Questions for discussion

Iceland Volcano

  1. Discuss the Iceland volcano story with another student.
  2. Where is Iceland?

a)  Eastern Europe

b)  Southern Europe

c)  Northern Europe

  1. Describe the disruption it has caused.
  2. Why is flying into a cloud of ash dangerous for planes?
  3. Why is Iceland one of the most volcanic places in the world?
  4. What are the massive slabs of rock that make up the crust of the earth called?
  5. What is one of the biggest dangers to Iceland now? Why?
  6. Last time the volcano erupted it lasted for more than ______.
  7. Write three adjectives to describe volcanoes.
  8. Illustrate an aspect of the story.

Test your knowledge in the online quiz.

Population debate

  1. Retell the BtN population debate story.
  2. How much has Australia’s population grown in the last 50 years?
  3. If the population keeps growing at its current rate, it will be______by 2050.
  4. What factors affect a growing population?
  5. Why were people encouraged to move to Australia?
  6. What sorts of incentives were offered?
  7. Describe the different groups wanting to migrate to Australia now?
  8. What are the benefits of a growing population?
  9. What are some disadvantages?
  10. What do you understand more clearly since watching the BtN story?

`Do you think Australia’s population should keep growing?’ Vote in our online poll.

Reef ship

  1. What does the BtN Reef Ship story mainly explain?

a)  What a coral reef is.

b)  Mining in Queensland.

c)  What happened when the Chinese coal carrier hit the Great Barrier Reef?

d)  How to steer a ship.

  1. Approximately how many tonnes of oil had spilled by the time the ship was refloated and moved?

a)  2

b)  4

c)  6

d)  8

  1. What are the routes ships need to follow called?

a)  Shipping highways

b)  Shipping lanes

c)  Shipping roads

d)  They don’t have a name

  1. What damage did the Shen Neng 1cause?

a)  A hole in the coral reef

b)  Toxic paint scraped off onto the reef, killing coral

c)  Oil spilled into the ocean

d)  All of the above

  1. What would be the best way to describe Prime Minister Kevin Rudd’s reaction to the accident?

a)  Fearful

b)  Excited

c)  Indifferent

d)  Concerned

  1. In the BtN story, what does navigate mean?

a)  To signal for help

b)  To refloat and move the ship

c)  To control the movement of a ship from one place to another.

  1. About how many years will the reef take to recover?

a)  10

b)  20

c)  50

d)  Never

  1. What do you think the Premier of Queensland meant when she said she hoped they throw the book at those responsible?

a)  They should be physically punished.

b)  The ship owners should be fined.

c)  Those responsible should learn to read.

  1. Why are coral reefs often called the `tropical rainforests of the sea’?

a)  They are only located near the equator

b)  They have rich and complex ecosystems

c)  The high rainfall and temperature

d)  25% of all medicines come from coral reefs

  1. What is the main purpose of the BtN story?

a)  To argue

b)  To criticise

c)  To inform

d)  To warn

Send us a message on the BtN guestbook http://abc.net.au/btn/guestbook.html


High clouds

  1. What does the BtN story mainly explain?

a)  Different types of clouds

b)  How lasers are used to help measure temperatures in the highest clouds

c)  How satellites work

d)  Space travel

  1. Where is the research occurring?

a)  The equator

b)  The Arctic

c)  The Antarctic

d)  Australia

  1. The highest clouds on our planet are called

a)  Cumulus

b)  Translucent

c)  Cirrus

d)  Noctilucent

  1. What is the name of the laser used to help measure temperatures

a)  RADAR

b)  MASER

c)  LiDAR

d)  SPIDER

  1. According to the BtN story, where does most of our weather occur?
  1. The BtN story describes three layers of the Earth’s atmosphere. Order them from 1-3, 1 being closest to Earth.

Mesosphere

Troposphere

Stratosphere

  1. Temperatures in the highest clouds have been measured at

a)  Zero degrees

b)  Minus 20 degrees

c)  Minus 150 degrees

d)  Minus 300 degrees

  1. According to research, temperatures in the upper atmosphere have

a)  Warmed by 10 degrees

b)  Cooled by 10 degrees

c)  Cooled by 50 degrees

d)  Stayed the same

  1. This information has given researchers some insight into

a)  Climate change

b)  Different cloud types

c)  How to use a laser

d)  How clean the air is

  1. What is the main purpose of the BtN story?

a)  To argue

b)  To explain

c)  To warn

d)  To criticise

Find out more about the different layers of atmosphere. The following website will help with your research http://www.kidsgeo.com/geography-for-kids/0046-layers-of-the-atmosphere.php

Gudgeon project

  1. Briefly summarise the BtN story.
  2. When were the Southern Purple Spotted Gudgeons declared extinct?
  3. What is the breeding program trying to achieve?
  4. The program is occurring in a `secure environment’. What does that mean?
  5. What has happened to fish numbers in the breeding program?
  6. Describe the role of the Southern Purple Spotted Gudgeon in the river system.
  7. What happens after the fish are released into the wetlands?
  8. How have kids been involved in the program?
  9. Why is it important to protect native fish species’?
  10. What do you now know about native fish since watching the BtN story?

Research a native fish species and create a poster or Power Point presentation about it.

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