchers have found that they can all add up to health problems when players are older.

RON MURATORE, NRL MEDICAL BOARD: Long term we do know that people with multiple head injuries do have problems with depression, increased incidence of suicide and dementia.

KIRSTY: The NFL is now spending a lot of money looking into how hits affect players during and after their careers. But the US isn't the only country that's looking closely at the effect of its contact sports. Australia is also in this debate.

New guidelines have been brought in to deal with concussions in Aussie rules, rugby and league. While they aren't hard rules, clubs have agreed to some changes, like checking players’ brains at the start of each season, so they can detect if there are any problems. And if a player gets concussed in a game, it's recommended that they don't go back on. But that's already been causing controversy this season, with some players upset at being forced off the field.

COACH: Push it through. Good work.

KIRSTY: Some local football teams have been getting the safety message in early by making players wear protective head gear. Many think it's a good move because there's no doubt they work. But some people think head protection could make things even worse. There's a view that wearing it gives players a false sense of safety and makes them play even rougher. In American football the helmets are so strong that players now use them like a weapon to batter the opposition.

Aussie sports are still working out the best way to deal with the issue. But for sports stars who want to win at all costs research is now able to show them that risking your health could be a high price to pay.

Online Poll

OK so there's a lot of talk about how to be safe when we play sport. Let's make that our poll this week.

The question is:

Should kids wear head protection when playing contact sports?

To vote just head to our website.

Let's check out the results of last week's poll now. We asked if you thought the government's asylum seeker deal with Malaysia was a good one. 27 per cent of you thought it was a good deal but a majority 73 per cent said it was a bad deal. Thanks for taking part.

Posture Problem

Reporter: Natasha Thiele

INTRO: You've probably been told at least once before to sit up straight. It's something we often forget to do but it's actually really important for our body. Now, some new research has found kids posture is getting worse and it says modern technology is partly to blame. Tash went to find out why.

NATASHA THIELE, REPORTER: If you were a kid in the 1950s, whether you liked it or not, you'd have been taught about the importance of posture.

TEACHER: If I catch anyone slouching, they will have the back straightener for the entire morning.

While we don't have back straighteners any more, the message about good posture is just as important for kids today.

Health experts are worried we're spending too much time on things like computers, phones and even video games. And all that is having an effect on our bodies. A new study says the way we use modern technology is giving us bad posture. That's because we usually lean forward and hunch over when we use it. So while it might feel comfortable at the time, it's actually having a bad affect on our spine!

REPORTER: This is what a normal spine looks like. It has this curve bit here but if you're slouching around this, the spine can tend to do this. And over time, it can get a lot worse because of extra pressure and weight around this area here. And that can lead to serious back problems.

It can be so painful, that you can be unable to move. Most people will suffer from back pain at some point in their life. It's one of the main reasons why people are unable to go to work. So how can you stop it happening to you?

It looks like a pretty familiar scene, so what's wrong with this picture? Well, let's start making a few changes. Firstly, we'll add a cushion. Putting it between the girl and the chair to make her sit up straight. Let's push the chair closer to the table. Her knees are now bent at a 90 degree angle. This is good because it takes away some of the weight that's on her back. She's still bending her neck down to see the computer screen, so let's stick some books under the laptop to raise it up a bit. Now she's sitting up straight and the 90 degree angles at the base of her spine and at her knees means the weight is more evenly spread over her body.

Posture isn't just about sitting down. Kids used to practice walking with books balanced on their heads. The idea was to train yourself to walk with your head up and your back straight. Think about how you carry your school bag too. They can be really heavy, so it's important to use both straps to spread the weight across your shoulders. And it's important to strengthen your back, so that means regular exercise. It could be as simple as going for a walk or playing sport.

The key message is to limit the amount of time you spend hunched over a keyboard and be active as often as you can.

Presenter: I hope you're sitting up straight after listening to that. OK, time for another quiz.

Quiz 2

The question is: How many vertebrae are in the human spine?

22

33

44

Answer: 33

That allows us to be pretty flexible while still protecting our spinal cords. Time to limber up for sports action next. Get ready here's the Score.

The Score

It's one of the biggest prizes in European football the Champions league trophy and the final had two of the biggest clubs in the world to match. Manchester United lined up against Barcelona in front of a sell out crowd. And once kick-off came it didn't take too long for Barcelona to strike Pedro finishing off a perfect pass from Xavi.

Wayne Rooney managed to claw one back but it was all one way traffic after that Lionel Messi grabbed the next before David Villa sealed the win 15 minutes later. The Spanish club proving why many believe they are the one of the strongest teams ever.

*****

And finally to Rugby Union where the Qld Reds have pulled off an amazing one point victory over the crusaders. The crusaders had looked like they would end the Red's 11 match winning streak at home as they dominated the last 20 minutes of the match to lead 16-14.

But a last minute penalty gave the Red's the chance to take out the match and Quade Cooper didn't lose his nerve slotting the tough penalty and securing the win.

Queensland now sit four points clear of the Blues on top of the ladder.

Refugee Kids

Reporter: Matthew Holbrook

INTRO: Australia is known as a multicultural country because people from all over the world come to live here. For refugees who now call Australia home it's a fresh start but it's also a big adjustment. Matt takes a look at a program helping a group of African boys to find their feet.

MATTHEW HOLBROOK, REPORTER: If heights aren't your thing, look away now! This might look like great fun to you, or maybe the idea of leaping into nothing scares you silly. But for this group of African teens, it's teaching them a pretty valuable skill: trust!

BOYS: You can do it Moses, you can do it.

This group of boys are refugees, who are now settled in Australia. And an activity like this is a big change for them in more ways than one.

This is what we normally see on the news when it comes to refugees. Asylum seekers waiting to either be allowed into Australia, or sent back home. They come here wanting to live somewhere safe, because of poverty, war, or violence in their home country. The government then decides which asylum seekers are genuine refugees who should be allowed to stay in Australia.

James was given the green light to go to Adelaide a few years ago.

JAMES: In Ghana, it wasn't really that safe because some like people were getting killed and stuff and so, and then like, our name came up to have an interview for travel.

But getting into Australia is only the first hurdle. After that, it can take time to get used to a different way of life. That's where this program, called Imagine the Future, tries to help. It's for boys aged between twelve and fifteen, who come from refugee backgrounds. It's all about improving their confidence, making friends, and adjusting to a new culture.

They get to try a range of activities, like mountain biking, kayaking, and rope climbing. And as well as the physical challenges, it tests their mental toughness too.

BOYS: I'm not going up there. I'm not going up there. I'm never going up there, ever.

And along the way, they're learning a lot. Even some things that seem obvious to Australians, like knowing that police officers are there to help you. Most of the time, refugees leave their countries because the authorities which are supposed to protect them, either aren't doing their job, or they may even be the ones being violent.

It's pretty different to how we see police in Australia, because from a young age, we're taught police will help us. The boys are pretty surprised when they find out that some of the people helping to run the course are actually police.

JUMA: After he shows the ID, oh they think, he's a police officer, nice, he's in a plain clothes, police officers are good people!

After eight weeks, the program's over, but in that short time, it's made a difference for these young adventurers.

BILLY: Now I behave to people very respectfully and stuff.

JAMES: I'm more friendlier, no joke. I'm like most of the times before, like I started this, I was really grumpy most of the time, so this actually made me get along with people a bit more.

So wherever these boys are headed, they should have the confidence to leap for their goals

BOYS: 3, 2, 1 yeah

Closer

Don't forget to log onto our website and get more info about any of our stories. You can send us your comments and vote in our poll and we'll see you next time.

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Episode 14

31ST MAY 2011

LEARNING AREA

Society and Environment

Key learning

Students will develop a deeper understanding of what a refugee is and the issues affecting them.

Episode 13

24TH MAY 2011

LEARNING AREA

Society and Environment

Key learning

Students will develop an argument for or against helmets being compulsory in all contact sports.

Episode 14

31ST MAY 2011

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