Questions for discussion

Levels of Government1. Discuss as a class why we need government.2. What are the three levels of government in Australia?3. What is the federal government responsible for? Give three examples.4. State government is responsible for...5. What does local government look after?6. Before federation the states governed themselves. True or false?7. When and why were local governments introduced?8. What happens when local, state and federal governments disagree?9. Why do you think we need three levels of government in Australia?10. What was surprising about this story?

Check out the Levels of Government resource on the Teachers page

Environment Day1. What issues were raised in the Environment Day story?2. What is poaching?3. How many rhinos have been lost since 2008?4. How are the rangers using technology to fight poaching?5. The animals are most at risk at ________ because ______________.6. What special equipment do the rangers use to see in the dark?7. Why do poachers risk their lives?8. In the last ten years half of the wild rhinos have been killed. True or false?9. What will happen to the species if poaching continues at the current rate?10. Working in pairs, discuss solutions to the problem.

Write a message about the story and post it in the comments section on the story page.

Cystic Fibrosis Awareness1. Briefly summarise the Cystic Fibrosis story.2. What part of the body does cystic fibrosis affect?3. What does the pancreas do?4. Why is it difficult for Zoe to breathe?5. Why is she more likely to get a bad infection?6. Explain why Zoe needs to take medication.7. What does she do to avoid infections?8. Why does Zoe need to use a nebuliser?9. How many people have cystic fibrosis in Australia?

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Episode 1431st May 2016

10. Name three facts you learnt watching the Cystic Fibrosis story.

Write a message about the story and post it in the comments section on the story page.

River Kids1. Working in pairs, discuss the River Kids story and record the main points.2. What is the Ngarrindjeri name for the Murray River?

a. Pondeb. Murrundic. Thukeri

3. Retell the Ngurunderi Dreaming story.4. What did Aboriginal people make from the bark of Red Gum trees?5. What changes to the Murray River has Tyrone’s grandfather seen over the years?6. How did European settlers change and use the Murray River?7. What percentage of food grown in Australia comes from the Murray-Darling Basin?8. What is irrigation and why is it important for farms along the river?9. Who depends on the Murray River?10. What do you understand more clearly since watching the River Kids story?

Check out the River Kids resource on the Teachers page

Surf Titles1. What was the main point of the story?2. Where was the Australian Indigenous Surfing Titles held recently?3. Which two kids feature in the BtN story?4. How old is Summer?5. What title is Summer defending at this year’s competition?6. How old was Summer when she first won at Bells Beach?7. Apart from the surfing, what else does Summer like about competing in the surfing title?8. What advice does Summer give?9. Why do you think it’s important to hold an Indigenous surfing competition?10. What did you like about the BtN Surf Titles story?

Do the quiz on the BtN website.

©ABC 2016

Teacher Resource

Levels of Government

1. Discuss as a class why we need government.2. What are the three levels of government in Australia?3. What is the federal government responsible for? Give three

examples.4. State government is responsible for...5. What does local government look after?6. Before federation the states governed themselves. True or false?7. When and why were local governments introduced?8. What happens when local, state and federal governments

disagree?9. Why do you think we need three levels of government in

Australia?10. What was surprising about this story?

Discuss the BtN Levels of Government story as a class. What questions were raised in the discussion (what are the gaps in their knowledge)? Some questions to help guide discussion include:

What is democracy? Why do we need governments? What is a representative democracy? What are the three levels of government? Why do we have three levels of government? Name some responsibilities of each level of government?

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?

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Episode 1431st May 2016

Students will develop a deeper understanding of the roles and responsibilities of the three levels of government.

Civics and Citizenship – Year 6The roles and responsibilities of the three levels of government, including shared roles and responsibilities within Australia’s federal system (ACHCK036)

Develop questions and gather a range of information to investigate the society in which they live (ACHCS040)

Present civics and citizenship ideas and viewpoints for a particular purpose using civics and citizenship terms and concepts (ACHCS045)

Reflect on personal roles and actions as a citizen in the school and in the community (ACHCS046)

History – Year 6Key figures, events and ideas that led to Australia’s Federation and Constitution (ACHASSK134)

Students will develop their own question/s for inquiry. 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.

Class glossaryCreate your own classroom glossary about Australia’s three levels of government. Start by brainstorming words as a class using a mind map to record your responses. Add to your list of words by downloading the BtN Levels of Government story transcript and highlighting all the words that relate to three levels of government. Find definitions for each word. Consider using pictures and diagrams to illustrate meanings.

Federal government State government Local government Representative democracy

Councillor Premier Mayor Prime Minister

Investigating the Three Levels of GovernmentStudents will research responses to the following questions:

Federal government

What is the decision making body of federal government? What are the two houses of parliament? What is the leader of the federal government called? How often are elections held? What are the representatives of each houses of parliament called? Give three examples of federal government responsibilities.

State and territory government

What is the decision making body of state government? Are all states made up of two houses? What is the leader of the state government called? What is the leader of each territory government called? Give three examples of state government responsibilities.

Local government

What is the decision making body of local government? What are the representatives called? What is the head of the council called? Give three examples of local government responsibilities.

©ABC 2016

Federal

State Local

Who Represents You?Students will find out more about who represents them in local, state and federal government. Ask them to record what they already know about their representatives then research the gaps in their knowledge.

.

Shared and separate responsibilitiesWorking in pairs, students will investigate the shared and separate responsibilities of the three levels of government. They can display their information using a Venn diagram with three circles. Record shared responsibilities in the overlapping areas. Ask students to consider why there are some responsibilities that are shared between the different levels of government.

©ABC 2016

Federal government

o Which electorate do you live in? Go to the Australian Electoral

Commission website to find your electorate.

o Who is the current member for this electorate?

o Which political party do they represent?

Local government

o Which council area do you live in?

o Who is the councillor/s that represents you?

o Who is the Mayor or Shire President?

o What special features or facilities does your council area have?

o What improvements would you like to see in your local area and who would you contact to make those improvements?

State government

o Which electorate do you live in? Go to the Electoral Commission website in your state to find your electorate.

o Who is the current member for this electorate?

o Which political party do they represent?

Students will look at the following issues and tick which level of government is responsible. Ask students to think of three of their own examples, one for each level of government.

Level of Government

Issue Local State Federal

A railway line needs to be fixed

I want to make a Medicare claim

I lost my passport

My rubbish bin wasn’t collected

I want to submit plans to build an extension on my home

The footpath in front of my house is unsafe and needs to be repaired

I want improvements made to public transport in my area

I have family from overseas who want to live in Australia

A mine is being planned near the town where I live and I’d like to know more about it

The BtN State Laws story explains the differences between state and federal laws. After watching the story, students will respond to the following questions:

1. In the BtN story, what law was passed by the State Government in the Australian Capital Territory?

2. Why might this law not be accepted by the Federal Government?

3. List Australia’s states and territories.4. Each of the states has their own parliaments,

their own leaders and their own laws. True or false?

5. List some areas that the State Government gets to look after.

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6. List some areas that the federal government gets to look after. 7. Give an example from the 80s when the federal government overturned a state government

decision.8. Where are legal fights between the levels of government settled?

a. Supreme Courtb. State Court c. High Court

9. Do you think the federal government should be allowed to overturn state government decisions?10. What was surprising about this story?

Behind the News – What is Democracy?http://www.abc.net.au/btn/story/s4460249.htm

Behind the News – History of Votinghttp://www.abc.net.au/btn/story/s4464749.htm

Behind the News – State Lawshttp://www.abc.net.au/btn/story/s3875892.htm

Queensland Parliament – Everyone’s Parliament: Three Levels of Government https://www.parliament.qld.gov.au/documents/explore/education/factsheets/Factsheet_1.1_ThreeLevelsOfGovt.pdf

Parliamentary Education Office – Snapshots – Three Levels of Governmenthttp://www.peo.gov.au/multimedia/videos/snapshots-three-levels-of-government.html

Australian Electoral Commission – Three Levels of Governmenthttp://education.aec.gov.au/teacher-resources/three-levels.html

©ABC 2016

Teacher Resource

River Kids

1. Working in pairs, discuss the River Kids story and record the main points.

2. What is the Ngarrindjeri name for the Murray River?a. Pondeb. Murrundic. Thukeri

3. Retell the Ngurunderi Dreaming story.4. What did Aboriginal people make from the bark of Red Gum

trees?5. What changes to the Murray River has Tyrone’s grandfather

seen over the years?6. How did European settlers change and use the Murray River?7. What percentage of food grown in Australia comes from the

Murray-Darling Basin?8. What is irrigation and why is it important for farms along the

river?9. Who depends on the Murray River?10. What do you understand more clearly since watching the River

Kids story?

Learning about the Murray River Before watching the BtN River Kids story, hold a class discussion asking the following questions:

What do you know about the Murray River?

What words would you use to describe the Murray River?

The Murray River is often described as the lifeblood of our country. What do you think this means?

Who do you think depends on the Murray River?

After watching the BtN River Kids story, ask students to finish one or more of the following incomplete sentences:

It was interesting to learn that...

This story made me feel...

The health of the Murray River is important because...

It’s in my interest to care for the Murray River because...

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Episode 1431st May 2016

Students will develop a deeper understanding of the connection Indigenous people have to the Murray River.

Science – Year 5Scientific knowledge is used to solve problems and inform personal and community decisions (ACSHE083)

Science – Year 6The growth and survival of living things are affected by the physical conditions of their environment (ACSSU094) Year 6

Geography – Year 5The influence of people, including Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples, on the environmental characteristics of Australian places (ACHASSK112)

The environmental and human influences on the location and characteristics of a place and the management of spaces within them (ACHASSK113)

Murray River modelMake a class model or map of the Murray River to display in your classroom. Using Google Maps find towns along the edge of the River Murray and include on your model. Consider including other elements like locks, weirs and barrages and iconic sites.

Aboriginal Dreaming story Aboriginal Dreaming stories pass on important knowledge, cultural values and belief systems to later generations. Through song, dance, painting and storytelling which express the Dreaming stories, Aboriginal people have maintained a link with the Dreaming from ancient times to today.

Many sites of Dreaming significance are located along the River Murray. Ngurunderi is a Dreaming story explaining the creation of the Murray River, where the Ngarrindjeri people's ancestor Ngurunderi created the Murray River and its landscape with his long journey to Coorong.

Explore the Ngurunderi Dreaming story and complete one or more of the following activities.

Storytelling: Read the Ngurunderi Dreaming story and watch the animation from the BtN River Kids story as a class. Students will practise their storytelling skills by taking it in turns to read the story aloud to the class. Encourage students to dramatise as they talk and use gestures to convey meaning.

Discussion: In pairs, discuss the main messages and themes in the story and then share with the class.

Write: Write a summary of the story. What is the story about? Explain in your own words why the Murray River is important to Ngarrindjeri people.

Illustrate: Illustrate your favourite part of the Ngurunderi Dreaming story. Think of a creative way to produce and display your drawings. It could be a storyboard, montage or Prezi presentation.

Your stories: The stories we tell reveal a lot about our culture and what we value. Think of a story that is important to you and your school or family. Does your story have a message or purpose? For example, a story may teach you a proper way of behaving; or just to entertain; or to warn or scare children so they do not do dangerous things; or to explain the origins of something. Record your story using pictures and/or words. Share your stories with the class.

©ABC 2016

Creature Feature reportThe Murray Cod is much more than just the biggest fish in the Murray River; it is a symbol for the river itself.Students will research and write a Creature Feature about the Murray Cod. Display your research around the classroom or make a book for the class library. Use this Creature Feature: The Murray Cod worksheet to record your findings.

Controlling Carp

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Watch BtN’s Controlling Carp story and then respond to the following questions:

1. Discuss the BtN Controlling Carp story with another student. Record the three main points of your discussion.

2. When and why were carp introduced to Australia?

3. What is an introduced species?4. Describe the damage carp can do.5. What do scientists at the CSIRO

want to do to control carp?6. Why was the myxomatosis virus

introduced in 1950?7. Name another animal that has been

introduced to Australia. 8. Why are some people worried about

releasing a virus to kill carp?9. Who is supporting the plan?10. What do you think about the plan? Explain your answer.

Do the carp control quiz on the BtN website

Scientific inquiryCarp are one of Australia's most destructive pests in the water. But recently scientists announced that they've found a way to control them. They've found a virus that they think should get rid of most of them. But is releasing a new virus a safe way to fix the problem?

In small groups, students will work together and investigate how scientific knowledge is being used to solve the carp issue. Use this Murray River: Carp Investigation worksheet to record your findings.

What other questions do you have about carp? Watch BtN’s Ask A Reporter segment about carp to see if your questions are answered. Go to the Controlling Carp story , and click on the Ask A Reporter link (under Related Information for the video).

Murray River – People of the Murray River - Aboriginal Communitieshttp://www.murrayriver.com.au/about-the-murray/murray-river-aboriginals/

©ABC 2016

Ngurunderi - Dreaming of the Ngarrindjeri People Murray Riverhttp://www.murrayriver.com.au/about-the-murray/ponde-dreamtime/

Murray-Darling Basin Authority – Aboriginal heritage and culturehttp://www.mdba.gov.au/discover-basin/people/aboriginal-heritage-culture

Behind the News – Controlling Carp http://www.abc.net.au/btn/story/s4399709.htm

Behind the News – Chinese Migration http://www.abc.net.au/btn/story/s4178063.htm

Behind the News – Paddle Steamers http://www.abc.net.au/btn/story/s4107418.htm

Behind the News – Bark Canoe (2009)http://www.abc.net.au/btn/story/s2627618.htm

Australian Museum – Murray Codhttp://australianmuseum.net.au/murray-cod-maccullochella-peelii

©ABC 2016

BtN: Episode 14 Transcript 31/05/16Hello my name is Nathan Bazley. Welcome to BtN!

Coming up today:

For World Environment Day we travel to South Africa to find out how rhino are being protected from poachers.

Zoe joins the BtN reporting team to let us know what it's like to have cystic fibrosis.

And Kind Classrooms wraps up with a look at how you guys helped make the world a better place.

You can see all those amazing stories soon. But first, the biggest headlines from this week. Let's do it.

This Week in News

Malcolm Turnbull and Bill Shorten have faced off in the first major leaders' debate of the federal election. The Prime Minister focused on jobs and growth, while the Opposition Leader emphasised fairness and trust. But many have labelled the debate predictable and even a bit boring.

A school in Redfern has helped to prepare a pretty impressive art installation for Reconciliation Week this week. The students from Jarjum College planted the Sea of Hands near Sydney Harbour to support a more inclusive Australia. The Sea of Hands has a long history in the country, the first one was installed outside of Parliament House in 1997 by people who supported land rights for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.

And if you hate spiders maybe these little guys will change your mind! Brightly coloured dancing Peacock spiders have been getting a bit of attention lately. After an Aussie scientist discovered seven new species of them!

JURGEN OTTO, BIOLOGIST: Normally people think of spiders as something ugly, scary and dangerous but they're learning through my photographs and videos they're cute and colourful and adorable.

©ABC 2016

And why the funky moves? Well, it's all about attracting a mate.

DAVID KNOWLES, SPIDER SPECIALIST: The males that have the best routines and best colour combination they will get to spread their genes into the next generations.

Levels of Government

Reporter: Carl Smith

INTRO: Now, as you saw there, federal pollies are still running around the country and doing debates trying to convince people to vote for them. But while this time it's the federal guys up for election at other times it's state or local governments campaigning for a go. So how do these three different levels of government work together to keep Australia on track? Take a look.

In a land called Australia, three super heroes fight for the people. Federal woman, State man and Local boy.

KID CITIZEN: Help help! No one's collected my rubbish for weeks!

LOCAL BOY: Never fear, Local boy will keep your bins clear!

KID CITIZEN: My school's closing down - can you help!?

STATE MAN: Don't worry citizen. State man has just finished building a school even closer to your home!

KID CITIZEN: I don't have enough money - taxes are too high!

FEDERAL WOMAN: Federal woman can fix that.

KID CITIZEN: Wow!

These three super heroes each have their own unique powers. Just like the three levels of Australian government they're named after. The biggest is Australia's federal government and it takes care of the country as a whole. It has the responsibility of defending the nation, and deals with trade and other countries. It also keeps a close eye on managing Australian money, taxes, communications and the environment.

State and Territory governments control each of Australia's six states and two territories. And they have different responsibilities like health, education, mining and agriculture. They also watch over most of the police force and the courts, roads, trains and public transport.

At the bottom of the list is local government. And while its powers may not sound as impressive, there are more than 500 local governments around the country. They maintain local roads, deal with garbage and pets. And they're in charge of local buildings and permits.

©ABC 2016

But the country hasn't always had three levels of government, or three super heroes looking over it, either. Back in the old days of Australia, the states were their own separate colonies and just governed themselves! But then in 1901 the Federation of Australia united the colonies into the Commonwealth of Australia. And with that the states passed many of their powers to the new federal government.

STATE MAN: Federal woman! On this day I give to you some of my powers to help me govern the nation.

But as the population grew, state governments found it hard to manage all of the responsibilities they still had. So in the 1970s local governments became popular, they were given more money and some powers of their own.

LOCAL BOY: I humbly accept these powers.

That's how things still are today, and the system usually works pretty well. But every now and then there is an overlap in responsibilities, or they disagree.

STATE MAN: I think that we should this small road into a highway!

FEDERAL WOMAN: I don't think that's a good idea.

That's why they have rules about who runs what, and if they disagree then federal overrules state and state overrules local.

STATE MAN: Fine. We'll do it your way.

And that's how these three super heroes work together to keep our country running smoothly.

World Environment Day

Reporter: Ayshah - Newsround

INTRO: Okay next up, we're looking at World Environment Day coming up on June the 5th. The aim of this year's event is to bring attention to the horrors of the wildlife trade. UK's kids news show Newsround sent their reporter, Ayshah, to South Africa to meet some of the people helping to protect rhinos from just that.

REPORTER: My journey is starting in the Kruger National Park region. This wildlife reserve covers a large area. I can't quite believe that I'm so close to all of these wild animals.

Just behind me there's a herd of zebras. Over there there's some buffalo and off in the distances there's some rhino just chilling out. It might look like there's loads of animals around, but actually keeping these animals safe is quite a tough job.

The problem is being caused by poaching which is the illegal hunting on animals.

©ABC 2016

Across Africa since 2008 nearly 6000 rhino have been lost. Poachers hunt animals like rhino and elephants to sell their body parts. Although lots of leaders around the world have made an agreement to stop illegal animal parts from coming in to their countries, it's still happening and it hasn't stopped the poachers.

I've been invited by head Ranger Chris to join him on one of his patrols. Day in, day out, the rangers here must check on all the animals and make sure none of them have been a victim of poaching overnight.

REPORTER: What's going on with his horn? Why is his horn like that?

CHRIS: You see the horn there is rather square. All that's happened is we de-horned him.

REPORTER: Is that quite sad because it’s part of their identity isn’t it?

CHRIS: I wanted to cry when we cut them off, but to save the rhinos we have no option but to do it.

REPORTER: How long until there aren't many rhinos left?

CHRIS: Well, they’re disappearing at an alarming rate now and I reckon in 15 years they’ll be finished there won't be any rhino left in the wild. You'll only see them in pictures and in a zoo.

REPORTER: My journey's now taking me to the Eastern Cape of South Africa and one of the most high tech wildlife reserves in the world.

I've seen the problems that poaching has caused and now I've come to meet the people who say they may have a solution.

'LB' leads a team of rangers who are using technology in the fight against poaching.

LB: We test different types of technologies and try to prove the application how they can be successful in the field anything from boots all the way up to advanced sensors that have never been used before.

The animals are most at risk at night, because the dark makes it harder for the poachers to be seen.

Whilst out in the field, we use specialist night vision cameras to help us try to spot any poachers or anything out of the ordinary.

Why do you think poachers risk their lives to do something like this?

LB: A lot of times they have nothing else because there's so much poverty here, they don’t have another way to make money and they can make more money so fast here that they’re willing to do it.

LB and his team never give up and they work through the night to keep the animals safe.

©ABC 2016

In the last 10 years, half of the world’s rhino have been killed. If poaching continues at this rate, the species will be wiped from the face of the planet for good. Humans have caused this problem and the demand for ivory and horn needs to stop. But people like Chris, LB and you can be the solution.

Did You Know

Did you know rhino horns are made out of the same substance as our hair and nails?

It's called keratin.

Cystic Fibrosis

Rookie Reporter: Zoe

INTRO: Now, last Friday was 65 roses day. It's called 65 roses because the young boy who inspired it couldn't pronounce his own illness cystic fibrosis so he called it 65 roses instead. It's a condition that affects lots of kids, including this week's rookie reporter, Zoe. We asked her to tell us more about it.

ZOE: Hi, my name's Zoe. I'm 13 years old. Although I'm probably just like you in a lot of ways, there's something that makes me different. I was born with cystic fibrosis.

Cystic fibrosis or CF is a genetic disorder. That means I was born with it and I'll always have it. I didn't catch it from someone else. CF mainly affects my lungs and another bit of me called my pancreas. That's the part of my body that helps break down the fat in my food. Because of CF my lungs clog up with thick mucosey stuff. That makes it hard for me to breathe properly. It traps bacteria too, which means I'm more likely to get a bad infection. On top of that, my pancreas doesn't do what it's supposed to so I have to take medication to fix that each time I eat.

Growing up I was in hospital a lot. Sometimes I had to stay in hospital for weeks at a time. While I'm in there I can't go to school so I miss out on a lot and usually I have heaps of homework to catch up on. That can get pretty full on.

When I'm at home I still have to go in for regular checks and if the doctors find something like an infection, even if I don't have any symptoms like a runny nose, I have to stay in hospital and take lots of medicine to get rid of it. That's because something like a little cold for you could actually turn out really serious for me. Because of the mucus in my body, infections can damage my lungs and cause serious problems. So I have to make sure I protect myself every day. I clean my hands a lot, wear a mask whenever I have to go into the hospital, sometimes I have to miss out on things, like school camps and excursions and I take heaps of medication. Like, heaps!

©ABC 2016

These are all my tablets I have to take in a day and they all do different things. For 20 minutes a day I have to breathe into this. This is called a nebuliser. My medicine goes in through here and then I have to take some deep breaths in so the medicine can travel straight to my lungs.

More than three thousand people in Australia have cystic fibrosis like me and right now, there's no cure. By spreading awareness and helping people learn more about CF, one day I hope we will find a cure.

Quiz 1

Quiz Opener

What is the name of the pipe that goes from your mouth to your lungs?

Is it -

The Throat Pipe

The Oesophagus

Or the Trachea

Answer: Trachea

River Kids

Rookie Reporter: Tyrone

INTRO: The Murray River is an incredibly important water system in Australia. It spans three states and its catchment area is the third largest on earth. But it's also facing some challenges. On Monday, June the 6th BtN will premiere 'River Kids' a documentary that tells the story of the Murray River through the eyes of the kids that live alongside it. But today we have a sneak peek just for you guys. Here's Rookie Reporter Tyrone to tell you what the river means to his people - the Ngarrindjeri.

TYRONE: This is a dance for the river. It calls on our ancestors to put the spirit back into the land and into the water and heal it. My name's Tyrone and I'm Ngarrindjeri. For tens of thousands of years my people have lived at the Coorong, where the river meets the sea. We call it Murrundi and you know it as the Murray. The story starts where the Murray and the Darling meet and Ngurunderi's looking for his two wives and as he's looking for them he's gone underwater and he sees Ponde, the giant river cod so he chases him and then he gets his brother in law Nepele to help him so Nepele ends up spearing the fish and as

©ABC 2016

they get the fish Ngurunderi cuts up the fish into tiny pieces and each piece represents a new fish so he gave life, many lives out of one life.

TYRONE: Aboriginal people fished the river from canoes they made from the bark of the Red Gum trees. If you travel along the river you can still see canoe trees, some of them are hundreds of years old.

TYRONE: But Ngarrindjeri people like my Grandfather have seen the river change.

MAJOR SUMNER, NGARRINDJERI ELDER: We'd go out on a boat and you'd be able to see the fish swimming into the nets. The Coorong was like looking through clear water. You can't see them now. The water was changing a different colour. You know, everything was getting bad. The fish were dying, the birds, the river, the lakes, the Coorong. It was dying.

TYRONE: European settlers changed the river so they can use it as transport and for farming. They built irrigation pipes and channels to take the water to towns and to farms like this one.

LATARA: 40 percent of the food grown in Australia comes from the Murray-Darling Basin and that's why irrigation is so important because if we didn't have irrigation then the Murray-Darling Basin wouldn't be irrigated and we didn't have that much water to water the plants to grow food to go to Australia.

TYRONE: People are starting to realise that they can't just take what they want from the river, so part of that's understanding more about how it works and that's what these guys are doing.

REGAN: I think it's very important for everyone to learn about the science of the river because it's our environment and we're gonna have to look after it 'cause everything we do affects the environment and the river.

MAJOR: If you live in this country now, you have to change your way of how you live, of how you treat the waters, how you treat the land because this earth is not going to last that long if we don't change.

TYRONE: For Australia, the river's like the blood in our veins. It brings us together and it brings us life and that's why we need to share it in the good times and in the bad.

Quiz 2

And as I said earlier you can see the full River Kids doco. Monday 6th of June at 10am right here on ABC 3.

Or you can just head to iView! Now for a quiz.

©ABC 2016

How long is the Murray River?

8km

508km

2,508km

The answer is: 2508km

Kind Classrooms

Now to our month long quest for kindness! More than 100 classes signed up to our Kind Classrooms campaign. And the ways you thought of making a difference were absolutely awesome. So a big thank you for getting into the spirit of it!

We're going to put all of the videos we receive up on our website in full. But in the meantime here's a quick look at some of our favourites.

Sport

Australia has won the World 7s Rugby Championship, while they finished runner-up to Canada in the latest tournament in France. It was more than enough for the Aussies to earn the overall title after winning 3 of 5 tournaments in the series.

Aussie F1 racer, Daniel Ricciardo was left feeling pretty unhappy about his second place at the Monaco Grand Prix. The Aussie was in front 33 laps in. But his racing team, Red Bull made a mistake in the pits.

COMMENTATOR: They're late, they're late, can you believe it.

Ricciardo lost the lead to Lewis Hamilton and didn't manage to get it back.

RICCIARDO: I don't even want to even comment on the race to be honest.

And Aussie walker Jared Tallent has finally got his hands on Olympic gold 4 years after finishing his race. Back at the London Olympics in 2012 Jared came 2nd in the 50 kay walk. But recently it was revealed that the gold medallist used performance enhancing drugs.

©ABC 2016

So now Jared has been sent his rightful gold and he awarded it to himself in a special ceremony right in his own backyard.

Surfing Titles

Reporter: Nic Maher

INTRO: Finally today some of Australia's best Indigenous surfers hit Bells Beach recently for the Australian Indigenous Surfing titles. Among the pros were two talented kids, 12-year old Taj and 14-year old Summer who'd been training for the big event all year. Here's what happened.

Summer and Taj are two young groms hoping to make a big splash in the surfing scene. They come from a family that lives and breathes surfing and one of their favourite events is the Aussie Indigenous Surfing Titles.

SUMMER: It's great, like, how the Indigenous community, like, comes and we all come together and we surf together and it's all good experience and, like, it encourages, like, younger surfers, like, to come out and surf with us.

But even though surfing's in their blood, it's no walk in the park for Taj and Summer.

There aren't any junior events at the titles, so Taj and Summer have to step up to the big leagues and compete with adults.

But, that didn't seem to faze Summer last year, when she won the Open Women's comp!

SUMMER SIMON: I was only 13 when I first won Bells and I was, like, so stoked to win it at that that stage and, yeah, it was really good. I'm just hoping there's more girls, so then, like - maybe, like, a bit more competition and I'll surf better and it will be more fun.

Once the comp started, Summer once again stole the show.

After some impressive runs, she came out on top in the final, making it back to back championships.

SUMMER: Well, I feel like super stoked, happy to be out there. It's Bells Beach, you don't get to surf out there often.

But despite the big win, Summer says she's still got room to improve.

SUMMER: I've grown up surfing all my life. I was never really good. I used to not be able to stand up. But as soon as I learned to duck dive and stand up properly, I started getting better and better and I've still got more room for improvement. But never give up on anything otherwise you won't make it. You've got to work hard and achieve your goals.

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CLOSER

Great work Summer! And that brings us to an end for today. Thanks to all of the schools that got involved in Kind Classrooms this month and I can't wait to show you what we have in store for June! See you then!

©ABC 2016