Questions for discussion
China Quake
1] Describe in your own words the devastation the earthquake has caused in China?
2] Where in China did the quake occur?
3] Why is time a crucial factor when searching for victims?
4] What have rescue workers been using to help with the search for victims?
5] What has made it difficult to reach injured people?
6] What is an after shock?
7] How do they make buildings more resistant to earthquakes?
8] Why do building regulations in China need to be investigated after this earthquake.
9] How has Australia offered to help China?
10] What do you think are the short and long term needs of the people affected by the earthquake?
Find out more about earthquakes. The following website has an animated guide that explains how earthquakes occur: http://news.bbc.co.uk/cbbcnews/hi/newsid_4130000/newsid_4132300/4132319.stm
Shark Fins
- How does Rob Stewart want sharks seen?
- What are the myths about sharks Rob Stewart describes?
- What is a marine sanctuary?
- What did he discover was happening there?
- What is shark finning and why is it big business in some countries?
- We are destroying one of the most important predators the planet has. What does this mean?
- How many sharks a year are being killed?
- Why are they important to the ecosystem?
- Why do you think sharks have a bad reputation?
- How has your thinking about sharks changed?
Create a 3-minute speech about the consequences of sharks being eliminated from the environment. Present it to a friend.
Bank Merger
1] What is a merger?
2] How much has Westpac agreed to pay for St George bank?
3] Why did Westpac want to merge with St George?
4] Why does the Government control banks merging?
5] Why is competition needed in the economy?
6] Explain in your own words how a merger happens?
7] What are the advantages for companies who merge?
8] What can be the disadvantages for employees and customers?
9] Are there any advantages for customers? Explain your answer.
10] Do you think mergers should be allowed to happen? Why or why not?
Send a message or tell us what you think on the BtN Guestbook.
Sports Science
1] Explain the following statement: `To get that extra one per cent that could mean gold, Aussie Olympians are turning to science.’
2] How are GPS units being used to help hockey players?
3] How far do hockey players run in a 70-minute game?
4] How does this compare to AFL players?
5] How does the information gathered help them?
6] Why is heat stress a problem for the athletes at the upcoming Olympics?
7] What is the normal temperature of the human body?
8] How does a human body respond to an increase in body temperature?
9] Describe how the capsule-like thermometer works.
10] Do you think using science to help sporting performance is fair? Explain your answer.
`Should sports people be able to use Science?’ Vote in the online poll.
Test your knowledge in the online quiz.
Family Carers
1] Retell the story in your own words.
2] Describe what is needed to take care of Harley?
3] What are the positive things Stevie talks about?
4] How does taking care of Harley impact on his Mum?
5] What support do family carers around Australia need?
6] What are carers doing to try and get their message across?
7] Describe how brothers and sisters of disabled children are affected?
8] Why is support important to brothers and sisters of children with special needs?
9] What responsibility does the Government have to support carers?
10] How did this story make you feel?
Write a job description for a carer. Use the Internet to help you find out the skills and abilities needed.
China Quake
One of the biggest earthquakes for more than thirty years has hit China. Thousands of people have been killed and many more are still missing.
News stories can sometimes be upsetting. We have provided a document in the teacher’s pack that suggests ways to support young people upset by news stories.
Focus Questions
1] Describe in your own words the devastation the earthquake has caused in China?
2] Where in China did the quake occur?
3] Why is time a crucial factor when searching for victims?
4] What have rescue workers been using to help with the search for victims?
5] What has made it difficult to reach injured people?
6] What is an after shock?
7] How do they make buildings more resistant to earthquakes?
8] Why do building regulations in China need to be investigated after this
earthquake?
9] How has Australia offered to help China?
10] What do you think are the short and long term needs of the people
affected by the earthquake?
What is a quake?
Students will be writing an information report about earthquakes. Begin with a class
discussion to establish what they already know about earthquakes and what they want
or need to find out.
Before students begin their report ask them to consider the following:
§ What is the purpose of an information report?
§ Who will read the information? Parents, other students the same age,
younger students etc. They need to write with the audience in mind.
Develop a glossary
Ask students to develop a glossary of special language associated with earthquakes to
help them write the report.
Structure of an information report
An opening statement or definition
Description
§ Important facts about the subject
§ Begin with a topic sentence and then follow up with facts to support the
topic
§ Include photos, pictures, maps or pictures.
Conclusion – summary or comment
Language features of an explanation report
§ Usually written in the third person
§ Present tense often used
§ Use of factual, descriptive adjectives
§ A formal, factual style is required
§ Technical and scientific language used.
Students can write and publish their information report online using the text organisers at the following website:
http://www.teachers.ash.org.au/jeather/writingfun/writingfun.html
Further investigation
How do natural disasters like earthquakes affect people? Students write a personal response to a news story of an earthquake. Present their response to another student.
8 Related Research Links
ABC News – Strong quake hits China
http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2008/05/12/2242426.htm
ABC News – Death toll rises in China quake
http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2008/05/14/2243940.htm
Global seismic monitor – monitor global earthquakes
http://www.iris.edu/seismon/
CBBC website – What’s happening in China and Burma?
http://news.bbc.co.uk/cbbcnews/hi/newsid_7390000/newsid_7398900/7398904.stm
CBBC website – Earthquake quiz
http://news.bbc.co.uk/cbbcnews/hi/newsid_4140000/newsid_4146100/4146125.stm
US Geological Survey – Earthquakes for kids learning activities
http://earthquake.usgs.gov/learning/kids/
Shark fins
Sharks have a bad reputation but film maker Rob Stewart is on a mission to give the big fish an image make-over.
Focus Questions
- How does Rob Stewart want sharks seen?
- What are the myths about sharks Rob Stewart describes?
- What is a marine sanctuary?
- What did he discover was happening there?
- What is shark finning and why is it big business in some countries?
- We are destroying one of the most important predators the planet has.
What does this mean? - How many sharks a year are being killed?
- Why are they important to the ecosystem?
- Why do you think sharks have a bad reputation?
- How has your thinking about sharks changed?
Mythbusting
Ask students to brainstorm what they know about sharks. They need to write down as
many facts and opinions about sharks as they can.
Working in groups of 4-5, students collate their facts and opinions and record them on a
large sheet of paper. Conduct online research to determine whether their facts are correct
or whether they are myths. Students need to write the correct information next to the myth.
What were some common myths about sharks students had? How do you think these
myths are made? Ask students to reflect on how the BtN story affected their
understanding of sharks? Ask students to present their myths and facts in a format such as PowerPoint.
Further investigations
Research the different ways shark fins are used. What medications include shark fins and what are they supposed to do? What is shark fin soup and why is it important to some cultures?
Create a true or false quiz about sharks. Give it to another student to do.
In which countries are sharks found? Record on a world map also showing numbers of sharks now compared with 10 years ago.
8 Related Research Links
ABC 730 Report – Sharks being hunted to extinction transcript and video link
http://www.abc.net.au/7.30/content/2007/s2236022.htm
Rob Stewart’s official Sharkwater website
http://www.sharkwater.com/
National Geographic website – Large shark hunting habits
http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2004/01/0123_040123_largesharkcam.html
National Geographic website –Shark declines threaten shellfish stocks
http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2007/03/070329-sharks-shellfish.html
Shark Research Institute – Educational materials
http://www.sharks.org/teachers.htm
Taronga Park Zoo – Shark attack file
http://www.taronga.org.au/tcsa/conservation-programs/australian-shark-attack-file.aspx
TRANSCRIPT 20/05/08
Episode 12
On this week's Behind the News. What has a bank merger got in common with this basketball team?
Why this guy says it's cute to cuddle sharks.
And the electronic pill exploring the insides of Aussie athletes.
Hi I'm Nathan Bazley welcome to Behind the News.
Also on the show today we'll hear from kids who live with brothers or sisters with disabilities and find out why they are asking for help.
Those items later but first to our top story.
CHINA QUAKES
Catherine Ellis, Reporter
INTRO: In China, families are still searching for loved ones after a massive earthquake last week. It was the biggest in the country for thirty years and whole towns have collapsed. Thousands of people were killed and many more are still missing. So how do you even begin to try and deal with such enormous devastation? Here's Catherine.
CATHERINE ELLIS, REPORTER: It all began just one week ago. Without warning, the massive quake struck crushing buildings and flattening whole towns.
It all happened up here in China's Sichuan Province near Chengdu, but the quake was so powerful it could be felt more than 3000 kms away.
That's the same distance as Sydney to Darwin!
Since then it has been a race against time to try and rescue the buried survivors and get doctors and food to them.
Armies of specially trained rescue workers and sniffer dogs were brought in to hunt for the victims.
When they were found, tiny video cameras were sometimes slid into small cracks to see where they were.
China's Premier was there to help. At the site of a collapsed high school he yelled out to buried victims that help was on the way.
But bad weather and broken roads have made it hard to reach the injured.
There have also been lots of after shocks, which are like mini earthquakes that cause more damage and panic.
Authorities reckon the number of people dead, could reach more than 50-thousand.
This isn't the first time a devastating earthquake has hit China.
In 1976 one flattened the city of Tangshan killing 250,000 people.
And Sichuan, where the latest quake struck, has been hit before. There was a huge one there in 1933 which killed 10,000 people.
Because of China's history with earthquakes, they now have stricter building regulations meaning they're supposed to make buildings much stronger so they'll hold together in quakes.
CATHERINE ELLIS, REPORTER: Now because concrete is really brittle, they put steel in the centre of the concrete columns - like the one behind me. So when an earthquake hits and the building sways, the steel helps hold it together.
The more steel reinforcement you have - the stronger the building!
But because so many places collapsed last week in China, some people are wondering if builders have been doing the right thing.
It's expected this latest disaster will put more pressure on authorities to toughen up their building laws.
Australia has its own design rules to make buildings earthquake safe, but it's not so much of a problem here because they're very rare.
The only major one in recent history was in the New South Wales town of Newcastle in 1989.
Thirteen people died.
Australia has offered to help China - our PM's told them we have rescue workers ready and waiting if they're needed.
People here have also been praying for the victims.
It may have been a week since the disaster, but many families in China aren't giving up hope of finding loved ones alive.
QUIZ 1
And if you want to find out more about how an earthquake actually happens there are stories on our website. Let’s do a quake quiz.
How many earthquakes stronger than 3 on the Richer Scale occur in Australia each year?
a. 25
b. 50
c. 200
answer: 200
If a quake is around 3.5 it will cause a bit of vibration like a truck passing then it gets bigger as the number goes up.
THE WIRE
Here's Sarah with an update on another big disaster we told you about a couple of weeks ago.
Lot's of people in Burma are still struggling after a huge cyclone caused massive destruction.
Many don't have homes or food and experts are worried that they're not getting enough help.
Countries like Australia want to help but they say the Burmese government is blocking aid efforts.
That's made a lot of people upset but there could be hope. The United Nations is trying to convince them to change their mind.
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Scientists are so worried about the Tasmanian devil that it's been upgraded from vulnerable to endangered on the threatened species list.
The problem is a facial tumour disease that's killing large numbers of them.
This sanctuary has been set up to make sure the devils stay healthy.
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The Royal Flying Doctor service celebrated its 80th Birthday on the weekend.
People were given a chance to look at some of the planes they use to help sick people in the outback.
Every year the service helps a quarter of a million people.
****************
BUSINESS MERGERS
Nathan Bazley, Reporter
INTRO: Last week one of Australia's biggest banks decided to buy something and the price tag was over 18 billion bucks. What could possibly be worth that much money!? Well they actually bought up a whole other bank! But can businesses just buy up their competitors? And what happens to a business if it gets bought?