Questions for discussion
Government Ministers
1. Discuss the BTN Government Ministers story in pairs. What points were raised in the discussion?
2. When it comes to politics in Australia, the ______is the boss.
3. Finish the following sentence: The team of politicians that help the Prime Minister to run the country is called…
4. Who decides which politicians get a position in Cabinet?
5. Ministers are given an area to look after. Give three examples of different departments.
6. Why is the job of Minister an important one?
7. What new ministry did the Prime Minister create recently?
8. Which departments does the new ministry bring together?
9. Who is going to be the Minister in charge?
10. What questions do you have after watching this story?
Write a message about the story and post it in the comments section on the story page.
Plastic Bag Ban
1. What was the main point of the BTN story?
2. Which two supermarkets recently announced that they’re phasing out single use plastic bags?
3. Briefly explain what Meg has been campaigning for.
4. Meg says that plastic bags are hurting the environment. What example does she give?
5. In which states are plastic bags already banned?
6. Which politicians has Meg written to about the issue?
7. Plastic bags can take ______years to decompose.
8. What impact does plastic have on the marine environment?
9. What is Meg going to focus her campaign on now?
10. What did you learn watching the BTN story?
Check out the Plastic Bag Ban resource on the Teachers page
Classification Review
1. Explain the Classification Review story to another student.
2. Before a film or TV show can be shown, it is given a ______.
3. What do the following classifications mean:
G:
PG:
M:
4. Finish the following sentence: The MA and R classifications mean that it’s against the law if…
5. Why has classifying programs become more difficult recently?
6. Who classifies programs on Netflix?
7. Why does the Australian Council for Children and the Media say the classification system needs changing?
8. The system the ACCM is proposing focuses on…
9. Do you think the classification system needs changing? Explain your answer.
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.
Finding Fungi
1. Before you watch the BTN story, record what you know about fungi.
2. Briefly summarise the BTN Finding Fungi story.
3. Why are fungi some of the most important organisms on the planet?
4. About how many different species of fungi are there?
5. Which Kingdom do fungi belong to?
a. Plant
b. Animal
c. Fungi
6. Fungi break down dead things to provide nutrients for other living things. True or false?
7. Apart from mushrooms, what other organisms are part of the fungi group?
8. What type of fungi did Josh find?
9. Are all fungi safe to eat? Explain your answer.
10. What did you learn about fungi watching the BTN story?
Check out the Finding Fungi resource on the Teachers page
How do Fireworks works?
1. What does the BTN story explain?
2. The fireworks used to create big, colourful displays are called ______.
3. What does the `lifting charge’ do?
4. Once at the right height, a fuse triggers a second charge inside the ______charge.
5. What makes the different shapes in the fireworks?
6. What controls the colour of the firework?
7. What colour firework does copper create?
8. About how many fireworks are used in the Sydney New Year’s Eve display?
9. Create your own fireworks design.
10. What was surprising about this story?
Design your own firework. Go to the ABC ME website to get all the details about the competition.
©ABC 2017
Teacher Resource
Plastic Bag Ban
1. What was the main point of the BTN story?
2. Which two supermarkets recently announced that they’re phasing out single use plastic bags?
3. Briefly explain what Meg has been campaigning for.
4. Meg says that plastic bags are hurting the environment. What example does she give?
5. In which states are plastic bags already banned?
6. Which politicians has Meg written to about the issue?
7. Plastic bags can take ______years to decompose.
8. What impact does plastic have on the marine environment?
9. What is Meg going to focus her campaign on now?
10. What did you learn watching the BTN story?
Note taking
Students will practice their note-taking while watching the BTN Plastic Bag Ban story. After watching the story, ask students to reflect on and organise the information into three categories.
What information in the story was...?
· Positive
· Negative or
· Interesting
Class Discussion
As a class discuss the BTN Plastic Bag Ban story using the following questions as a guide. Record the main points of the discussion on a mind map with plastic bags at the centre. Use the following questions to guide the discussion:
· Which states have a banned plastic bags?
· How much pollution is caused by plastic bags?
· What impact do plastic bags have on the environment?
· What are the benefits of plastic bags?
· What are the alternatives to plastic bags?
· What is the environmental impact of alternative shopping bags?
Six Hat Thinking
As a class, use Edward De Bono’s Six Hat Thinking to explore the impact of plastic bags on the environment.
Students will take it in turns answering questions in relation to what they already know about the issue, what they have learned from the BTN Plastic Bag Ban story and what they want to learn further about the topic.
Download this worksheet for students to respond to a range of questions about the issue.
What happens to plastic bags?
Students will investigate the impact plastic bags have on the environment. The BTN stories Landfill and Ocean Rubbish give a great snapshot of the journey rubbish takes from the bin to landfill and the ocean and our waterways. Students can investigate the topics in more detail by completing the activities on the story pages.
The Life of a Plastic Bag
Students watch the mockumentary The Majestic Plastic Bag then respond to the following questions:
· Describe the journey of the plastic bag in the video.
· What do you know about the Great Pacific Garbage Patch?
· What did you learn about the life cycle of a plastic bag?
· Create a flow chart to show the life of a plastic bag.
Persuasive text
Students will develop a persuasive text for or against the following statement: `There should be a national plastic bag ban in Australia’. Students can use the information recorded on the mind map and their own research to help develop their argument. Encourage students to use a range of sources.
Provide students with the following structure to follow when completing this activity.
ABC News – Plastic bags in the firing line as public figures line up to trash inaction in NSW, Victoria and WA
http://www.abc.net.au/news/2017-07-15/plastic-bags-in-firing-line-amid-calls-for-national-ban/8711386
ABC News – Coles to follow Woolworths’ lead to phase out plastic bags around the country
http://www.abc.net.au/news/2017-07-14/woolworths-to-phase-out-plastic-bags-around-the-country/8709336
ABC – War on Waste: Do you know how many times you need to use your green bags?
http://www.abc.net.au/news/2017-05-24/war-on-waste-what-bags-to-use/8528350
BTN – Bag Ban
http://www.abc.net.au/btn/story/s2564776.htm
BTN – Plastic Bags
http://www.abc.net.au/btn/story/s2227446.htm
BTN – Plastic Oceans
http://www.abc.net.au/btn/story/s3591476.htm
BTN – Landfill
http://www.abc.net.au/btn/story/s3953606.htm
BTN War on Waste School
http://www.abc.net.au/btn/story/s4689455.htm
©ABC 2017
Teacher Resource
Finding Fungi
1. Before you watch the BTN story, record what you know about fungi.
2. Briefly summarise the BTN Finding Fungi story.
3. Why are fungi some of the most important organisms on the planet?
4. About how many different species of fungi are there?
5. Which Kingdom do fungi belong to?
a. Plant
b. Animal
c. Fungi
6. Fungi break down dead things to provide nutrients for other living things. True or false?
7. Apart from mushrooms, what other organisms are part of the fungi group?
8. Why type of fungi did Josh find?
9. Are all fungi safe to eat? Explain your answer.
10. What did you learn about fungi watching the BTN story?
After watching the BTN Fungi story, respond to the following questions:
Class Discussion
Discuss the BTN Fungi story as a class. Record what students know about fungi on a mind map. What questions do they have about what they have learnt in the BTN story? The following KWLH organiser provides students with a framework to explore their knowledge on this topic and consider what they would like to know and learn.
What do I know? / What do I want to know? / What have I learnt? / How will I find out?Key Words
Students will develop a glossary of words and terms that relate to the kingdom of fungi and scientific classification. Below are some words to get them started. Add words and meanings to your glossary as you come across unfamiliar words throughout your research. Consider using pictures and diagrams to illustrate meanings.
Fungi / Decompose / Macroscopic kingdom / OrganismNutrients / Ecosystem / Species / Bacteria
DNA / Spores / Identification / Classification
ABC Gardening Australia video – The Dark World of Fungi
Students will respond to the following questions before, during and after watching this ABC Splash video about fungi.
If a mushroom is not a plant, what is it? Discover a group of living things that are neither animals nor plants. Explore the mysterious world of fungi and find out the conditions that they need before they can grow.
Before viewing
· Have you ever seen mould growing on bread? How does it get there? Where else might mould grow?
Mould is a fungus. Do you know any other types of fungi?
As you view
· How does Nick use the example of green-leafed plants to explain that mushrooms are not plants?
· What do fungi feed on?
· Can you list six different types of fungi?
· What part of living fungi are mushrooms?
· Why does a mushroom produce spores?
After viewing
· Explain to someone else what you know about fungi. You may want to focus on mushrooms. Include what you know about the conditions they thrive in. Explain how we know they are not plants.
· Find out more about spores and how fungi use spores to reproduce.
Next steps
Investigate the best conditions for growing fungi. Leave out a couple of slices of bread. Spray one with water. Seal each bread slice in a separate plastic bag. Observe what happens over several days. What did your test show? After completing the experiment, put the plastic bags in the rubbish and do not open them.
Fungi identification
There are more than 5 million different species of fungi around the world and did you know that fungi are not considered as types of plants, animals or bacteria? They're actually a whole kingdom of their own and they're not all mushrooms. This kingdom also includes lots of moulds and yeasts. Fungi can be found everywhere even on your school oval.
In this activity, students will imagine they are biologists exploring and identifying different types of fungi. Students will use the internet to find and choose a particular type of fungi they would like to research. Students will research their chosen fungus using this worksheet to record their findings. Display student’s research around the classroom or in a public space in the school.
Download – BTN Identification worksheet
Useful websites –
Australian National Botanic Gardens
Atlas of Living Australia
First Nature
ABC Splash – The dark world of fungi
http://splash.abc.net.au/home#!/media/104122/fungi-how-they-grow
BTN – UV Mushrooms
http://www.abc.net.au/btn/story/s2916075.htm
BTN: Episode 19 Transcript 25/07/17
Hi, I'm Nathan Bazley, thanks for joining me for BTN!
Coming up today:
· Two major supermarkets announce they've had their fill of plastic bags.
· Why the classifications you see at the start of a movie could be in for a shakeup.
· And we find out how fireworks work and reveal how you could design one of your own.
All that soon but first.
Government Ministers
Reporter: Emma Davis
INTRO: The Prime Minister has announced a big change to how Australia's national security agencies will be run. He's decided to create a new super-ministry which will bring together all of the federal organisations in charge of protecting our country and working out who should be allowed to come here. But what is a ministry and how do they work? Take a look.
MINISTER: So sorry I'm late.
EMMA DAVIS, REPORTER: When it comes to politics in Australia, the Prime Minister is the boss.
PRIME MINISTER: Let's begin.
But it really takes a team to rule a nation and that team is known as the Cabinet.
PRIME MINISTER: Let's talk Cabinets.
The Cabinet is made up of politicians in the federal government. It's the PM's job to pick which ones get a spot. They're called Ministers and they're each given a special area to look after, called a department.
You've probably heard of the minister for health, education and immigration. But there are other ones too, like minister for tourism, sport and minister for magic! Just kidding! Oh, and some ministers can be in charge of more than one. Being a minister is an important job. It's up to them to know about and control everything that's going on in their department. It's also their responsibility to suggest new laws, which are first debated in top secret cabinet meetings before they get introduced to parliament.
MINISTER: I’d like to put forward a new bill from my department.
But PM's don't just assign ministries, they can also create new ones! In fact, recently Prime Minister Turnbull created a new super-ministry! It's going to be called Home Affairs and it brings together immigration, the Border Force, the Federal Police and Australia's spy agency ASIO.
MALCOLM TURNBULL, PRIME MINISTER: So, I want to stress we're taking the best elements of our intelligence and national security community and making them better.
There'll also be an Office of National Intelligence, which oversees the spy agencies and a new cyber-security centre working around the clock to stop online threats. Peter Dutton is going to be the minister in charge of all that. He used to be the Immigration Minister so this new super ministry is a big promotion!