1. Discuss the Greece in Trouble story as a class. Record the main points of your discussion.2. To keep the country going, Greece had to ___________ money from other European
countries.3. The loan came with some tough conditions. True or false?4. People in Greece are angry about austerity. Explain what that is.5. What impact has austerity had on the people of Greece?6. Why does Europe want Greece to take the money?7. What has Greece’s parliament agreed to?8. What do you think is the future of Greece?9. List three facts you learnt about the economic crisis in Greece.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
Volcano Safety1. Summarise the BtN Volcano Safety story in a 100-140 character tweet.2. Describe the disruption the ash cloud caused.3. How were Paige and Max’s holiday plans affected by the erupting volcano?4. Where in Indonesia is Mount Raung?5. Where is the volcano in relation to Bali?6. Volcanic ash is made up of a substance similar to ____________.7. What happens to ash when it gets very hot?8. Describe what happens when volcanic ash goes through a jet engine.9. Why did some airlines fly while others didn’t?10. Illustrate an aspect of the Volcano Safety story.
Check out the BtN Volcano Safety on the Teachers page
Inside the Ashes 1. What did the BtN Inside the Ashes story mainly explain?2. Ethan’s dad is the...3. What is the Ashes?4. Where is the Ashes urn kept?5. Briefly describe the history of the Ashes.6. What is the Lord’s cricket ground known as?7. Where are the laws of cricket decided?
8. Name an interesting fact about Lord’s cricket ground.9. Why is Ethan proud of his dad?10. What did you like about the BtN story?
Write a message about the story and post it in the comments section on the story page
Visiting Pluto1. What is the name of the spacecraft that took photos of Pluto?2. Pluto was first discovered in...3. What do scientists know about Pluto?4. Why is it called a dwarf planet?5. When was the spacecraft launched?6. New Horizons is about the size of a ____________.7. What interesting things are on board the spacecraft? 8. Describe the images of Pluto.9. New Horizons is the fastest spacecraft NASA has ever built. True or false?10. Working in pairs, brainstorm a list of questions you have about Pluto.
Check out the BtN Visiting Pluto resource on the Teachers pageDo the quiz on the BtN website
Women’s League1. What was the main point of the Women’s League story?2. The SANFL is a football competition in which state?3. What do the girls like about playing football?4. At the moment, what are the opportunities for women who want to play footy at a high
level?5. What competition is the SANFL launching soon?6. How are they encouraging more girls to register for the competition?7. How will the junior league help women’s football?8. When is the AFL hoping to start a full women’s competition?9. What do you think the future of women’s football is?10. Should more girls be encouraged to take part in sports usually played by boys? Explain
your answer.
Write a message about the story and post it in the comments section on the story page.
1. Summarise the BtN Volcano Safety story in a 100-140 character tweet.
2. Describe the disruption the ash cloud caused.3. How were Paige and Max’s holiday plans affected by the
erupting volcano?4. Where in Indonesia is Mount Raung?5. Where is the volcano in relation to Bali?6. Volcanic ash is made up of a substance similar to
____________.7. What happens to ash when it gets very hot?8. Describe what happens when volcanic ash goes through a jet
engine.9. Why did some airlines fly while others didn’t?10. Illustrate an aspect of the Volcano Safety story.
Discuss the BtN Volcano Safety story as a class. What questions were raised in the discussion (what are the gaps in their knowledge)? 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?
Students will develop their own question/s for inquiry or use one or more of the following. Students will collect and record information from a wide variety of sources (internet, books, newspaper and magazines) and present the information they find in an interesting way.
Students will investigate the causes of volcanoes and their impact on people and the environment.
Science – Year 6
Sudden geological changes or extreme weather conditions can affect Earth’s surface (ACSSU096)
Science involves testing predictions by gathering data and using evidence to develop explanations of events and phenomena (ACSHE098)
Scientific understandings, discoveries and inventions are used to solve problems that directly affect peoples’ lives (ACSHE100)
Scientific knowledge is used to inform personal and community decisions (ACSHE220)
Science – Year 5 & 6
With guidance, pose questions to clarify practical problems or inform a scientific investigation, and predict what the findings of an investigation might be(ACSIS231) (ACSIS232)
With guidance, plan appropriate investigation methods to answer questions or solve problems (ACSIS086) (ACSIS103)
Geography – Year 8
The causes, impacts and responses to a geomorphological hazard (ACHGK053)
Design and Technologies – Years 5 and 6Apply safe procedures when using a variety of materials, components, tools, equipment and techniques to make designed solutions (ACTDEP026)
What causes volcanoes? What effect do volcanoes have on people and the environment? Where do volcanoes occur? What is meant by the “ring of fire”? How dangerous are volcanoes? List some of the hazards. What is the difference between an active, dormant and extinct volcano? Why are volcanoes called active even when there is no eruption? What do plate tectonics have to do with volcanoes?
Create your own classroom glossary about volcanoes. Start by brainstorming words as a class using a mind map to record your responses and then find definitions for each word. Consider using pictures and diagrams to illustrate meanings.
Magma Tectonic plates Molten rock Lava Ash Gases Eruption Dormant volcano Active volcano Extinct volcano Ring of Fire
Challenge students by asking them to use words from their class glossary to write their own sentences. Alternatively, students can make their own crossword puzzle or word find.
Discuss with students the effect that significant events like volcanoes have on people and places. Examine their local, regional and global effects on people and places. Record student’s responses on a concept map and discuss the different categories for their responses (physical and emotional).
Ask students to finish one or more of the following incomplete sentences:
This story made me feel... The volcano is Indonesia has destroyed... The volcano is Indonesia has impacted on... A volcano is...
Science Investigation – Make your own volcanoProvide students with the opportunity to think and behave like scientists. In pairs or small groups, students will build a volcano, using these step-by-step instructions. Students will use the following investigation framework before, during and after their investigation.
Before starting this activity, introduce students to what a science investigation is and why we do them. Think of words that relate to “science investigation” and then find and explain their meanings. Here are some concepts to get you started: variable, observation, diagram, fair test and prediction.
Before the investigation
What am I going to investigate? What do I think will happen? (make a prediction) Why do I think this will happen? What steps do I need to follow to investigate my prediction? What materials and equipment will I need? Make a list or draw
and label each item. How will I make a fair test? What variables am I going to keep the same? For example,
consider using different materials to change the shape of the volcano or adding more bi-carb soda.
What do you know about this topic (what do you already know about volcanoes and what have you learnt from what you have studied so far?)
What things may affect what you are investigating? Draw a labelled diagram to illustrate the investigation setup. Describe in detail what you will be doing in each stage of the
investigation. What special safety precautions are required?
During the investigation
Use Questacon’s step-by-step instructions to make your own bi-carb soda volcano.
Record your observations. Discover more:
o Try using different amounts of bi-carb soda and vinegar and see what difference it makes to the eruption.
o Do you have any pumice stone in your bathroom? Does it float or sink in water?
After the investigation
Write a sentence that summarises what happened. Draw a labelled diagram of your observations to show what
happened. Draw a labelled diagram of a volcano including Earth’s layers
1. What is the name of the spacecraft that took photos of Pluto?2. Pluto was first discovered in...3. What do scientists know about Pluto?4. Why is it called a dwarf planet?5. When was the spacecraft launched?6. New Horizons is about the size of a ____________.7. What interesting things are on board the spacecraft? 8. Describe the images of Pluto.9. New Horizons is the fastest spacecraft NASA has ever built.
True or false?10. Working in pairs, brainstorm a list of questions you have
about Pluto.
What do you see, think and wonder?After watching the BtN Pluto story, respond to the following questions:
Key factsUse the BtN story transcript to make a fact sheet about Pluto. Swap or compare your facts with your classmates. Keep swapping your list of facts until you have built up a detailed fact file about Pluto. Alternatively make a quiz and then test your classmates.
Students will investigate the size and scale of our solar system and analyse how Pluto compares to other planets.
Science – Year 5
The Earth is part of a system of planets orbiting around a star (the sun) (ACSSU078)
Scientific understandings, discoveries and inventions are used to solve problems that directly affect peoples’ lives (ACSHE083)
Science – Year 7Scientific knowledge changes as new evidence becomes available, and some scientific discoveries have significantly changed people’s understanding of the world (ACSHE119)
Create a profile of Pluto using a range of sources of information. Include a history of Pluto, and respond to the following questions:
When and who discovered Pluto? How was it named How big is Pluto? Where Pluto in the solar system? What does Pluto look like? Describe using
words and pictures. When and why did Pluto become a dwarf
planet? List 10 interesting facts about Pluto
Use a Venn diagram to compare and contrast Pluto with other planets in our solar system. Compare and contrast the size of the planets, the distance from the sun and its physical features.
Journey to PlutoDo you think that in about another century humans will be able to travel to Pluto?
Imagine you are one of the first people to travel on a spacecraft to Pluto. Describe the following:
What will you need to do to prepare for your journey? What will you take with you and why? How far do you have to travel from Earth? What do you see on your journey? Explain your first impressions of Pluto.
Source: NASA
Questions and AnswersAre you curious about astronomy? Make a list of questions you have about the solar system that you would like to ask an astronomer. Use the internet to find answers to your questions. For example:
What direction do planets rotate? Why are planets round? Is there really a 10th planet?
Visit the following website to see which questions are answered. Ask an Astronomer – http://curious.astro.cornell.edu/
Make a model of PlutoCreate a papier-mâché model of Pluto, using a balloon, paper and glue. Collect and analyse images sent back by the New Horizon space craft to find out what Pluto looks like to help when making your model. Think about the colour, features and scale of Pluto when creating your papier-mâché model. http://www.abc.net.au/news/2015-07-09/pluto-comes-into-focus/6566818
Visualising our solar systemMake a scale model of the planets in our solar system. In small groups, students will represent the size of the sun and the planets in our solar system as accurately as possible. Students need to agree on an approximate scale for their model. The model should begin with the sun and show planets in order. Use this calculator to help determine size and scale. http://www.exploratorium.edu/ronh/solar_system/
What scale will you use to model the solar system? What materials or found objects will you use to represent the sun and each of the planets? What surprised you about you about this activity?
Following this activity, students will agree on a scale to represent the distance of the planets from the sun. Calculate and record the distances using a spreadsheet. Consider modelling your findings on your school oval. In this BtN story we demonstrate the scale of our solar system, using a bowling ball, a pin, a peppercorn, a pecan, a hazelnut and a peanut, on a racecourse! Watch this ABC Splash video to help you visualise the size and scale of our solar system.
Be a reporter for a dayInvestigate the New Horizons journey to Pluto and write a newspaper article describing your findings. Alternatively investigate current research on the possibility of a tenth planet. Things to think about:
Who is your target audience? Use age appropriate language and themes. Write a headline that is short and to the point. Use words and pictures in your report. Find information from a variety of sources Present the facts and/or opinions clearly and accurately
ABC News – Pluto comes into focushttp://www.abc.net.au/news/2015-07-09/pluto-comes-into-focus/6566818
ABC Science – New Horizons: Countdown to Pluto http://www.abc.net.au/science/articles/2015/06/01/4245193.htm
CBBC Newsround – New horizons probe getting ready for Pluto fly-byhttp://www.bbc.co.uk/newsround/33507634
YouTube – Pluto in a Minutehttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6_ORNCssLeY&list=PLiuUQ9asub3RUlLBXMFGq8aFEPS5yONT2
NASA – New Horizonshttps://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/newhorizons/main/index.html
ABC Splash – Make a mini solar systemhttp://splash.abc.net.au/home#!/media/30339/scaling-down-our-solar-system
Education Department Victoria – Solar Systemhttp://www.education.vic.gov.au/school/teachers/teachingresources/discipline/science/samples/pages/solarsystem.aspx
Museum Victoria – Scienceworks: The Solar Systemhttp://museumvictoria.com.au/scienceworks/education/education-kits/planetarium/the-solar-system/
Encourage your students to be active and informed citizens by watching our 10 minute news program each day. Go to the BtN homepage and
click on the 3News link.
Subscribe to our weekly newsletter for an update on upcoming BtN stories and other useful and relevant teacher information. Visit the BtN website and go to the Teachers page to join up.
The volcano that stopped holiday plans in their tracks.
Find out about the tiny spacecraft that has achieved the impossible.
And we get an exclusive look behind the scenes at the Ashes with a kid that calls the Aussie coach dad.
Hi I'm Nathan. Thanks for joining us. First today:
Greece in Trouble
Reporter: Matthew Holbrook
INTRO: We're heading to Greece where money problems have been causing massive problems. The issues have been going on for ages but last week things got really heated when the Prime Minister there accepted a deal with some other countries of the European Union that would see Greece receive another massive loan. But that sounds like good news, right? So why were the Greek people angry about it? Well it's all to do with something called Austerity. Here's Matt along with some kids from Greece to explain.
CRISTINA AND ZOE: Hello, I'm Cristina, this is my friend Zoe, and we live in Athens.
These girls love living in Greece, but things have been tough here for a while.
CRISTINA: It's a lovely country it’s really amazing, but the time we live now, it is in the worst period probably. We don't have that many opportunities in Greece now because there are not many jobs.
The problems all started a while ago when Greece spent too much, and ran out of money. To keep things going, it had to borrow a lot from some other European countries. But eventually it came with some strict conditions. Conditions that have upset a lot of people in Greece.
The main condition they're angry about is austerity. That's what it's called when the government has to cut spending drastically so that one day it can pay the money back. But in Greece, austerity's led to a rise in taxes, fewer jobs, and less pay. This family says it hasn't been easy.
STERGIOS' DAD: Our income has decreased a lot, up to 50%, and at the same time taxes have increased a lot.
STERGIOS: There are lots of families that we hear about that live by only one salary, or from the money of a grandfather, because no-one in the family finds a job.
And over the past few years, Greece has been asked to agree to tougher and tougher austerity measures in exchange for more money. As the austerity cuts have got tougher, Greek citizens have got angrier. And now, many would rather reject Europe's loans, so austerity can end. But that would mean Europe wouldn't get back the money it's owed. And that could be bad for the whole European economy. So in many ways Europe really wants Greece to take the money.
Greece's parliament has now agreed to Europe's loan, and the tough conditions that go with it. But over time, Greece will be asked to pay much of this money back. And if it can't, this situation could come up again. So Greece's future and the future of kids who call it home is still a bit uncertain.
But whatever happens in this country financially, these guys say Greece will always be the country they love.
CRISTINA: Even though it’s amazing, it has beautiful nature, beautiful seas, the islands are beautiful. I love Greece.
The Wire
To other news now and an Aussie politician is in a bit of trouble over a helicopter trip.
The speaker of Federal Parliament, Bronwyn Bishop, chose to take a $5000 taxpayer funded private helicopter flight to a Liberal Party event when driving there would have only taken an hour. She's agreed to repay the cost and a loading on top but has refused to admit that it was wrong.
PM Tony Abbott has said the Speaker is now on 'probation' but the Opposition say she should quit the prestigious role.
The Australian Government has launched a new hundred million dollar program to encourage kids to get active. It'll give thousands of schools around Australia the chance to run extra sport classes before or after school and even bring in professional coaches to help out. Stats show one in four kids are now obese so the Government thinks it'll be a good way to help them stay fit and have fun too.
STUDENT: "Maybe the toads and frogs should be near a duck pond so do you think there should be a duck pond?"
These kids at Linden Park Primary School took part in a competition to create the best national park using Minecraft and guess what they won! Their prize is an excursion to a national park plus they might even get some of their Minecraft dreams turned into reality!
Volcano Safety
Reporter: Nicholas Maher
INTRO: Over the school holidays thousands of Australian families had plans of flying to Bali to escape winter here at home. Well that was right up until a volcano erupted and ruined everything. All flights in and out of Bali were cancelled for nearly a week. But how can a volcano on the ground stop flights way up in the air? Nic found out.
NICHOLAS MAHER, REPORTING: During the holidays, Paige and Max were expecting to find themselves on a plane to Bali.
Instead, they found themselves stuck at home unpacking.
MAX: Well I'm just devastated. I'm so upset because this would've been my first overseas trip.
PAIGE: It's just so disappointing. I was absolutely devastated about it.
MAX: I couldn't believe it. I'm just like no, I can't believe this. Stop, nope.
It was meant to be a family adventure with their dad Steve and their Mum, Ash.
But Ash got in the way.
No, not their mum Ash.
This Ash! It's all coming from Mount Raung, an active volcano here on the Indonesian island of East Java, right next to Bali. Mount Raung has erupted many times over the past few weeks and that's caused massive clouds of ash to spew into the sky.
That ash forced more than 10 thousand people out of their homes and as it drifted towards Bali's main airport, airlines had to cancel their flights too leaving Max and Paige stuck at home.
But why does it matter if a little ash is floating around? How could that stop a big jet? Well if you look closely at the powdery ashes that come out of a volcano, it actually looks like tiny shards of broken glass. And when they hit a plane at high speed they can do a fair bit of damage. Plus, plane engines are really, really hot. So when ash gets sucked it, it melts inside there and gets stuck. That looks like this, and back in the 80s it nearly caused a
crash when a British plane flew through a cloud of volcanic ash. Luckily everyone was okay but since then airlines have become a lot more careful about flying through ash clouds, even though cancelled flights cost them a lot of money!
Once the ash clears, airports are allowed to re-open to passengers. But that doesn't mean all airlines will resume flights straight away. It's up to each airline to determine when they think it's safe enough to travel again. So, some might start earlier or later than others as we saw in Bali.
That doesn't mean that some were being unsafe. It's just that the others were being extra careful by waiting a little longer. That might have frustrated some people, but these guys Adam and Jeremy saw a silver lining to this volcanic ash cloud because it kept them stuck on holiday!
ADAM & JEREMY: So what happened was, we've been in Bali for one week and the day before we went to go back we found out flights have been cancelled. It means we get to do extra stuff in Bali and it's a fun place to be.
Despite missing out on their holiday because of the ash, Paige and Max say that ultimately it was for the best.
PAIGE: I suppose it's for our safety that we can't fly over there at the moment because we don't want to crash.
MAX: So they’re just doing it for our safety and it's just the way of nature.
Well Max and Paige, at least there’is always next year.
Quiz 1
Okay, let’s test you on your volcano knowledge now.
What is the name given to the red-hot molten rock below the Earth's crust?
Is it Magma
Lava
Or Redstone
The answer is Magma
You might have been thinking lava but that's the name given to the same stuff when it comes out of a volcano.
INTRO: Now the world has seen the dwarf planet Pluto in greater detail than ever before. It's all thanks to a little spacecraft called New Horizons, which left Earth nearly a decade ago on a mission to explore the furthest reaches of our solar system. Here's Eloise with more.
It was the moment an icy, far off land was brought into focus. A tiny spaceship called New Horizons managed to show us Pluto like we'd never seen it before.
DR ALAN STERN, NEW HORIZONS PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR: There are rare times when you get to do something that's larger than life, and the exploration of the farthest world, that humans have ever explored. That sounds like science fiction but it's not, today, we flew by Pluto.
Pluto was discovered back in 1930, by an American astronomer called Clyde Tombaugh. He was checking out the images he'd taken of the stars, and realised one of those specks of light kept moving. It was a new planet, that they called Pluto.
Not that it stayed a planet. Compared to the others, Pluto's pretty small, so scientists eventually downgraded it to a dwarf planet.
But one thing scientists knew for sure is that Pluto's seriously far away.
REPORTER: Let's say the Earth is this basketball. Our moon would be a tennis ball around seven and a half metres away. And Pluto, that would be a golf ball, and it would be much further. Keep going, keep going, stop! Well, it would be over 80 kilometres away.
But how could scientists ever hope to explore something so far away? Enter New Horizons. It was launched by NASA in 2006, on top of a rocket. Its destination: Pluto.
Amazingly, it's only the size of a piano, and it’s the fastest craft NASA has ever built. New Horizons’ been hurtling through space at almost 60,000 kilometres per hour. It's a journey that would take 6,000 years by car. New Horizons has done it in nine years.
In 2007, it passed Jupiter and tested out its cameras by taking this impressive shot. This year, New Horizons sent its first images of Pluto back to earth. At first, the pics were pretty hazy, but as it got closer, the images got clearer and clearer. And finally, on the 14th of July this year, it made it into the history books.
DR ALAN STERN, NEW HORIZONS PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR: So fasten your seat belts, New Horizons has arrived at the Pluto system.
Australia actually played a really big role in the whole mission. It was the first place to receive the data, using this dish, the largest in the Southern Hemisphere.
CSIRO SPOKESMAN GLEN NAGLE: That's no mean feat. It's never been done this way before.
But while we have seen some amazing shots come through this dish already, it's going to take about 16 months for the spacecraft to beam back all of the data it collected about Pluto and its moons.
So now, New Horizons mission has finished, but its epic journey hasn't. NASA's hoping to use New Horizons to explore the Kuiper Belt, an area of the solar system beyond the planets, that's never been explored before.
So this little spaceship will be continuing its great big adventure.
Quiz 2
Okay, quiz time again now. An 11 year old girl came up with the name for the dwarf planet Pluto. Did she name it after:
A cartoon dog
The Greek god of the underworld
Or a chemical element?
The answer is the Greek god of the underworld.
Pluto the cartoon dog and Plutonium the chemical element both got their name from the dwarf planet. Okay.
Inside the Ashes
Rookie Reporter: Ethan Lehmann
INTRO: The Australian cricket team is currently taking on England in the Ashes series. It's one of the big sporting rivalries and recently Australia lost the first match. Next we'll tell you whether they managed to turn it around in the second test. But first here's a very special behind the scenes report from Ethan Lehmann Aussie coach Darren Lehmann's son.
ETHAN, REPORTING: Hi BtN! My name is Ethan Lehmann and you might already know my dad Darren Lehmann. He's the coach of the Australian cricket team. But right now he's over there behind me training the boys to hopefully bring home the Ashes!
But what are they? Well let me show you.
ETHAN: Here’s what Australia and England spend heaps of time fighting over - a tiny urn full of ashes! Weird huh?!
Australia beat England in England for the first time, so a journalist published a notice in the paper saying that English cricket was dead and should be cremated and the ashes sent to Australia.
Later that year, England's captain said they would go to Australia, win and bring home those Ashes. And while he was there a lady from Melbourne gave him this Ashes urn as a funny present, but it ended up becoming the famous symbol of the whole competition!
You might have seen copies of it held up after a series win. The real urn is so old it stays at Lord’s. Winners get to take home a crystal trophy instead.
ETHAN: Now let me show you around the ground here.
Lord's Cricket Ground is known as the 'home of cricket'. And this spaceship looking building is the media centre.
ETHAN: This is where hundreds of journalists, camera operators, TV producers and presenters send stories out all over the world.
Now, did you know all the cricket rules we follow back home in Australia are made right here?
ETHAN: It's in this very boardroom that some really important people meet up to decide what goes into this little book - the Laws of Cricket!
Inside the change rooms there are boards filled with the names of all the great Aussie cricketers who've played here. On game day this room is filled with gear!
ETHAN: So Dad what do the players bring on game day?
DARREN LEHMANN, AUSTRALIAN COACH: Obviously they've got to bring their whites to play, their training gear for warm-up etc, and then they bring all their gear, spikes, bats, gloves, pads, helmets, anything you can name, protective equipment and a whole heap of little things they like to take with them.
ETHAN: So whose bag is this?
DARREN: Well this bag's our captain's, Michael Clarke. So he likes to pack a lot of things with him. He actually packs about 20 pairs of gloves, you can see his sweater’s there, his shoes; he's the neatest guy we have on tour. He has his backpack with his music in there, has probably 8 or 10 bats set up, his whites, then obviously his baggy green. This one is probably about 30 test matches old. He swapped it when he got the test match captaincy. He had his other one for 80 test matches and it was all frayed, bit like Steve Waugh used to change his. But now you have to sign a stat. dec. to actually get a new baggy green; to say you've lost it or need a new one.
ETHAN: Before dad coached, he played for the Australian team and here he is after hitting the winning runs in the 1999 Cricket World Cup. I'm really proud of him.
ETHAN: What has it been like to play and coach cricket your whole life?
DARREN: It's been a lot of fun. It's a very enjoyable sport as you know. The only thing I don't like is that I get to miss you too much and all of my other three kids. I'm always away from home. To play it's been a very enjoyable experience for me, and now, dare I say it, I love coaching more.
ETHAN: So what do you love most about the Ashes series?
DARREN: Good question. I think it would be the history, and the tradition of the Ashes. Whether you’re in Australia or England, obviously it's every 2 years and every 4 years abroad, for us it's a big thing coming to Lord’s, it's the home of cricket. We get the chance to meet the Queen, I think it's the Prince this time. But the Ashes itself, it's the biggest test series you can play in as a player, or be involved in as a coach.
The Ashes is made up of five games and each goes for about five days, so I don't get to see all of them. But since I was born I've been lucky to travel the world watching dad play and coach cricket.
ETHAN: I hope you've enjoyed this Ashes report. Enjoy the rest of the series!
Presenter: Thanks for your report Ethan! So how did Australia do in game 2? There's only one way to find out.
The Score
Australia has thrashed England at Lord’s on the weekend to level the Ashes series! After the Aussie's strong first innings, England were left to chase a ridiculous target of 509 runs! And they crumbled to be all out for just 103.
The next match will start on the 29th of July.
Surfing champ Mick Fanning got a big fright when a shark attacked him during a comp in South Africa. Fanning wasn't hurt, but was understandably pretty shaken up after the shark knocked him off his board.
MICK FANNING: “I'm happy to not even compete ever again, to walk away from that, I'm just so stoked.”
Officials cancelled the event, and split the prize between Fanning and his opponent.
And if you've ever wondered what half a billion dollars worth of soccer talent looks like. This is it! Real Madrid is just one of the big name soccer clubs in Australia right now.
They're here to play some blockbuster exhibition matches and fans have been coming out in big numbers to watch their heroes in action.
Some AFL stars even stopped by the Madrid training as Cristiano Ronaldo and his teammates gave the Aussie game their best shot.
Women’s League
Reporter: Nicholas Maher
INTRO: Finally today, a state Aussie Rules football league is aiming to make history by launching a new women's comp that will run alongside their men's one. The league is one step below the AFL and it's hoped these new competitions will give female players a pathway to bigger things. Here's Nic with more.
NICHOLAS MAHER, REPORTING: For these girls, playing footy in the AFL is a dream they're working hard to achieve.
PAIGE: I play footy because it's a challenging sport and it has a good skill set.
KAILA: I play footy because I can take my aggression out on the field instead of my brother all the time.
KAYLA: I have a brother that plays, but I'm better than him.
But at the moment, they don't have as many opportunities as the boys to play at an elite level.
HANNAH: I definitely think there should be a women's league because I want to continue this and I don't want to just stop after the under 18s.
KAYLA: They’re leaving the girls out when the girls are just as good as the boys.
But the South Australian National Football League is hoping to change that!
It's the top footy competition in South Australia, just a step under the AFL.
And next month they'll be launching the first ever state league competition for girls!
KAYLA: It's really good because I don't have to play in the boys’ team anymore, no offence boys.
There will be an under 14s and an under 16s league and the clubs have been holding open sessions to encourage more girls to get involved.
PAIGE: I think that's awesome. Girls really need to get out there in any sport, especially footy because it’s shown to be just a boys sport but I don’t reckon it should be.
EMMA GIBSON: The girls are loving it. It's been so awesome to see the enthusiasm the girls have had. Even yesterday we had a come-and-try session where it started raining, and it was raining quite heavily and the girls actually whinged that I took them inside, so they wanted to get out and dirty in the rain. So the enthusiasm has been great.
By creating a junior league at a state level, it's hoped these girls will learn some important skills and eventually make it to the AFL!
The AFL started a women's competition a couple of years ago in 2013.
There's even a special draft where clubs pick from some of the best female players in Australia.
But at the moment, it's just the Melbourne Demons and Western Bulldogs who have teams.
The AFL's hoping to launch a full competition by 2017.
KATIE BRENNAN: I just think it's the next step for the AFL as well such a massive market and you hear how much it’s growing in all different states from youth girl level all the way up to the women's competition. I just think it's the next step for AFL girls and it’s very exciting for all us girls.
For these guys, that's some pretty exciting news for the future of the game they love.
PAIGE: It would be awesome, if it means you can continue on, have it as a sport for your whole life if you want to, you can go far in it and it's just awesome to have a girls team.
Ask a Reporter RVO
Okay now just before we go I want to tell you about something new we're starting this term. Have you ever watched one of our stories and wanted to ask the reporter for more info? Well now you can.
Each week, BtN will hold a live Q and A with one of our reporters about their story in that week's show. It'll be streamed online for you to see on your smartboards at school.
And you can submit a question to us live by tweeting it to us using the hashtag #AskaReporter.
This week's topic will be on Greece. So if you want to get involved, go to our website to find out everything you need to know!
Closer
Right that's it from us for this week. See you on Friday for our first #AskaReporter!
