1. Before watching the BtN Spy Secrets story, discuss what you think the role is of a spy?2. What well-known movie character plays a British Secret Service agent?3. Australia’s spy agency is called ASIS, what does ASIS stand for?4. What is the main task of spy agencies?
a. Collect intelligenceb. Arrest foreignersc. Fight in wars
5. Most spies work from their own country. True or false?6. What sort of technology do spies use?7. Name some other spy agencies from other countries.8. What country was prisoner X imprisoned in?9. Compare and contrast a real life spy to spies you see in Hollywood films.10. What did you learn from watching the Spy Secrets story?
Test your knowledge in the Spy Secrets BtN quiz. Go to the BtN website http://www.abc.net.au/btn/ and follow the links.
Space Rock
1. A meteor recently exploded above what country?2. Describe the damage that was caused by the meteor.3. The force of the meteor that recently exploded was 16 times bigger than an ________ bomb.4. How are asteroids, meteoroids and comets different?5. What are meteoroids and asteroids generally made from?6. Between what two planets would you normally find asteroids?
a. Mars and Jupiterb. Earth and Marsc. Saturn and Uranus
7. When a meteoroid enters the earth’s atmosphere it’s called a _____________.8. How are meteorites valuable to scientists?9. Many scientists believe that a major collision between an asteroid and the earth 66 million years
ago contributed to the extinction of what species?10. What was surprising about this story?
Do-it-yourself! Build your own solar system in the NASA website http://solarsystem.nasa.gov/kids/index.cfm?Filename=byoss
1. What does UN stand for?2. Did you know that there was a UN for kids? Discuss what you learnt from the BtN UN Youth
story.3. What city did the youth representative for Australia visit to address the UN General Assembly?4. How many countries are part of the United Nations?5. Describe what the UN youth representative for Australia did on his tour around the country?6. What sorts of issues did the kids of Australia talk about on the tour?7. What would you do if you had the role of representing Australia’s youth at the UN?8. Do you think it is important that the youth of Australia have a UN representative? Why or why
not?9. What concerns do you have about the future?10. How has your thinking changed since watching this story?
Post a message on the comments page on the Behind the News UN Youth story. Go to the BtN website http://www.abc.net.au/btn/story/s3687404.htm
Car Class
1. Briefly summarise the Car Class BtN story. 2. What is Dakota’s dream job?3. What course is she studying at high school?4. Describe what the students get to do in the automotive class.5. The students get hands-on experience in the class. True or false?6. The students in the BtN story learnt how to re-build an entire __________.7. List other tasks that the students get to do in the automotive class.8. What are the kids in the automotive class working towards?9. Do you think it is useful for kids to learn about cars in school? Explain your answer. 10. Post a message on the comments page on the Behind the News Car Class story.
Should all schools teach kids how to fix cars? Have your say on the BtN online poll. To vote head to the BtN website http://abc.net.au/btn/polls.htm
Mini Magic
1. What festival in Adelaide are Calin and Arwen performing their magic tricks?2. What is another word for magician?3. Calin and Arwen were born magicians. True or false?4. How did Calin and Arwen become magicians?5. What sort of skills do you need to be a magician?6. What makes a good magic show?7. Where else in the world have these kids performed their magic tricks?8. What is an important responsibility of a magician?9. What do Calin and Arwen like about magic?10. Describe some of the magic tricks that you saw on the BtN Mini Magic story.
Crate your own illusion in the classroom. Visit the CSIRO website and sign up to Science by Email. Complete either ‘Make a mirage’ http://www.csiro.au/helix/sciencemail/activities/mirage.html or ‘A matter of perspective’ http://www.csiro.au/helix/sciencemail/activities/AmesRoom.html
Space RockKey LearningStudents will research the difference between meteoroids, asteroids and comets and how sudden geological changes in the solar system can affect Earth’s surface.
The Australian Curriculum > Science / Science Understanding / Earth and space sciences
Content description General capabilitiesLiteracy
Critical and creative thinking
Numeracy
Sudden geological changes or extreme weather conditions can affect Earth’s surface. Code ACSSU096
The Australian Curriculum > Science / Science as a Human Endeavour / Nature and development of scienceContent description General capabilities
Literacy
Critical and creative thinkingScience involves testing predictions by gathering data and using evidence to develop explanations of events and phenomena. Codes ACSHE098, ACSHE081
Focus Questions
1. A meteor recently exploded above what country?
2. Describe the damage that was caused by the meteor.
3. The force of the meteor that recently exploded was 16 times bigger than an ________ bomb.
4. How are asteroids, meteoroids and comets different?
5. What are meteoroids and asteroids generally made from?
6. Between what two planets would you normally find asteroids?
a. Mars and Jupiter
b. Earth and Mars
c. Saturn and Uranus
7. When a meteoroid enters the Earth’s atmosphere it’s called a _____________.
8. How are meteorites valuable to scientists?
9. Many scientists believe that a major collision between asteroids and the Earth 66 million years
ago contributed to the extinction of what species?
Before students begin the activity, hold a class discussion about the recent news story and then ask what they know and what they want to find out.
Remember and Understand
Watch the BtN story Space Rock and summarise the story in your own words. Watch the story again and listen carefully. Circle each of the following words as you hear them. Record any unfamiliar words.
meteoroid comet asteroid
meteor atmosphere Earth
meteorite astronomy planet
Solar System crater orbit
Ask students to write what they think is the meaning of each word (including unfamiliar words). Swap definitions with a partner and ask them to add to or change the definition. Check these against the dictionary definition.
Further activities for students: Write your own sentences using the key words. Illustrate the difference between a meteoroid, meteor and meteorite. Draw a diagram which illustrates the scale of asteroids, meteors, Earth, the sun and other planets. Discover where you can find asteroids and comets in the solar system in relation to the sun
o Image # 1 – http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-1REcDJnp3As/ULbcDYrmVFI/AAAAAAAAAjM/CnUWM4fU5iA/s1600/the_planets.jpg
o Image #2 – http://solarsystem.nasa.gov/multimedia/gallery/Asteroid_Belt.jpg
Venn Diagram
Complete the Venn diagram below to show as much as you know about meteoroids, asteroids and comets. Remember to use overlapping parts of the diagram to show what they have in common.
Ask students to choose a well-known comet /meteor shower or select one of the following: Halley’s comet Swift-Tuttle comet Perseids meteor shower Quadrantids meteor shower Lyrids meteor shower
Ask students to conduct research and present their findings in an interesting way. Here are some research questions:
o Who first discovered it?o When does it occur?o When do astronomers predict we will next see this comet/meteor?o Is it visible with or without a telescope?o What is it made up of?o How fast does it travel?o What size is it? What is the diameter?o Illustrate its orbital path.
Further research questionsConduct research on the following questions and write your own “Did you know?” facts sheet to add to your classroom library.
What is a meteor shower? What is meant by the term asteroid belt? Did you know the word "comet" comes from the Greek word "kometes" meaning long hair and
referring to the tail? Investigate where the words asteroid and meteoroid come from. How often do meteoroids enter the Earth’s atmosphere? Do you need a telescope to see a meteor? What are the best viewing conditions when looking for
meteors?
Further Investigation
Make your own impact craters and figure out how scientists can tell so much about the meteorites that create craters http://www.csiro.au/en/Portals/Education/Programs/Do-it-yourself-science/Earth-and-space-sciences-activites/star-power-activity.aspx
What happened to the dinosaurs? What would life on Earth be like if the Chicxulub meteor had missed the Earth? Conduct research into the meteor that contributed to the extinction of dinosaurs. http://science.nationalgeographic.com/science/prehistoric-world/dinosaur-extinction/
8 Related Research Links
CBBC Newsround - Meteor falls over Russiahttp://www.bbc.co.uk/newsround/21471738
NASA – All about meteors and meteoriteshttp://solarsystem.nasa.gov/kids/index.cfm?Filename=byoss
NASA – Asteroids, Comets and Meteorites: Educational Materialshttp://www.nasa.gov/audience/foreducators/topnav/materials/listbysubject/Asteroids_Comets_Meteorites_landingpage.html
NASA – Meteors & Meteorites: Overviewhttp://solarsystem.nasa.gov/planets/profile.cfm?Object=Meteors
NASA – Asteroids: Overviewhttp://solarsystem.nasa.gov/planets/profile.cfm?Object=Asteroids
Science Kids – Space Object Differenceshttp://www.sciencekids.co.nz/sciencefacts/space/cometasteroidmeteoroiddifferences.html
National Geographic kids – Comets or Meteors Quizhttp://kids.nationalgeographic.com/kids/games/puzzlesquizzes/quizyournoodle-comets-and-meteors/
Australian Museum – Meteors and Meteoriteshttp://www.australianmuseum.net.au/Meteors-and-Meteorites/
UN YouthKey LearningStudents will develop an understanding of the United Nations and the role of the UN youth representative. Students will participate in and contribute to discussions about issues that affect them in their community.
The Australian Curriculum > English / Literacy / Creating Texts
Content description General capabilitiesLiteracyPersonal and social capabilityCritical and creative thinking
ModesListening
Participate in and contribute to discussions, clarifying and interrogating ideas, developing and supporting arguments, sharing and evaluating information, experiences and opinions. Code ACELY1709
The Australian Curriculum > English / Literacy / Interacting with others
Content description General capabilitiesLiteracy
ModesReading
Plan, draft and publish imaginative, informative and persuasive texts, selecting aspects of subject matter and particular language, visual, and audio features to convey information and ideas. Code ACELY1725
Content description General capabilitiesLiteracyPersonal and social capabilityCritical and creative thinking
ModesListeningSpeaking
Use interaction skills, for example paraphrasing, questioning and interpreting non-verbal cues and choose vocabulary and vocal effects appropriate for different audiences and purposes. Code ACELY1796
Focus Questions
1. What does UN stand for?2. Did you know that there was a UN for kids? Discuss what you learnt from the BtN UN Youth
story.3. What city did the youth representative for Australia visit to address the UN General Assembly?4. How many countries are part of the United Nations?5. Describe what the UN youth representative for Australia did on his tour around the country?6. What sorts of issues did the kids of Australia talk about on the tour?7. What would you do if you had the role of representing Australia’s youth at the UN?8. Do you think it is important that the youth of Australia have a UN representative? Why or why
not?9. What concerns do you have about the future?
10. How has your thinking changed since watching this story?
Activities
Remember and Understand: The United Nations
What does UN stand for? Where is the UN situated? What is the UN? When was the UN created? How many countries are represented in the UN?
What does a UN Youth Representative do?
Listen to a radio interview with Dan Ryan on ABC Radio and find out how he became the UN Youth Representative for Australia http://www.unyouthrep.com/blog/abc-alice-springs/. After watching the BtN story and listening to the radio interview ask your students some of the following questions:
How difficult was it for Dan to get the job as UN Youth Representative? What did the selection process involve? Dan’s title is UN Youth Representative for Australia. What does the title mean? What would you do if you had the role of representing Australia’s youth?
What’s important to you?
Hold a brainstorming session in the classroom to find out what’s important to your students and how they think things could be done better in their school community. Some topics for discussion include:
Social media and cyber safety Education Climate change Environment and sustainability Mental health Family Community
Hold your own ‘School Listening Tour’ – Have your say!
In 2012 the UN Youth Representative for Australia Dan Ryan embarked on the Listening Tour, which covered 35,000km, engaging with over 6,000 young people. The Listening Tour was an opportunity where Dan was able to travel around Australia to hear first hand from young people in all different communities what it is they’re passionate about.
Dan wanted to hear what young people wanted to see changed and what they already saw working in their communities. At the end of the tour Dan headed to New York to address the 67th General Assembly at the United Nations to talk about the key themes that came out of the tour. Take a look at Dan’s UN speech via the following website http://www.unyouthrep.com/blog/speech/.
Ask your students to conduct their own listening tour at their school. Students can conduct their own tour through surveys, interviews and/or questionnaires with students and teachers.
Here are some ideas for questions: What are you passionate about (what issues are important to you)? Rate on a scale of 1 to 10.
What concerns do you have about the future? How do you think things could be done better in your school community? Do you think you can have an impact on change in the community?
Showcase your ‘School Listening Tour’ solutions
Consider taking your own School Listening Tour results to your next SRC meeting, local council or politician to influence change in your local community.
Encourage teams to present their research in an interesting way. Here are some ideas:
Video – for tips take a look at the How to Make a News Story video on the BtN website http://www.abc.net.au/btn/index.htm
Prezi presentation http://prezi.com/index/ Glogster presentation http://www.glogster.com/ Oral presentation Web page
For inspiration visit Dan Ryan’s UN Youth Australia website to uncover solutions from Australia’s youth. http://www.unyouthrep.com/solved/
< Enter a solution you have seen working in your local area
< Browse, discuss, rate and share your favourite solutions.
< Join in Dan’s journey with stories, surveys, photos and videos exploring the issues.
Reflection
How did conducting the School Listening Tour make you feel? Consider the impact that you can have on social change and the empowerment of young people in the community.
What surprised you when completing the activity?
Further Investigation
Write down four issues associated with human rights and identify the rights involved. http://humanrights.gov.au/education/understanding_human_rights/Individual%20files%20and%20downloads/4_AS_australian_perspectives.pdf
UN Youth Australia – Representative Dan Ryan http://www.unyouthrep.com/solved/
UNICEF – UN Convention on the Rights of the Child http://www.unicef.org.au/Discover/What-we-do/Convention-on-the-Rights-of-the-Child/childfriendlycrc.aspx
UNICEF – Day for Children http://unicefdayforchildren.org.au/
Behind the News – Children’s Rightshttp://www.abc.net.au/btn/story/s3615871.htm
Behind the News – United Nations http://www.abc.net.au/btn/story/s2744177.htm
Behind the News – Kids’ Rights http://www.abc.net.au/btn/story/s3343592.htm
BtN: Episode 4 Transcript 26/2/13On this week's Behind the News
Flying rocks from space we learn more about meteors and asteroids.
Behind the scenes at the UN as the Aussie Youth ambassador makes a video for BtN.
And how do you get more girls into this industry well, these school classes could be the answer.
Hi I'm Nathan Bazley. Also on the show today, one really bad magician, Sarah, meets a couple of kids who are actually really good at magic. That's all coming up later in the show.
But first:
Spy SecretsReporter: Nathan Bazley
INTRO: This week, information was revealed about an Australian man who died in mysterious circumstances while working as a spy for Israel. It's led to a lot of talk about the role of spy agencies around the world. Let's take a look at what really goes on in this mysterious and often misunderstood job.
NATHAN BAZLEY, REPORTER: Bond, James Bond. He's a character who symbolises everything it is to be a spy. Or does he?
NATHAN: Spies are mostly nothing like they are in the movies. Right now, I'm being more of a real spy than James Bond. And now. And now: kinda takes the shine off, doesn't it!
Even the guy who used to be in charge of Australia's spy network says it isn't all that exciting.
ALAN TAYLOR, FORMER ASIS BOSS: It's mostly very mundane.
But while the job might be mostly mundane, it's also very important. Many countries have spy agencies, including Australia. Ours is called ASIS.
And you've probably heard of some others before too - MI6 in Britain, the KGB in Russia, Mossad in Israel and the CIA in America. And their main job is to collect intelligence, or info, to pass on to the government.
It could be about other countries' defence forces, inside info about how foreign countries feel about us, what their plans are in the future, or if there are any threats to us here or overseas.
BOND: So how do they find the information?
A lot of it involves collecting info that's available to everyone; newspapers, web pages, blogs, radio bulletins. But they also use covert technology to gather information, like satellites and spy planes.
Then there's human intelligence watching people, following people, interviewing people. Most spies actually do their spy work from their own country. But sometimes they have to go overseas. Depending on the mission, that can be dangerous and controversial.
Most countries see spying as a serious crime and if spies are caught, they can spend a long time in jail, or worse. And that's what some people think happened in this next story. A few years ago in a prison in Israel, a man was held in a special highly secure cell.
No one was ever told his name, or why he was there. He was only known as prisoner X. Soon after, this mystery man was found dead in his cell. But his room was designed to be completely safe and monitored 24 hrs a day.
So how did he die? And why was he there in the first place?
Eventually the ABC tracked down who he was, a man named Ben, an Australian citizen. And as it turns out, he was a spy working for Israel's intelligence agency - Mossad. That led some people to believe he may have been killed for giving Israeli secrets to another country. Israel have denied this, but refuse to go into any more detail.
So the mystery surrounding this spy may remain a mystery for a while yet. Or we may never know what really happened. But it has given us an insight into the dark and mysterious world of spying.
And while being a spy might often be mundane, and real spies might be nothing like James Bond, they do share one thing. Danger.
The WireLet's see what else is making the news. Here's Alfie with the Wire.
Wild weather has caused massive problems in parts of the eastern states, with some towns flooded for the second time in a month.
Two people died in northern New South Wales and thousands were forced to leave their homes as flood waters rose.
Heavy rain also affected Queensland and in Brisbane 16 kids had to be rescued when their bus was stranded by flash floods.
Meanwhile, in New South Wale's south, the town of Kiama is mopping up after a freak storm damaged more than 170 homes on Sunday.
*****
In the UK there have been protests over the disappearance of a painting by the world's most famous street artist, Banksy.
Banksy painted the stencil on the wall of a discount shop in West London but two weeks ago someone chipped it off.
It was then put up for sale at an auction in the US where it was expected to sell for about $650 000.
The building's owner hasn't admitted to taking the painting but no-one has reported it stolen so police say no crime has been committed.
All the same, locals are furious.
Banksy gave it to the people and it should be returned to the people and I hope the people responsible feel sufficiently guilty but I very much doubt that they do.
While it hasn't been returned, last week it was removed from the auction.
*****And the Academy Awards have been held in Hollywood.
Aussie actors missed out on Oscars this year with best actor awards going to Daniel Day Lewis and Jennifer Lawrence.
The best film Oscar went to Argo a film based on a true story about a mission to rescue American diplomats from Iran.
Best animated film went to Brave
Space RocksReporter: Space Rocks
INTRO: Recently you might have seen news stories about a massive meteor explosion over Russia. It came on the same day that an asteroid passed really close to the Earth. So what's the difference between meteors, asteroids and even things like comets? Sarah looks into it.
SARAH LARSEN, REPORTER: Here on planet Earth things are pretty comfortable. There's water and oxygen. It's not too hot and not too cold. Perfect for living and breathing building cities and having picnics. But every so often we earthlings get a reminder that ours isn't the only rock in the solar system.
In Russia's Ural Mountains this fireball came out of the blue; literally! A meteor streaked through the atmosphere and exploded above the city of Chelyabinsk. The force was 20 times bigger than an atomic bomb but because it was so high in the air the effects on the ground weren't as devastating.
Still, the shockwave blew out windows, damaged buildings and injured more than a thousand people. The same day astronomers watched an asteroid half the size of a football field make its way safely but closely past the earth. The two events weren't connected but they did get a lot of people thinking about what's going on outside of our planet.
The solar system isn't just populated by planets whizzing around the sun. There are also chunks of dust, rock and ice out there; the leftovers from the process that formed the planets billions of years ago.
REPORTER: We call them asteroids, meteoroids and comets. But have you ever wondered what they are and which is which?
Comets are chunks of ice and dust which come from the cold, outer parts of the solar system. When they get close to the sun they melt and give off gas that we see as a spectacular glowing trail.
Asteroids are usually made of rock or metal. Tens of thousands of them lie in an area called the asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter but some travel closer to Earth.
Meteoroids are smaller chunks of asteroids and millions of them enter the Earth's atmosphere every day. When they do we call them meteors.
REPORTER: If you've ever been out at night and seen a shooting star, that's a meteor. Most of them burn up pretty quickly as they hit the atmosphere.
This one didn't. The meteor which fell over Russia was bigger than most and because of the way it was made up it exploded as it hit thicker air.
That has happened in Russia before. In 1908 scientists believe a massive meteor exploded above a place called Tunguska. Nothing hit the ground but the force knocked down kilometres of trees.
When a meteor does hit the ground we call it a meteorite.
REPORTER: Meteorites like this are really valuable because they let scientists study the stuff that planets are made of. Plus being able to touch a piece of space rock that's billions of years old; that's pretty cool!
Major collisions with the Earth are rare but they do happen. Many scientists believe that's one reason why the dinosaurs became extinct 66 million years ago. So could that happen again? Well, probably not in our lifetime.
Astronomers spend a lot of time studying comets and asteroids and figuring out where they're headed, even sending robotic spacecraft to study them up-close. Some have even thought of different ways to protect the planet if one got too close for comfort. And in the meantime these amazing space rocks have a lot to teach us about the ancient history of the solar system.
Quiz 1Let's see how many bright stars are out there. Here's our first quiz!
The question is: What is the bright glow around the head of a comet called?
Coma
Ring
Crown
Answer: Coma
The coma is generally made of ice and dust.
UN YouthReporter: Natasha Thiele
INTRO:OK, when you think of the meetings at the United Nations you probably picture lots of old people wearing suits and having adult conversations. But did you know there are also youth ambassadors and it's their job to represent the ideas and issues that are important to kids. Australia's youth ambassador is called Dan - and he agreed to take a video camera into the UN for BtN to show us what goes on behind the scenes.
DAN, REPORTER: So we're just in the line. We're about to meet the Secretary General Ban Ki-moon and we're taking this very seriously. We're youth reps for our country and we're not doing this with a smile on our face, we're doing it with a sense of sobriety and we're a serious group (YOUTH AMBASSADOR 1: Of course) (YOUTH AMBASSADOR 2: Absolutely).
DAN: What happens when you get youth representatives from all over the world together to talk about big issues? They talk about chocolate. I wasn't talking about chocolate. I was talking about, I was talking about big issues like (YOUTH AMBASSADOR 1: The best kangaroos are from Australia).
Okay, so we're not as serious at the adult UN reps but we're all here to do one thing and that's work towards change. One thing I had to do when I came to New York was address the General Assembly.
CAMERA PERSON: This is Mr Dan walking. (DAN: Have you hit record?) Yes I have. DAN: I'm in the UN General Assembly. We're about to go to a tour and find out a little bit more about this institution of which we are a part of at least playing our part in and through our roles as youth representatives.
This place is pretty powerful and it's where representatives from 193 countries get together to talk about problems. And I must admit I was pretty nervous. Should I throw in a cheeky wink? Nah, too cheesy! All I had to do is wait my turn and hit the red button to speak.
DAN: Thank you Mr Chair. I come from a land down under. The Earth's largest island, with one of the world's diverse flora and fauna.
It went well and I was able to tell them about the issues that are important to young Australians. But I learned a lot too.
DAN: The world is over-armed and peace is underfunded from the SG himself. Have a guess at how much has been spent today starting at midnight. You got 3 seconds to guess, 3, 2, oh and it's 4pm on in the afternoon, 3,2,1. How much?
You might be wondering how does this guy know what kids are really concerned about. Well, before coming here I travelled across Australia and visited lots of schools.
STUDENTS: We are the youth of Tasmania.
Everywhere I went, kids told me the issues that affected them the most.
DAN WITH STUDENTS: G'day, I'm at the Nerang State High School. We're just done a session focusing on the issues in this community and shared some really great outcomes.
Kids spoke about things like cyber-bullying, world poverty and the environment.
EMILY, STUDENT: I believe that a large problem in our community is the lack of education among youth about global issues and about, especially about Australian political issues.
Back at the UN meeting in New York, I got to do another cool thing.
JULIA GILLARD, PRIME MINISTER: G'Day Dan!
But it wasn't all meetings and handshakes. We all got to spend some time hanging out in New York.
DAN: So I'm at Times Square as you can see it's a pretty classic scene. It's pretty much everything you'd expect, lots of lights, lots of colour.
And lots of street rappers who seemed to love my camera.
RAPPER 1: Rolling with the ambassador man, the number one man, shout out to Aussie baby, Australian in the building, you can check it out man, big life chilling!
RAPPER 2: Shout out to my boy Dan, representing up top down under. Shout out to the whole Australian youth. Did I say it right? (DAN: Yeah) We good!
Quiz 2If you have ideas about what issues are important to Aussie kids, then you can send a message to our youth ambassador.
There are links on the BtN website. OK, let's have a quiz about the secretary general the boss of the UN.
The question is:
Who is the current Secretary General of the United Nations?
Boutros Boutros-Ghali
Ban Ki-moon
Kofi Annan
Answer: Ban Ki-moon
The other guys were in the job before him.
Car ClassReporter: Natasha Thiele
INTRO: Imagine having a school lesson where you're just there to learn about cars. Sounds pretty cool. Well you can stop imagining because some schools are doing that right now.
Tash got her overalls on and went to check out a class that's aiming to get more girls into the car industry.
NATASHA THIELE, REPORTER: Dakota's dream is to become a mechanic.
DAKOTA: Ever since about Year 2 I've wanted to do mechanics so I've stuck with it for a long time.
And she's following that dream, through this automotive course at her school.
DAKOTA: It's good fun, it's something different and it's enjoyable!
This year there was meant to be one class that was just for girls.
BRIAN LAWLOR, TEACHER: We didn't get quite enough 'cause really you need about 12 to 15 students and I think we only got about 3 or 4 but they really just couldn't run the course because of financial reasons.
So it's just Dakota and a class full of boys, but that doesn't bother her.
DAKOTA: My friends think I'm a bit weird, but my family's all just like yeah that's good like, go with what you want to do.
REPORTER: The idea of the course is to get as much hands-on experience as possible, even if that means getting your hands dirty!
The students learn lots of things like how to change a tyre, how to spray paint a car and they even learn how to rebuild an entire engine.
DAKOTA: We get to work on these motors and these cars here and we'll pull out the spark plugs and check that they're all set to the right gaps, so that they run properly and we might even do points and the like again we're do the brakes and the suspension and pull out the radiator and check that that's not broken and stuff like that.
Here Dakota's been asked to check the brakes on this car.
DAKOTA: So I'm just taking this nut off which is (REPORTER: Is it hard to do?) When they've been done up really tight they are hard to do.
REPORTER: What are you guys doing here?
TAIT: Right now we're sanding down the panel, getting it ready for cleaning and spray painting, finding all the low and high spots.
REPORTER: Daniel, what are you doing here? It looks a bit gross.
DANIEL: Yeah, it is. I'm paint stripping all the excess paint off the panel so they can start sanding, prepping the panel ready to be cleaned and painted.
With all that hard work going on, the students have been able to put it to good use. They've made a BBQ out of this car, which they use at fundraising events.
Most of the kids here are working towards getting an apprenticeship as a mechanic. That could mean fixing cars in a local workshop or working for a
big car company. It can also help towards jobs in the mines or defence force, repairing equipment there.
But for girls like Dakota the course is important because it offers a clear pathway into an industry that's usually dominated by men.
DAKOTA: It would be good to see more girls involved because it's not just a male career, it's a both people, and it would be great to see more girls sort of get involved with it.
And that can only be a good thing!
Online PollOK let's make that our poll this week.
The question is:
Should all schools teach kids how to fix cars?
To vote, just head to our website.
Last week we asked you if people should be paid while doing work experience.
85 per cent of you said yes
15 per cent said no.
Thanks for voting.
The ScoreLet's get some sports news now. Here's James with the Score.
Some of Australia's swim team are in trouble over the way they behaved in the lead up to the London Olympics.
Five swimmers each took a sleeping tablet at a pre-Olympic camp. They also played some pranks which disturbed and upset other athletes who were trying to get a good night's sleep.
SWIMMER: We did leave the room and we went and knocked on some doors. That was just a childish prank.
The Melbourne Storm has won the World Club Challenge. The rugby league game is held every year between the winners of Australia's NRL and the winners of a similar competition in England.
This year Melbourne beat the Leeds Rhinos 18 to 14 to claim their third world title.
COOPER CRONK, MELBOURNE STORM: The Australian team holds this game in very high regard, so do the English players and to play over here in different climate, great atmosphere and yeah it's a pleasure to play football.
*****
And apprentice jockey Lauren Stojakovic has won the biggest horse race of her career the Blue Diamond Stakes. The South Australian was chosen ahead of more experienced riders to ride 'Miracles of Life' - a horse that she calls Barbie!
UPSOT OF RACE: "Miracles of Life scores a fairytale"
LAUREN STOJAKOVIC, JOCKEY: It was amazing, it just went perfect, more perfect that I ever thought.
Lauren made a comeback to the sport a few years ago, after a serious injury on the track.
Young MagiciansReporter: Sarah Larsen
INTRO: If you've ever tried a bit of magic you'll know it can take a long time to perfect your trick. The best magicians practice for years to get it just right. But we met a couple of kids who are already so good at magic that they've been invited to perform all over the world. Sarah fancies herself as a bit of a magician so she grabbed her cape and wand and went along.
Ever since I was little I've wanted to be magic.
I want to move things with my mind.
And make things disappear, and read what other people are thinking.
Sadly, my magic powers are still developing. But here at the Adelaide Fringe arts festival, I'm about to meet a couple of kids who make it look easy. Calin Diamond is only 10 and his sister Arwen is 7 but they're already impressing audiences around the world with their magic. In fact, they reckon they're the youngest professional magicians in the world. So how did these two get to be so magic? I had to find out!
SARAH LARSEN, REPORTER: So have you guys had magic powers all your life?
CALIN: Yeah, well we were born with it, so.
Yeah, OK. We all know gagic's it's not real. At least, not the sort you see in Harry Potter.
The people that we call magicians or illusionists or conjurers are actually very clever performers who use all sorts of skills and tricks to make the impossible seem possible.
CALIN: Now you all have ideas and expectations when a needle hits a balloon. Now let's see what happens.
Calin and Arwen have been performing ever since they were really little; inspired by their mum, who's also a magician.
ARWEN: My first magic trick was an appearing act when I was born and I've been performing magic ever since
REPORTER: Yeah, but that's the sort of trick that most of us perform, isn't it? I think I did that one!
They've done shows all over the world, including at the Majestic Theatre in Texas in the USA. This stage has been used by some of the greatest magicians ever, like the famous Harry Houdini.
His signature act was escaping from a straight jacket and it inspired Calin to learn the art, with help from his sister, of course.
ARWEN: My favourite part is tying him up. I used to keep him tied up for a while but not so much any-more.
Learning tricks like this takes a while and professional magicians are always refining their acts and coming up with new tricks.
CALIN: You have to know how magic works you have to basically really think outside the box and come up with new ideas and think about stuff that normal other people wouldn't think of.
And while magicians often share ideas with each other, there are strict rules about revealing their tricks to outsiders.
REPORTER: Can you tell me the secrets behind your tricks?
CALIN: No not at all.
REPORTER: Why not?
CALIN: Magicians never reveal their secrets.
But while these guys aren't giving anything away they say it's not too hard to learn the secrets behind some basic tricks.
CALIN: Well, to become a magician I would go to a library and get books magic books and start learning. That's the best way to start learning.
And with a bit of practice even I can learn trick or two.
REPORTER: Normal pack of cards? Shuffling. Chose any card from the pack; any card, not a coin a card - oh, wait I saw that, let's start again.
REPORTER: Pick a card. Now hold it up and look at it. Hmm, is it a King of Hearts? YES!! I'm Magic!!!
REPORTER: There's something wrong with my ear. There it is! CALIN: It's a Penny, an Australian penny. REPORTER: It must have been in there a while.
CALIN and ARWEN: Magic is believing in yourself and if you can do that you can make anything happen. We made most of our dreams come true through our love of magic.
