1. Discuss the Issues Raised in the BTN Story As a Class

Questions for discussion

Funding Schools

1. Discuss the issues raised in the BTN story as a class.

2. Where do public and private schools get their funding from so they can run?

3. Who gets more funding from the Federal government, private or public schools?

4. When did the Federal government start helping private catholic schools out with more funding?

a. After World War I

b. After World War II

c. In the year 2017

5. Explain why the Government needed to help private catholic schools with more funding.

6. What percent of Aussie kids attend private schools?

7. The Government recently announced they are giving less funding to schools. True or false?

8. Why are some people campaigning against the new plan?

9. Do you think the system is fair? Why or why not?

10. What do you understand more clearly since watching the BTN story?

Write a message about the story and post it in the comments section on the story page.

Social Media Negativity

1. Discuss the BTN Social Media Negativity story in pairs. What points were raised in the discussion?

2. Why are some experts worried about the impact social media is having on young people?

3. What did a recent survey in the UK ask young people to rate?

4. Which social media app came out with the most negative score?

5. YouTube rated badly for impact on…

6. What positive impact was YouTube found to have?

7. What suggestions did experts have about how to make social media a more positive experience?

8. Do you use social media? If so, which ones?

9. What did you learn watching the BTN story?

10. What was surprising about the BTN story?

Write a message about the story and post it in the comments section on the story page.

Citizen Science Kids

1. Explain what the kids in the BTN story are doing.

2. What is citizen science?

3. How old is Griffin?

4. Explain how Griffin does his research.

5. What is the name of the app Griffin is using?

6. How long has Austin been playing the citizen science game?

7. Currently, Austin is the number _____ bird spotter in Australia.

8. Which competition did he win?

9. How is the information collected by citizen scientists used?

10. How does participating in citizen science help kids?

Check out the Citizen Science Kids resource on the Teachers page

Antarctic Icebreaker

1. Where is Antarctica, in the North or South Pole?

2. Antarctica is not a continent. True or false?

3. What century did Australians start adventuring in Antarctica?

4. Describe the environment of Antarctica.

5. What is the name of the icebreaker ship that Aussie’s currently use to travel to Antarctica?

6. What is an icebreaker?

7. What is the prize for the Name our Icebreaker competition?

8. What would you name the new icebreaker? Why?

9. Design your own icebreaker ship. Explain its features.

10. What did you like about this story?

Check out the Antarctic Icebreaker resource on the Teachers page.

Young Solo Pilot

1. Where is Oliver O’Halloran from?

2. How many days did Oliver fly solo and unassisted around Australia?

3. How many kilometres did Oliver travel? Plot his trip on a map of Australia.

4. What was the main idea behind Oliver’s flight?

5. What did Oliver do along the way on his flight?

6. Who is Oliver’s hero?

7. What preparation did Oliver need to do before his flight?

8. What skills or character traits do you think a young adventurer would need?

9. Do you have a question you would like to ask Oliver? Go to the BTN Young Solo Pilot story and leave a comment.

10. What did you find interesting about this story?

Write a message about the story and post it in the comments section on the story page.

Do the quiz on the BTN website

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