Questions for discussion
Lost Votes
1. Explain to another student what the Lost Votes story is about.
2. Which Australian state lost votes from the last Federal Election? Locate using Google Maps.
3. When was the last Federal Election?
4. Why did the Electoral Commission initially recount the votes in WA?
5. How many ballot papers were found to be missing?
a. 14
b. 1,400
c. 14,000
6. What is normally done to keep votes safe?
7. What institution has the power to change the election result?
8. What are the advantages and disadvantages of an electronic voting system?
9. Do you think Australia should change the way it votes? Explain.
10. Do you think it is important that the missing votes are found? Explain your answer.
Write a message about the story and post it in the comments section on the BtN Lost Votes story page. http://www.abc.net.au/btn/story/s3885258.htm
Spying Game
1. Discuss the main points raised in the Spying Game story.
2. Recently there have been claims that Australia has been spying on a country in the Asia-Pacific region. Name this country and locate using Google Maps.
3. Before the spying claims relations were very bad between Australia and Indonesia. True or false?
4. Australia has risked losing its trust from Indonesia. What does trust mean? Find a definition.
5. Why does the Indonesian president feel betrayed by the Australian government?
6. Why would Australia want to spy on Indonesia?
7. Indonesia is now threatening to stop passing on information to Australia about...
a. Drug smugglers
b. People smugglers
c. Animal smugglers
8. What country was caught spying on the phones of 35 world leaders?
9. For many countries spying is commonplace. True or false?
10. What did you find surprising about this story?
Should Australia spy on other countries? Have your say in the BtN online poll. To vote head to the BtN website http://abc.net.au/btn/polls.htm
OzHarvest
1. What is the name of the organisation that is helping save food from being thrown out?
2. What are the two main issues that this organisation is tackling?
3. Approximately how many kilos of fruit and vegetables has Four Seasons donated so far?
4. List and illustrate some of the produce that Four Seasons has donated.
5. Why does Paul enjoy volunteering with OzHarvest?
6. Each year the average home throws away more than ______dollars worth of food.
7. At school what percentage of kids lunches end up in the bin?
a. 10%
b. 24%
c. 85%
8. What type of food did Nathan and Paul pick up from the Adelaide Convention Centre?
9. What charity did they deliver the food to?
10. Brainstorm a list of things you could do to help reduce food wastage at home and at school.
Check out BtN’s OzHarvest teacher resource. Students will investigate the affects of food wastage on the environment and the positive affect that food rescue and distribution can have in communities. http://www.abc.net.au/btn/resources/teacher/episode/20131112-ozharvest.pdf
Fair Games
1. What are the Paralympics?
2. Researchers in ______are working on a new way to make competition fairer in the Paralympics.
3. Why did people question Oscar Pistorious’ performance at the London Paralympics?
4. How did Oscar Pistorious’ impairment give him an unfair advantage?
5. Describe some of the tests that Paralympic athletes have to go through before they compete.
6. What three areas are being measured?
a. Height, weight and age
b. Movement, coordination and strength
c. Reflexes, jumping ability and muscle tone
7. What condition does Jarrod have?
8. Explain the test that Jarrod has to complete.
9. Illustrate an aspect of this story.
10. Do you think athletes should be allowed to use artificial limbs to gain an advantage at the Paralympics? Explain your answer.
Write a message about the story and post it in the comments section on the BtN Fair Games story page. http://www.abc.net.au/btn/story/s3885275.htm
Mime
1. What is mime?
2. What does mime mean in ancient Greek?
a. To imitate
b. To run
c. To be happy
3. Mime is one of the earliest forms of drama. True or false?
4. A mime artist will often dress in which two colours?
5. What French actor is famous for their miming performances?
6. What Aussie performers are well known for their mime?
7. What skills do you need to be a good mime artist?
8. What mime routine does Tash practise in the Mime story?
9. What colour do mime artists often paint their face?
10. Practice the ‘trapped in a box’ mime as a class.
Test your knowledge in the Mime quiz. Go to the BtN website and follow the links.
Check out BtN’s Mime teacher resource. Students will practise and perform their own mime, work cooperatively with other classmates and develop creativity. http://www.abc.net.au/btn/resources/teacher/episode/20131112-mime.pdf
©ABC 2013
Activity
OzHarvest
Key Learning
Students will investigate the affects of food wastage on the environment and the positive affect that food rescue and distribution can have in communities. Students will find out how food waste is managed and find ways to control the amount of food that gets thrown out at home and at school.
The Australian Curriculum
Mathematics / Statistics and Probability / Data representation and interpretationInterpret and compare a range ofdatadisplays, including side-by-side column graphs for two categorical variables. Year 6. (ACMSP147)
Pose questions and collect categorical or numericalby observation or survey. Year 5. (ACMSP118)
Describe and interpret differentdatasets in context. Year 6. (ACMSP120)
Construct suitabledatadisplays, with and without the use of digital technologies, from given or collecteddata. Include tables, column graphs and picturewhere one picture can represent manydatavalues. Year 4. (ACMSP096)
/ Geography / Geographical Inquiry and Skills / Interpreting, analysing and concluding
Interpret geographicaldatato identify distributions and patterns and draw conclusions. Year 4.(ACHGS030)
Geography / Geographical Knowledge and Understanding
The sustainable management of waste from production and consumption. Year 4. (ACHGK025)
Science / Science Understanding / Chemical sciences
Natural andprocessed materialshave a range of physical properties; These properties can influence their use. Year 4.(ACSSU074)
Discussion Questions
1. What is the name of the organisation that is helping save food from being thrown out?
2. What are the two main issues that this organisation is tackling?
3. Approximately how many kilos of fruit and vegetables has Four Seasons donated so far?
4. List and illustrate some of the produce that Four Seasons has donated.
5. Why does Paul enjoy volunteering with OzHarvest?
6. Each year the average home throws away more than ______dollars worth of food.
7. At school what percentage of kids lunches end up in the bin?
a. 10%
b. 24%
c. 85%
8. What type of food did Nathan and Paul pick up from the Adelaide Convention Centre?
9. What charity did they deliver the food to?
10. Brainstorm a list of things you could do to help reduce food wastage at home and at school.
Activities
Class discussionAfter watching the BtN OzHarvest story, facilitate a question and answer discussion to encourage students to engage with the topic and learn more about waste management.
Throughout this activity students will keep a journal entering what they know, what they have learnt and what they would like to learn. Students may want to organise their diary in the form of a KWLH chart (What do I know? What do I want to know? What have I learnt? How will I find out?).
· What types of places might have food wastage? (E.g. hotel, convention centre, supermarket, restaurant, snack bar, canteen).
· How often do you throw food away? Think about food thrown away at home and at school.
· Where does your rubbish go after you have thrown it in the bin?
· Imagine if you lived next door to a landfill? Describe how this would make you feel.
· What types of foods can be put in the compost?
· Do you eat leftovers? If not, where does your leftover food go?
· What are the benefits of OzHarvest?
Food wastage challengeSet students the challenge of tracking and measuring food wastage in their homes. In this activity the task is to find out how food waste is managed and to find ways to control the amount of food that gets thrown out at home. Students will pose questions and collect categorical or numericaldata by observation and/or survey.
· How many people live in your household?
· Do you have a compost system at home? If so, explain how your home composting system works. What food scraps go in the compost? Who empties the compost bin? Where do the food scraps go? How do you use the compost when it has decomposed?
· What sort of food is thrown in the rubbish?
Students will measure food wastage in their homes over a 1 week period, using the following table. A set of scales will be required for this activity.
Students will present their findings in a column graph. Below is an example.
700600
500
400
300
200
100
Monday / Tuesday / Wednesday / Thursday / Friday / Saturday / Sunday
What do the numbers on the vertical axis represent?
What do the numbers on the horizontal axis represent?
What days did you have the least amount of food wastage?
Why might that be?
Who would find the information on this graph useful?
Why?
What conclusions could you draw from this data?
What does this graph tell you about food wastage in your home?
Are there any patterns in the data?
The aim of this study is for students to now find ways to cut down and control the amount of food that gets thrown out at home or at school. Discuss as a class.
· What are the benefits of a compost system? Design a simple and practical composting system for your home or school.
· How else can you reduce food wastage?
· What is the best way to store food so that it lasts longer?
· Why is it important to plan and write a shopping list before you go food shopping?
Come up with some tips and ideas to reduce food wastage at home or at school.
o don’t buy more food than you really need
o freeze fresh produce and leftovers it you won’t have the chance to eat them before they go bad
o use your leftover fresh produce to make jams and preserves
o grow your own organic fruit and veggies
o plan your meals
o avoid impulse buying at the supermarket
o manage your fridge so that you have a no waste policy
Visit the Foodwise website and take a look at their Food Waste Tool Kit for tips and tricks on how to reduce your food wastage. http://foodwise.com.au/category/food-waste-toolkit/
Food Garden activitiesGet your class involved in a range of hands-on planting, harvesting and cooking activities. Refer to BtN’s Food Garden story http://www.abc.net.au/btn/story/s3630908.htm and teacher resource. http://www.abc.net.au/btn/resources/teacher/episode/20121113-foodgarden.pdf
8 Related Research Links
Behind the News – Food Waste
http://www.abc.net.au/btn/story/s3334662.htm
OzHarvest – About OzHarvest: Who are we?
http://www.ozharvest.org/ourimpact.asp?pageID=609
Think Eat Save – Reduce your footprint
http://www.thinkeatsave.org/
NSW Government – Love Food Hate Waste
http://www.lovefoodhatewaste.nsw.gov.au/
Foodwise – Home
http://foodwise.com.au/
Foodwise – Food Waste Tool Kit
http://foodwise.com.au/category/food-waste-toolkit/
Foodwise – Infographic
https://www.lunchalot.com/foodwaste.php
©ABC 2013
Activity
Mime
Key Learning
Students will practise and perform their own mime, work cooperatively with other classmates and develop creativity.
The Australian Curriculum
English / Literacy / Interacting with othersUse interaction skills when discussing and presenting ideas and information, selecting body language,voicequalities and other elements, (for example music and sound) to add interest and meaning(ACELY1804)
/ English / Literacy / Interacting with others
Use interaction skills, for example paraphrasing, questioning and interpreting non-verbal cues and choose vocabulary and vocal effects appropriate for different audiences and purposes(ACELY1796)
Discussion Questions
1. What is mime?
2. What does mime mean in ancient Greek?
a. To imitate
b. To run
c. To be happy
3. Mime is one of the earliest forms of drama. True or false?
4. A mime artist will often dress in which two colours?
5. What French actor is famous for their miming performances?
6. What Aussie performers are well known for their mime?
7. What skills do you need to be a good mime artist?
8. What mime routine does Tash practise in the Mime story?
9. What colour do mime artists often paint their face?
10. Practice the ‘trapped in a box’ mime as a class.
Activities
Practise mimeAs a class practice the ‘trapped in a box mime’ like Tash does in the BtN Mime story. Refer to Step 5 in the WikiHow ‘How to Mime’ tutorial http://www.wikihow.com/Mime
· What did you find difficult?
· How did you use your body to convey emotions, attitudes and reactions?
· How could you make your mime interesting for your audience?
· Why is imagination and creativity so important in the art of mime?
Ask students to choose another physical movement to mime, for example flying a kite, playing soccer or cooking a cake. Students may want to practise in front of a mirror.