Questions for discussion

Recession1. In your own words, explain what a recession is.2. What affect does a strong economy have on business and

spending?3. What do you think is meant by consumer confidence?4. What factors can make the economy slow down?5. How does this impact on businesses and consumers?6. How long does the economy need to go bad before it is called a

recession?7. What is disposable income and what impact does a recession

have on it?8. What happens to employment during a recession?9. What can the Reserve Bank do to try and stop a recession?10. How does a slow economy affect the way you live?

Interview adults (at school or home) about how a recession would affect them. Do they remember other times when Australia was in a recession? How did affect their lifestyle then? Record the responses and share with the class.

South Ossetia1. What is the main point of the story?2. Where is South Ossetia?3. Why are Russia and Georgia at war?4. What significant event happened in 1991?5. The agreement that gave South Ossetia some independence

didn’t solve the problem. What did they want?6. Why is the pipeline that runs through South Ossetia so valuable?7. What is the concern if Russia gains control of the pipeline?8. Describe how the people living in South Ossetia might be

feeling?9. What do you think should happen next?10. What do you now know about this conflict that you didn’t know

before watching the BtN story?

Send a message or tell us what you think on the BtN Guestbook.

Olympic future1. What happened in 1976 that made the Government commit to

spending money on Olympic sports?2. What did Australia achieve at the Los Angeles Olympics

following the AIS being formed?3. What does the AIS do?4. Before the AIS was formed, how did athletes train?5. What impact is sports science having all over the world?6. Why are some people worried that Australian athletes could lose

their winning edge?

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EPISODE 22

19TH AUGUST 2008

7. What does the Government think should be done?8. Do you agree that more money should be spent on sport?

Explain your answer.9. Why do you think sport is so important to many Australians?10. How has your thinking changed about the future of Olympic

sport after watching the BtN story?

`Should the Australian Government spend money on developing elite athletes?’ Vote in the online poll.Test your knowledge in the online quiz.

Outback science1. How did this story make you feel?2. Describe Phiggles the flying scientist’s job.3. What parts of Australia does he visit?4. Why is it important that remote students get these

opportunities?5. Why do you think teaching science through School of the Air

may be difficult?6. What sorts of topics do the students learn in the science

lessons?7. Apart from learning science, what else do you think the students

gain from working with Phiggles?8. How do the students describe the experience of the outback

science lessons?9. In your own words, describe what it would be like living on an

outback station.10. How has your thinking changed after watching the BtN story?

The theme for Science week is `Planet Earth – Planet of change’. Write a paragraph about what you think this means. Find out more about Science Week at the following website http://www.scienceweek.info.au/schools/Pages/default.aspx

SES SOS1. What does SES stand for?2. What is the role of the SES?3. It is paid or voluntary work?4. How is the SES trying to get young people involved as

volunteers?5. What does the training involve?6. What skills does Imogen describe as important in the SES?7. How old do you have to be before you can become a volunteer?8. Describe the importance of volunteers in our community.9. Why do you think some young people would choose to become

SES volunteers?10. How did this story make you feel?

Write a job description for an SES volunteer.

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RecessionWith the price of housing, petrol and groceries going up and people spending less, some experts are worried that Australia might be heading towards a recession.

Focus Questions1] In your own words, explain what a recession is.2] What affect does a strong economy have on business and spending?3] What do you think is meant by consumer confidence?4] What factors can make the economy slow down?5] How does this impact on businesses and consumers?6] How long does the economy need to go bad before it is called a

recession?7] What is disposable income and what impact does a recession have

on it?8] What happens to employment during a recession?9] What can the Reserve Bank do to try and stop a recession?10]How does a slow economy affect the way you live?

The `R’ word

In groups of 4-5, ask students to brainstorm all the words they associate with the word recession. Students report back to the rest of the class to share their thoughts.Watch the BtN story about recession again and listen carefully. Circle each of the following words as you hear them. Record any unfamiliar words.

recession economy interest ratesconsumer confidence cautious expensive

disposable income luxuries employees

Ask students to write what they think is the meaning of each word (including any unfamiliar words). Swap definitions with a partner and ask them to add to or change the definition. Check these against the dictionary definition.How would a recession affect your lifestyle?Students will reflect on how a recession would affect their lifestyle. What are some of the consequences of a recession (job losses, rising prices of food, petrol etc) and how this impacts on how they life. Students need to think about both essential and luxury items. Present their information to the group in a creative way. Some possibilities are:

Role play Poster

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EPISODE 2219TH AUGUST 2008

Learning Area

English and Society and Environment

Key learning

Students will develop a deeper understanding of what a recession is and how it impacts on people’s lives.

Comic strip or storyboard Oral presentation.

Further investigations

Interview adults (at school or home) about how a recession would affect them. Do they remember other times when Australia was in a recession? How did it affect their lifestyle then? Record the responses and share with the class.

Create a rap/rhyme, puzzle or artwork based on the topic of `recession’.

8 Related Research Links

ABC 730 Report – Economists predict tough times ahead for US economyhttp://www.abc.net.au/7.30/content/2008/s2333211.htm

ABC News – RBA bleak on Australia’s economy - video linkhttp://www.abc.net.au/news/video/2008/08/11/2331985.htm

ABC Lateline Business – Australia’s economy slowing faster than expectedhttp://www.abc.net.au/lateline/business/items/200807/s2320909.htm

BBC News – What is a recession?http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/business/7495340.stm

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Emergency servicesIn New South Wales, the SES has introduced a new program where school kids will be trained as volunteers so they can help out in emergencies, like floods and storms.

Focus Questions

11]What does SES stand for?12]What is the role of the SES?13] Is it paid or voluntary work?14]How is the SES trying to get young people involved as volunteers?15]What does the training involve?16]What skills does Imogen describe as important in the SES?17]How old do you have to be before you can become a volunteer?18]Describe the importance of volunteers in our community.19]Why do you think some young people would choose to become SES

volunteers?20]How did this story make you feel?

State of emergencyWatch the BtN story about the State Emergency Services. Students then brainstorm what they know about emergencies and disasters. Record key words and ideas as a mind map or concept map. Gathering new informationUse the following questions as a framework for student inquiry:

What types of emergencies or disasters does our community experience?

Who is affected by or involved in them? When do they occur? How do they happen? Why do they happen?

Locate informationLocate resources that will help answer their questions. These can include:

Print (books, newspapers) Electronic (Internet, television) Library/Resource Centre People (friends, family, teachers)

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EPISODE 22

19TH AUGUST 2008

Learning Area

Society and Environment

Key learning

Students will develop an understanding of what the SES is and their role in the community.

Community, Government and Private Organisations

SelectSelect the information from a variety of sources that provide answers to their questions. Students may need support to sort through and select relevant information.OrganiseStudents will then need to organise their research by creating main heading from their questions. Write each heading on a separate piece of paper. Record the information found for each question. PresentThe information can be presented in a variety of ways. These include:

Brochure Oral presentation Web page or video Poster

Negotiate with students early in the research process how they would like to present their research.AssessStudents can assess their own learning by asking themselves:

What did I do well? What could I have done better?

Remind students to think about the process as well as the finished product.

8 Related Research LinksABC News – SES calls for more volunteershttp://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2008/07/13/2302166.htm

SES NSW – Information about volunteershttp://www.ses.nsw.gov.au/volunteers/

SES Victoria website – Kids cornerhttp://www.ses.vic.gov.au/CA256AEA002F0EC7/page/Kids+Corner?OpenDocument&1=50-Kids+Corner~&2=~&3=~

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TRANSCRIPT 19/08/08Episode 22

On this week's Behind the News.

Can Australia stay an Olympic winner?

Kids answering an emergency call from the SES.

And the Flying Scientist drops in to some very different schools.

Hi I'm Nathan Bazley. Welcome to Behind the News.

Also on the show today - what is the 'R' word and why are adults using it far too much lately. Those items later but first to our top story.

MEDAL UPDATE

The Olympics has been everywhere this week and most of Australia's attention has been on the pool, where the girls led the team to winning twenty medals. In fact they won all six gold in the water with 20 year old Stephanie Rice grabbing 3 at her first games.

Team captain Grant Hackett won silver in the fifteen hundred free, just missing the gold which would have been his third in a row in the event.

But the biggest news in the pool was American Michael Phelps who won eight gold. The most ever for a swimmer and some are now saying he is the best Olympic athlete in history.

The Aussies also picked up a couple of gold in the rowing and did well in kayaking. If you want all the details the ABC has a special Olympic website with all the news and results.

OLYMPIC FUTURESarah Larsen, Reporter

INTRO: Now Australians seem to always expect their teams to do well when the Olympics come around but did you ever wonder why? I mean it doesn't have a very large population so you would expect it to end up lower on the medal table than bigger countries. Well Sarah's been finding out how the Aussies got the winning edge and why some coaches are worried they might lose it.

What are Australians good at?

Um, sport?Sport.Spending moneySport.

Australia has a reputation for sporting success.

COMMENTATOR: Gold for Australia! Australia wins. Another medal for Australia.

Its cricket team is number one. Its netballers are the best and at the past few Olympic Games it's been fourth on the medal tally.

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SARAH LARSEN, REPORTER - That's kind of surprising when you think about it. There are 21 million people here. Compare that to somewhere like Britain which has 60 million. You'd think they'd have a bigger pool of talented athletes but in past games Australia has won more medals.

So what is it about Aussies? Are we all fighting fit sports machines? Not quite. The average Aussie looks a bit more like this.

So why does Australia do so well?

Well at the Olympics that's not always been the case.

In the 1976 Olympic games in Montreal Australia won no gold medals at all. People were horrified and before the Olympics were even over the government decided to do something about it.

In 1981 they built this.

The Australian Institute of Sport offered intensive training to up-and-coming athletes.

Before that most trained part time at their local clubs but at the AIS they were given full time scholarships.

The best coaches and sports scientists were also hired and it seemed to get results.

In the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics Australia won 24 medals - four of them gold.

And it wasn't just the Olympians who had help. The government started spending money on all sorts of elite sports.

And the wins have kept coming

The AIS is so successful it's now famous all over the world but success comes with its own set of problems.

Other countries are copying the AIS and setting up their own versions. They're even stealing our scientists and coaches.

Countries like Britain are doing all they can to beat Australia in the medal tally and that's got some people worried that Aussie athletes will lose their winning edge

SCIENTIST: Unless we do something very special, we're going to be off the medal podium.

While the Beijing games aren't over yet it doesn't look like Australia's medal tally will be as high as in the last Olympics.

Federal sports minister Kate Ellis said it showed more needs to be spent on sports training

But not everyone thinks that's a good idea. Critics say we already spend too much money on sport, and government funds should go towards more important research.

But others say our sports heroes are important for boosting national pride and many advances in sports science can benefit ordinary people.

So what do you think? How far should Australia go to preserve its winning streak?

ONLINE POLL

So what do you think? Have a vote in our online poll.

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The question is "Should the Australian Government spend money on developing elite athletes?"

If you want to vote go to our website at abc.net.au/btn You can leave a comment there as well.

SOUTH OSSETIANathan Bazley, Reporter

INTRO: While the world's attention has been mostly on the Olympics, in some other places things haven't been going so well. War has broken out between two countries called Russia and Georgia over a little piece of land called South Ossetia. Never heard of it? Well there is something about the area that makes it very important.

It was a night most of the world spent watching the fireworks above Beijing, but above South Ossetia, they were watching fireworks of a much scarier kind. This gunfire and much more like it since, has reportedly killed thousands of people. South Ossetia is a place on the other side of the world from Australia, between Russia and Georgia. And it is these two countries that are at war.

The fighting has been fierce involving thousands of soldiers with tanks and anti-aircraft weapons. And planes have been bombing towns as well. Of course, the damage to people's homes has been devastating. Big areas have been destroyed and around 20,000 people have had to run. Whole families found themselves as refugees with nowhere to go. But how did this war come about?

Less than twenty years ago, Georgia was a part of the Soviet Union, a union of countries that included Russia. In 1991 Georgia declared its independence. A new border was drawn up and South Ossetia was included inside the new Georgia.

NATHAN BAZLEY, REPORTER: But this separated South Ossetia from their people to the north, in what is now Russia, and that made a lot of people very angry.

A solution finally came a few years later. Georgia backed down and gave South Ossetia some independence. They were allowed to govern themselves but were still a part of Georgia. But the agreement didn't solve all that much. Some Ossetian people said they would only settle for full independence, while the Georgians still wouldn't let them go. Last week Georgia sent the troops in while the Olympics was starting and Russia was quick to react and send its own troops in.

NATHAN BAZLEY, REPORTER: South Ossetia has 70,000 people, but this war is about a lot more than who controls them. It's actually about this and one huge pipe.

Okay, so it's not so much the pipe that's incredibly valuable, but what it carries. This is the pipeline and its job is to pump one million barrels of oil every day, from Central Asia to Europe and America. That makes it hugely important for those nations' oil supplies.

The pipeline runs only 55kms from South Ossetia and some people are worried that if Russia gains control they might try and control the pipeline too. They say that could jeopardise supply for western countries. But the reality is it's the people of South Ossetia, not the pipeline or its oil, that have been caught in the middle of this bloody fight and they will have to spend a long time rebuilding their lives.

THE WIRE

Now a peace agreement is being negotiated between Russia and Georgia and we'll let you know how that goes. Here's Catherine with the Wire

It was a very sad weekend in the New South Wales Snowy Mountains - three people died in three separate accidents in the snow.

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One man hit a tree while skiing at Blue Cow and another hit a tree at Sun Valley.

The third man died when an ice and snow bank collapsed on him at Blue Lake.

******************

A group of Aussie climbers is happy to be home after two nights stuck in a snow storm on a mountain in New Zealand.

The freak weather made it very difficult for rescue crews to save them.

Climber: I've been hanging out for my beloved’s arms which I have now reached and for a cup of my favourite tea and my own bed.

*******************

And scientists are creating an online encyclopedia of Aussie insects.

This is part of the largest collection in the world – there are about 12 million specimens from butterflies to beetles, giant moths to microscopic wasps.

Scientist: We've only named probably about 10 to 20 percent of Australian insects. So most insects we don't know yet and the ones we do know we only have a limited amount of information.

We'll be able to check it out in the next 12 months.

QUIZ 1

That's a lot of bugs. OK let’s do a quiz.

Who makes Australia's bank notes?

a. The Reserve Bank of Australiab. The Royal Australian Mintc. The Treasury

Answer: The Reserve Bank. The Mint makes the coins. The Reserve Bank has a special company that prints the notes.

THE ‘R’ WORDSarah Larsen, Reporter

INTRO: Now for a long time Australia's economy has been going really well but that seems to be changing. The prices of lots of things have gone up and people are spending less. That’s got some experts worried that a Recession might be on the way. Sarah had a look at the big "R" word and what it means.

NEWS READERS: It’s going to be bad news.

"Deepest Recession"

"This time round there weren't places to hide."

"Recession"

"Recession Territory"

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"Is there more to come?"

It's a word that sends chills down the spines of adults everywhere and if it hits it can affect everyone. But what is a recession? And why is it so scary? To find out, let's have a look at the case of Harry.

Harry's pizza is the best in town.

HARRY: It’s a good pizza.

His customers agree and he's raking it in.

NEWSREADER: The economy is looking up, spending is at an all time high.

Things are so good he's had to employ extra staff and when Harry's not making pizza, he's living it up! With his extra money he's bought a house, a big screen TV. Other businesses love Harry because he spends a lot of money. Times are good. But times can change.

Harry: What would you like?

NEWS READER: High interest rates and overseas economic problems mean consumer confidence is at an all time low.

CUSTOMER: Sorry Harry, I think I'd better save my money.

REPORTER: If people start to suspect tougher times ahead they get more cautious about spending their money and it's bad news for businesses like Harry’s.

Tough times can happen because of lots of things. It could be that businesses overseas go bad or it could be a rise in prices. If things are too expensive people stop spending on luxuries like pizza. So Harry might have to lay off staff and that means more people with no money.

REPORTER: It's like a downward spiral. People stop spending money which means businesses do badly. That means more people earn less and they stop spending money. It keeps going round and round affecting more and more people.

As the spiral goes down the economy starts to slow. If it goes bad for 6 months you have what's called a recession. In a recession people don't have as much disposable income. That's the money left over after they've paid for all the essential stuff like houses, petrol and groceries. So people spend less on luxuries like new TVs, holidays or trips to the movies. They get nervous about spending any money at all. More businesses might close down and employees lose their jobs. It sounds gloomy but things can be done to try to stop a recession. The Reserve Bank can reduce interest rates so home loans are cheaper. That gives families extra cash. But they have to be careful. Managing the economy is a delicate balancing act and at the moment the Bank is trying to balance things so Australia avoids recession. But that could be difficult. Some experts say recessions are a normal part of the economic cycle; you have good times and you have bad times.

So while Harry might have a few rocky years, if he can hang in there he could be making good dough again.

SES SOSCatherine Ellis, Reporter

INTRO: Let’s talk about a story where kids are actually being encouraged to get into trouble but for all the right reasons. In New South Wales they've announced a program where school kids will be trained to help out in emergencies like severe

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storms and floods. They'll be part of what's called the SES. It sounds pretty interesting so Catherine thought she'd find out all about it!

Have you ever volunteered your time to help out in the community in some way? Well in New South Wales they've announced a new program where school kids will be trained to help out in emergencies like severe storms and floods! They'll be part of what's called the SES - Catherine thought she'd find out all about it!

CATHERINE ELLIS, REPORTER: Any disaster that happens in Australia, the SES people are there to help.

They're the State Emergency Service and you can spot them by their bright orange suits!

They're involved in rescuing people from all sorts of situations, they also search for missing people, and they provide a lot of help during storms and floods.

They have big jobs to do, which can be life threatening, but they don't get paid they're volunteers - there's about 30000 of them across the country!

Now, most of the volunteers have other jobs, like being doctors or teachers, but they drop what they're doing to help us.

What happens is the public ring call centres to let them know something has happened then these guys send messages to the local volunteers.

The SES also help out when a disaster is over for example they'll drop food and medicine to people still stranded by floodwaters.

With such important jobs it's vital there's enough of them so they're always trying to attract more helpers.

Kids can even get involved in 'cadet programs' to train up for the future.

These guys get together each week they have their own uniforms and they're taught heaps of stuff by local volunteers.

NICK, CADET: The best time was a night situation where we had to take a casualty quite a few kilometres in a stretcher over an obstacle course.

Of course it's always handy if they've got someone to practise on.

They carefully put me on a blanket and lifted me onto a stretcher.

Then they lashed me! - sounds scary but it means threading ropes across so I can't fall out.

Imogen's role as 'casualty reassurance person' was to reassure me everything's okay and make sure I know what is going on.

IMOGEN, CADET: Are you fully aware of where you are right now.

CATHERINE: Um yes. I'm in a creek at the moment. That's good.

We pretended I'd fallen off a cliff and they had to get me from here - to there.

And up I went.

I was happy to be back on the ground - until.

CATHERINE: "guys… guys…"

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Once set free I asked Nick what this was for.

NICK, CADET: This is a training dummy, we basically use it when the situation is too dangerous to use an actual person like we can put it under a vehicle or under a rock and then rescue it out of that situation.

And they can use it to learn how to resuscitate people.

Kim, the captain of the cadets, then showed me they've been learning how to use the radio.

Many of these guys have been cadets for a couple of years now.

KIM: Just training with all the friendly people around, it's just a great atmosphere to be learning to help the community.

IMOGEN: And it's good for also a lot of leadership skills and teamwork is very important in the SES.

They'll have to wait till they're 18 before they become the real deal, but they can't wait to be involved in something so important to the community.

QUIZ 2

Time for another quiz and I'll give you a clue - one of the answers might have been in the name of that story. Which of these is an international distress signal?

1. 9112. SOS3. Mayday

Answer: SOS AND Mayday. SOS is a Morse code signal. Mayday is a word you say over the radio when you need help. 911 is an American emergency number that isn't used here.

OUTBACK SCIENCECatherine Ellis, Reporter

INTRO: You may remember last year we ran a story about a flying scientist - a real life professor called Phiggles who flies to remote communities teaching kids cool stuff like dissecting eyeballs. Since it's science week we thought we'd check out what he's up to and Catherine discovered he's heading to some classrooms most city kids could never imagine.

CATHERINE ELLIS, REPORTING: Right, you ready? Let’s go flying.

It's so awesome up here but can you guess whereabouts in Australia we are?

I'll give you a clue; it's a big chunk of land spanning about 400,000 square kilometres - that's twice the size of Victoria! There's ancient inland river gorges, remote cattle stations and about 35,000 people live here.

We're in the Kimberley! It's here in Western Australia.

Some species like the Kimberley Mouse and the Scaly-tailed possum are only found here.

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Hang on what's that? It's Phiggles the Flying Scientist.

What a cool job. He gets to explore Australia in a plane filled with science gadgets.

He travels to remote stations in outback Australia to teach science to kids who do all their schooling from home - they don't have classmates, in fact they rarely see other kids.

First stop Lissadell Station this is where eight year old Luke, his sister Ellen, mum, dad and 15-thousand cattle live.

But today they're joined by six other bush-kids who've driven a long way to experience their first interactive science class.

LUKE: Best scientist I've ever met! Only scientist I've ever met.

They learn a bit of chemistry, optics, reflexes and electronics is always a favourite.

LUKE: I just love power, and light bulbs and switches and yeah I reckon they're so cool.

This is where Luke normally does school, via School of the Air - no classmates here to distract you!

SCHOOL OF THE AIR TEACHER: I'm just wondering if you want to tell everyone what has been happening at your place?

LUKE: Well we've been doing electronics and um oh heaps of stuff; chemistry and chopping cows eyeballs open.

Before long Phiggles and his wife Susan are off again - this time to Kandiwal Station, a tiny Indigenous community where about 20 people live.

CATHERINE: Kandiwal Station is about 650 kilometres from the nearest town. That means they have to travel for a day - almost as far as Melbourne to Adelaide - just to do their shopping!

And this is their school.

KIDS: Good morning miss.

CHRISTOPHER, PUBLIC OFFICER: In the wet season that room leaks like a sieve so water runs through the floors and you have to sweep out the water.

Bush rats are also a problem.

CHRISTOPHER: They come in and chew the wiring on the computer from time to time.

And sometimes the kids find snakes in the classroom.

LIONEL: Yeah little small carpet snake.

But check out how the kids spend recess time!

LIONEL: I'm just relaxing in the water.

They enjoy school but having Phil drop by is a huge treat.

PHIGGLES: You can't help blinking. Your brain just automatically makes you blink because it wants your eye to keep moist and keep clean.

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Discovering that the inside of an eyeball is clear is pretty amazing, but were they grossed out by it?

LIONEL: Not really to me but mostly to the girls, haha.

It's an exhausting job for these two, but they say it's so rewarding meeting hundreds of bush kids and watching as they discover that science really is fun!

CLOSER

Looks like a fun school. Remember you can watch any of those stories again on our website at abc.net.au/btn and catch an update of kids’ news every Monday to Friday at 5 to six.

Now dog sledding is something you normally associate with snow but it’s a bit different when it’s held in Australia.

Instead of sleds they use specially made trikes, bikes and scooters and the lack of white stuff doesn't seem to worry the pooches either.

That's it for another BTN catch ya later.

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