©ABC 2015

Questions for discussion

Budgeting for the Future

1. Discuss the BtN Budget story with another student.

2. Explain in your own words what the budget is.

3. Describe what a deficit is.

4. What is a surplus?

5. Is the budget in surplus or deficit?

6. In Australia we haven’t had a budget _______ for almost ten years.

7. What does GFC stand for?

8. What impact did the GFC have on the economy?

9. The mining industry has slowed down. What impact has that had on the budget?

10. Put yourself in the Treasurer’s shoes. How would you spend the budget? Explain your

choices.

Check out the BtN Budget resource on the Teachers page

http://www.abc.net.au/btn/teachers.htm

Live Below the Line

1. What was the main point of the Live Below the Line story?

2. What does Live Below the Line challenge people to do?

3. What is it raising awareness about?

4. Describe the food Carl and his friends chose to buy for the challenge.

5. About how many people in the world live on less than $2.50 a day?

a. 3 million

b. 3 billion

c. 13 billion

6. Give some reasons why people live in poverty.

7. Where does money raised from the Live Below the Line campaign go?

8. What did they learn from doing the challenge?

9. What else could be done to help people who are living below the poverty line?

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.

Light Pollution

1. Discuss the Light Pollution story with another student and record the main points of your

discussion.

2. Working in pairs, define what light pollution is.

3. How does light pollution affect the environment?

Episode 12

12th May 2015

©ABC 2015

4. How can streetlights be changed to reduce light pollution?

5. What impact can artificial light have on the human body?

6. Describe the affect lights can have on some sea animals.

7. What is the Mayor of New York doing to help reduce light pollution?

8. Give some examples of how light pollution can be reduced.

9. By reducing light pollution, we will have a better view of the____________.

10. What was surprising about this story?

Check out the BtN Light Pollution resource on the Teachers page

http://www.abc.net.au/btn/teachers.htm

Chess Classes

1. Before you watch the BtN story, record what you know about the game of chess.

2. What skills are needed to play chess?

3. It’s thought that chess originated from ______________ a few thousand years ago.

4. Chess is played on a...

5. What is checkmate?

6. What are the benefits of playing chess?

7. Why do the kids like playing chess?

8. What is a chess master?

9. Why do some people think that chess should be part of the Australian Curriculum?

10. What do you think? Should chess be included in the national curriculum? Give reasons for

you answer.

Vote in the BtN poll. Go to http://www.abc.net.au/btn/polls.htm

Do the quiz on the BtN website http://www.abc.net.au/btn/quiz.htm

Bust a Move Kids

1. Describe the Bust a Move dance group.

2. Where is the Bust a Move dance group performing?

3. What do they think about the experience of dancing at the event?

4. What does the group call themselves?

5. How do they want the dancers to feel when they’re performing?

6. How has the group raised money to go to the Special Olympics?

7. How do the dancers feel about performing at the event?

8. At which event did the group perform at two years ago?

9. What does their teacher Ali say is the most rewarding thing about teaching the Bust a Move

dancers?

10. How did this story make you feel?

Send a message of support to the Bust a Move dance group. Go to the Bust a Move story page

on the BtN website

©ABC 2015

Teacher Resource

Budget

1. Discuss the BtN Budget story with another student.

2. Explain in your own words what the budget is.

3. Describe what a deficit is.

4. What is a surplus?

5. Is the budget in surplus or deficit?

6. In Australia we haven’t had a budget _______ for almost ten

years.

7. What does GFC stand for?

8. What impact did the GFC have on the economy?

9. The mining industry has slowed down. What impact has that

had on the budget?

10. Put yourself in the Treasurer’s shoes. How would you spend

the budget? Explain your choices.

Glossary

Download the transcript from the BtN Budget story page. Highlight all

the words that relate to budgets and finance. Circle any unfamiliar

words. Expand on this list of words and create your own classroom

glossary and write a definition for each term. Some words to include:

Glossary of terms

Tax

Income

Expenditure

Deficit

Surplus

Global Financial Crisis (GFC)

Transaction

Bank account

Credit

Hold a classroom discussion to find out what your students know

about money and budgeting.

When do we need to make decisions about money?

What is a budget? Describe using your own words.

How is a budget useful?

Episode 12

12th May 2015

Students will develop their knowledge of the nature of budgets, financial decisions and the implications of these decisions. Students will learn how to create simple budgets for a class fundraising event.

Mathematics – Year 5

Create simple financial plans (ACMNA106) Economics and Business – Year 5

Influences on consumer choices and methods that can be used to help make informed personal consumer and financial choices (ACHEK003) Economics and Business – Year 7

Apply economics and business knowledge, skills and concepts in familiar and new situations (ACHES025)

Why and how individuals and businesses plan to achieve short-term and long-term personal, organisational and financial objectives (ACHEK018)

©ABC 2015

Have you used a budget before? Describe your experience.

What do you want to learn about budgets?

Have your say!

What do you think Australia’s top budget priorities should be?

Begin this activity by researching Australia’s federal budget and how the government allocates spending.

Analyse the ABC’s interactive graphic of the 2012 federal budget to learn more about the different

categories.

Imagine you are the treasurer of Australia and rank the following areas from most important to least

important in terms of spending in the budget.

Below is a list of areas:

health

education

welfare

defence

foreign aid

research

environment

communication

transport

What would you spend the most on in the federal budget? Use the following structure to write a persuasive

text explaining your decision.

Structure of a persuasive text

Introduction

What is the point you are trying to argue? Construct an introductory paragraph which states the

issue or topic.

Introduce the arguments that will be developed in the body of the text.

Body

Construct arguments that support your point of view.

Each paragraph starts with a topic sentence which introduces each point.

The rest of the paragraph gives more reasons.

Arguments can be ordered from strongest to weakest.

Conclusion

Restate your position on the argument.

Construct a concluding paragraph that provides a summary of your arguments and a call to action.

©ABC 2015

Imagine you are the treasurer and write and present a one minute speech about your decision. Think about

the language you will use in your speech. Visit this ABC website to get a breakdown of the most-used words

in budget speeches. Try to include some of these words in your own budget speech.

Classroom budget

Working in groups of 2 or 3, students will plan a classroom picnic to raise money for their school. Students

will be required to plan the fundraising picnic working to a budget of $100. Students will need to address the

following when drawing up their budgets:

Write down your goal/s for this activity.

How many students will be attending the picnic?

How much of the budget can you allocate to each person?

What food and drink will you purchase for the picnic? Compare prices across different products. Why

have you chosen these products?

What quantities of food and drink will you need?

What will the food and drinks cost?

Will there be any other incidental costs, for example paper plates and cups?

What is your total income and total expenditure?

Do you have enough income to cover your expenses?

How much will you charge students to attend the picnic? How much will you raise from the picnic?

Students will swap their budget with another group and check the following:

Is there enough food and drink for the number of students attending the picnic?

Are the food and drink choices value for money?

Can savings be made or can more be afforded on food and drinks?

Do the calculations balance?

Is the budget realistic?

Alternatively, ask students to plan a class stationery budget at the beginning of the school year. This activity

will help students develop a sense of responsible management of classroom resources.

Tips for writing persuasive texts

Who is your audience? For example, are you directing your

argument at kids, teachers or politicians?

Provide facts and evidence to support your argument.

Be creative with your word choice to enhance your argument.

Convey emotion using thinking and feeling words.

Write in the present tense

Check your spelling and punctuation.

©ABC 2015

ABC News – Budget figures likened to Stephen King novel at Deloitte predicts $14.1 billion blowout for 2015-

2016

http://www.abc.net.au/news/2015-05-04/budget-deficit-figures-likened-to-stephen-king-novel/6441346

ABC News – Budget 2015: What we know so far

http://www.abc.net.au/news/2015-04-13/budget-2015-what-we-know-so-far/6389700

Behind the News – Budget Taxes

http://www.abc.net.au/btn/story/s4005243.htm

Behind the News – Budget Decisions

http://www.abc.net.au/btn/story/s3997710.htm

Parliamentary Education Office – Budget

http://www.peo.gov.au/learning/fact-sheets/budget.html

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.

©ABC 2015

Teacher Resource

Light Pollution

1. Discuss the Light Pollution story with another student and

record the main points of your discussion.

2. Working in pairs, define what light pollution is.

3. How does light pollution affect the environment?

4. How can streetlights be changed to reduce light pollution?

5. What impact can artificial light have on the human body?

6. Describe the affect lights can have on some sea animals.

7. What is the Mayor of New York doing to help reduce light

pollution?

8. Give some examples of how light pollution can be reduced.

9. By reducing light pollution, we will have a better view of

the____________.

10. What was surprising about this story?

Negotiate with students how many activities they complete from each

section.

This activity provides the opportunity for students to explore/build

their knowledge on, attitudes and values towards light pollution.

Students will respond to a range of questions before and after

watching the BtN story. Teachers will gain insight from students’

responses which can be used to plan follow-up lessons.

Before watching the BtN Light Pollution story ask students to

respond to the following questions:

o Have you heard of light pollution?

o What do you think it is?

o How is artificial lighting useful to you? Think about

how you use artificial lighting at home, school and

outside.

After watching the BtN Light Pollution story ask students to

respond to the following questions:

Episode 12

12th May 2015

Students will develop a deeper understanding of what light pollution is and the impact it has on the environment, people and animals.

Science – Years 5 & 6

Scientific knowledge is used to inform personal and community decisions (ACSHE217) (ACSHE220) Science – Year 6

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

©ABC 2015

o What did you SEE in this video?

o What do you THINK about what you saw in this video?

o What does this video make your WONDER?

o What did you LEARN from this story?

o How did this story make you FEEL?

o What was SURPRISING about this story?

o How has your THINKING changed since watching this story?

What does earth look like at night? Brainstorm what you think earth would look like at night looking

down from space. Using the internet find images of earth at night. View these images taken by a

NASA satellite https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/NPP/news/earth-at-night.html. Respond to the

following questions.

o What do you see?

o What do these images tell you about our energy usage at night?

o What surprised you about these images?

o Imagine if these photos were taken 100 years ago. Do you think they would look the same or

different? Why?

Brainstorm ways in which we depend on light in our everyday lives. Think about artificial lights used

in the home, at school and in the community.

o Imagine what it would be like if you couldn’t use artificial lighting for one day. How would it

impact on your everyday activities?

Make a list of questions you have about light pollution. Use the internet to find answers to your

questions. Use your research findings, to write a magazine article, news report or information report

about light pollution. Share your research and opinions about light pollution on a class blog or wiki.

Below are some example questions:

o What is light pollution?

o What problems are caused by excessive lighting?

o Who or what is being affected by light pollution?

o Can anything be done about it? What are some solutions?

Create your own quiz about light pollution. Include a variety of question types in your quiz, including

multiple choice, true or false or fill in the blanks. Ask your classmates to complete your quiz and then

give them their scores.

Evaluate how light affects the quality of your sleep, by conducting a sleep study.

o Before conducting your sleep study, use the internet to find out more about circadian

rhythms and melatonin. Present your findings in an interesting way.

o Conduct a sleep study to learn more about your sleep patterns and how you use

technological devices before bedtime. Record your data in a journal on a daily basis over

one week.

o Plot your findings in a column graph. Analyse your findings. What does this graph tell you

about your sleep patterns when using technology before bedtime? Do you think you sleep

©ABC 2015

better when you don’t use technological devices before bedtime? Compare the amount of

sleep you get to someone else in the class.

How can you take action against light pollution? Brainstorm ways that you can help reduce light

pollution at home and at school. For example, you could turn lights off when you are not using them

or install energy efficient light bulbs. Consider implementing a plan at your school to reduce the light

pollution it creates.

Light pollution is a major problem and something should be done about it!

o Discuss the above statement about light pollution and organise a classroom debate.

o Reflection:

How difficult was it to think of points to support one side of the argument?

Do you think you would have done a better job supporting the other side of the

argument?

Was I able to convince others of my opinion?

Did my opinion change?

What did you learn from this activity?

Plan, draft and publish an informative and persuasive text, to convey your researched information

about light pollution and the possible solutions. Create a poster or postcard to illustrate your findings

in an interesting way.

How does light pollution affect the visibility of stars? How does the visibility of stars differ in urban to

rural areas? Discuss as a class.

o Create a planetarium in your room using these simple instructions. Explore and create a

range of constellations seen in the southern hemisphere.

http://lifestyle.howstuffworks.com/crafts/other-arts-crafts/science-projects-for-kids-the-

incredible-universe1.htm

http://museumvictoria.com.au/discoverycentre/infosheets/planets/constellations/

CBBC Newsround – New York turns off its lights to help birds http://www.bbc.co.uk/newsround/32498843 Sea Turtle Conservancy – Threats from artificial lighting http://www.conserveturtles.org/seaturtleinformation.php?page=lighting Astronomical Society of SA – Light Pollution https://www.assa.org.au/lightpollution

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.

©ABC 2015

BtN: Episode 12 Transcript 12/05/15

Coming up:

Find out what it's like to live below the poverty line.

Discover a type of pollution that you can stop with just the flick of a switch.

And should chess be taught in schools?

Hi I'm Nathan and this is BtN. Stay with us for all that. But first up today.

Budget Horror

Reporter: Eloise Fuss

INTRO: This week is federal budget week. And if some economists are right it could get

very tense. Recently one described the budget as a 'horror story'. But how can something

as boring as a budget be so dramatic? Here's Eloise to tell us.

ELOISE FUSS, REPORTING: Based on a true story, deep inside a house there's a room

with a secret that only comes out once a year and this year could be a scream.

CHRIS RICHARDSON, ECONOMIST: They are all a horror and that's the problem that the

Government and Australians face.

Yep, it's budget time again, when the Government throws open the nations books and let's

everyone have a look around. But as you just heard some economists think it's going to be a

less than pleasant experience. But why? Well let's start by finding out what the budget

actually is.

Every year in early May the government outlines exactly how it's going to spend the

country's money, on things like education, health, infrastructure and welfare and where all

that money is going to come from, like taxes. This is called the budget. And it's pretty

important.

Back around when you were born the budget was different to how it is now in one big way.

It was in surplus. That's when the government has enough money to pay for everything it

wants.

©ABC 2015

These days the budget is the opposite of that, in deficit. That word means more money is

going out, than is coming in. And the only way to keep paying for things when that

happens, is to borrow money.

In Australia, we haven't had a budget surplus for almost ten years, and there's a couple of

reasons why.

First, during the GFC, or Global Financial Crisis, the government in charge at the time

spent all of the extra money the country had, in the hope it would stimulate the country's

economy and protect us from the worst parts of it. Some say it was a good idea and helped

us get through it. Others say it wasn't needed. But either way it's caused some big budget

headaches from that year on.

Then the mining industry ran into problems too. It used to be a big contributer to the

budget, bringing in lots of tax dollars that could be spent on other things. But now it's all

slowed down. And the main mineral we export, iron ore, has become much less valuable.

Which is more bad news for the budget.

These days it's Treasurer Joe Hockey's job decide how the budget should look.

And last year he decided to cut money from areas like health, education and welfare to try

to push the budget back towards a surplus.

But there was a huge backlash and the opposition said the cuts were unfair.

So many weren't approved by parliament.

This time around the government has promised a different approach with fewer big cuts.

TONY ABBOTT, PRIME MINISTER: This budget certainly will be much less exciting than

last year's budget

But some economists say the budget needs to be scary if we're ever going to get back to a

surplus in the future.

So this year will we see a boring budget or frightening one?

The Wire

To other news now, the government and opposition have agreed on a new renewable

energy target. The target is all about getting more of Australia's electricity to come from

things like wind, solar and wave power and it was first set back in 2009.

But the Government now reckons it's too high and it's costing the country too much

money. So both parties have agreed on a lower target which is about 5% less than before.

But it should still mean more investment in green energy.

©ABC 2015

Speaking of green, the Australian Greens have a new party leader, Richard Di Natale.

“It's an honour, it's a privilege and I'm going to do my best.”

The former leader, Christine Milne, announced she would step down as head of the party

and retire from politics next year. There was a lot of talk about who would replace her but

this 44-year old former doctor came out on top.

Over in the UK, David Cameron has been re-elected as Prime Minister. The result was a big

surprise to many because the opinion polls were all pointing towards a really close result.

But in the end the Conservatives won comfortably. But many smaller parties weren't happy

with the result.

And finally,15 year old Lucy has started a campaign to help young Aussies feel happier

about their bodies. Surveys show lots of young people are worried about what they look

like. But Lucy wants to turn that around.

“Body image is the thing that hits people, it's what you see everyday when you take a selfie

when that doesn't match up with what you see in magazines, what you see on instagram it

makes people upset and I think that sucks.”

Her video is part of a new campaign run by the South Australian Government to encourage

girls in particular to celebrate who they are.

Poverty Challenge

Reporter: Carl Smith

INTRO: Poverty is something we've all heard of but not many of us have experienced it

firsthand. Last week a national charity event gave some kids a very small glimpse of

what it's like. Live Below the Line is the name of the challenge. And Carl volunteered to

try it too. Here's what they all learnt.

Mhyles: “Hi everyone my name's Mhyles, and today I begin my preparations for Live

Below the Line.”

CARL SMITH, REPORTING: They've got just ten dollars, for food and drinks, for five days.

Harry: “So I've got two bags of pasta which was two for three dollars, I've got a small carton

of spam which was 3.35 and I've got two jars of pasta sauce.”

©ABC 2015

They're doing it, and so am I!

Carl: “I've just discovered that if I get a coffee then that's a third of my $10 budget for the

entire week just gone.”

This is the Live Below the Line campaign. Participants raise awareness and money for

people living in extreme poverty by living on just two dollars a day. It starts with some

research.

Prisca: “So my initial plan was to buy rice and have most of my meals rice based, which I

thought would be relatively easy. But it wasn't.”

Then there's shopping and a big meal before the week begins.

Harry: “I've decided to eat my last meal before the Live Below the Line Challenge. It's

going to be fried rice and it's very, very big.”

So what did we get for $10? Here's what each of us bought. Do you reckon that'd be enough

for four people for five whole days? All of us felt pretty hungry throughout the week,

especially when faced with this.

Nathan: “This is one of the best cakes I've ever had, I don't mind telling you, it's just

sensational.”

Some of our meals didn't look that bad.

Prisca: “I have spaghetti with tinned tomato, tinned beans, and frozen vegetables.”

Mhyles: “So this is just rice with the stir-fried pork and potato thing.”

And me? Well, I didn't pick so well.

Carl: “So this is my tenth packet of chicken noodles. I am sick and tired of eating chicken

noodles, I am so excited to finish.”

But we didn't sign up just to see if we could do it. The challenge helped give all of us a tiny

glimpse of what life might be like for people living in poverty. Poverty is a big problem.

The latest data shows nearly half of the world's population, 3 billion people, live on less

than $2.50 a day. And there are a lot of reasons why. Many have been forced to leave their

homes, others simply don't have access to the things like education, jobs or medical

facilities.

And many people born into poverty find it really hard to break out of it because they can't

afford an education. That's why the money raised in this campaign goes to schools in

countries like Cambodia.

At the end of the week, we'd each raised money to send to Cambodia, but we also learned

something important too.

©ABC 2015

Prisca: “Actually doing the challenge gives you a really good perspective on things. So you

kind of get a sense of how these people are living, and also what you take for granted every

day.”

We're all looking forward to a big meal, but for many others, living below the line lasts

more than just a week.

Quiz 1

Okay let's go to today's first quiz.

What percentage of Australian kids are thought to be living below the poverty line?

2%

10%

Or 17%

Answer: 17 percent

That's scary to hear. Now:

Light Pollution

Reporter: Amelia Moseley

INTRO: Did you know that there's a type of pollution being released from every city

around the world, every single night. But it's not what you'd expect. It's light pollution.

And researchers say it's causing problems for some of the creatures that live near us.

Amelia found out what issues light can cause and what we can do to help.

AMELIA MOSELEY, REPORTING: Everyday, when the sun goes down, our world switches

on. Every twinkle you can see here is a billboard, streetlamp, office building, stadium and a

thousand other things, all lighting up the night.

Without man-made lights, we'd only have daytime to get things done and stuff like night-

time sports practice or walking down the street after dark would be pretty tough. But all of

that illumination comes with a side effect called light pollution.

About a quarter of the world's electricity is used for lighting, but a lot of that light isn't

being used efficiently. For example, some streetlights spread their light around rather than

©ABC 2015

pointing it in the direction it's needed, and some lights are kept on even when there's no

one around.

That's wasting a lot of electricity which costs billions of dollars and helps to release

millions of tonnes of greenhouse gases into the air. But it isn't just a waste of energy.

Studies show the lack of real darkness can mess with us. You see your body has a kind of

inbuilt clock that's supersensitive to light. It's how you know to wake up in the day time

and sleep at night, but artificial light can confuse it. So if you've got your lamp on, or

there's a bright light outside your window, you can end up staying up for longer or not

getting enough rest. It doesn't just make you grumpy; experts say it's also putting people's

health at risk.

And it's not just humans. A new study has found that lights on the coast and on ships out at

sea are making some tiny sea species like these move away from, or move closer to, our

glow.

Some bigger animals like sea turtles like to nest on dark beaches, but too many lights can

stop them from settling. And their hatchlings need natural moonlight, not spotlights, to

find their way out to sea.

Lights can also disturb frogs and butterflies and it can confuse migrating birds, making

them lose their way. Because of this, some people around the globe have decided it’s time

to switch off.

In New York, the Mayor is getting people to turn off outdoor lights which aren't needed to

help migrating birds find their way and to save energy. Paris has done a similar thing, for a

couple of years too. And on some coasts around the world, lights are banned during turtle

nesting seasons.

It's a start, but experts say we could do a lot more to reduce light pollution by using light

wisely. That means switching off lights when you're not around (especially outdoors),

directing light where it's really needed and using dimmer, energy-saving light globes.

All that would have one more benefit too. The glare from light pollution blocks our view of

the stars, which means there are millions of kids around the world who've never seen the

night sky for what it really is. And as these pictures show, it could be a pretty spectacular

sight.

Quiz 2

Okay, let's test you on light now. How long does it take for light from the Sun to reach

Earth?

©ABC 2015

8 seconds

8 minutes

Or 8 hours

The Answer: About 8 minutes

To be exact, 8 minutes and 20 seconds to travel 149 million ks. Okay.

Chess Class

Reporter: Eloise Fuss

INTRO: You guys all study English and maths and subjects like that at school. But should

you all study chess as well? That's an idea from one economist who says chess could

make a big difference to kids in all sorts of different areas. Eloise found out more.

“Harry you take the empty bishop square, Hermoine you take the queenside castle, as for

me I'll be a knight.”

ELOISE FUSS, REPORTING: Sometimes chess is used to save the world from evil like in

this Harry Potter movie. But most of the time, it's just an exciting game of strategy, focus,

and patience played by kids all over Australia.

CHESS TEACHER: “The theme is smothered checkmate. Justice what would you do?

Knight E to D6. Is that a good move, yes it is a good move because it is checkmate.”

This group of kids learn chess each week after school. And they love it.

KID 2: what I most like about playing chess is the strategy involved in all the planning, and

the different positions that you make up.

KID 1: it's been around since the sixth century which is a very, very long time, and it's a

very popular game as well

But some people reckon chess shouldn't just be taught after school it should be taught in

school too.

JOHN ADAMS, ECONOMIST:"Chess is seen to be very popular and where chess has been

put into schools you do get a benefit."

But what benefit could kids possibly get from playing an ancient board game? Well first

you need to know how the game works. Historians think it originated in India a few

thousand years ago and was created by Buddhist monks, as a way to battle, without

injuring each another.

©ABC 2015

And it's said to be one of the most strategic games on earth. Each piece has a different

move.

Like the knight which can jump the bishop which can travel diagonally and the pawn,

which moves slowly forward. The point of the game is to use the pieces to checkmate your

opponent.

You get in checkmate by making the king unable to move, and go anywhere without being

in check.

Hey, so what's your favourite strategy? My strategy first is to bring my pawn out to e5, and

my second move is always this which is called the bishop. Chess requires lots of

concentration, and planning. And because of this studies have shown that learning it can

help kids in all sorts of areas.

GIRL 1: I think it should be part of the National curriculum because it's a really fun game,

but it's also a learning game, so you can take a break from English and Science and Maths

by relaxing and concentrating on the board

BOY 1: "well it's helped me in maths for coordinates, and its helped me concentrate quite a

lot, yeah it's really good game"

BOY 2: “It gets you focussed, and you have strategies that you can also use in other

subjects of school, and it's really helpful.”

But is that enough for it to take the place of something else you learn at school like music?

Or drama? Or sport?

Well there's only one way to find out.

Online Poll

And that is with a poll.

Should all kids learn to play chess in school?

Head to our website to place your vote.

The Score

Okay. Settle in now it's time for sport.

©ABC 2015

Melbourne Victory and Sydney FC will fight it out for the A-league's top title after they

both won their semi finals over the weekend. Kostas Barbarouses scored a belter, s the

Victory thumped local rivals Melbourne City 3-nil.

“That is quite simply one of the goals of the season!”

While Sydney took down Adelaide United 4-1. And the highlight was this cheeky backheel

from skipper Alex Brosque. That is a superb finish Alex Brosque you are a maestro!

Losing in the last second of a game can be pretty heartbreaking.

“BANG It's all over! The Bulls win at the Buzzer!”

That happened in the NBA playoffs on Friday night as the Chicago Bulls beat the Cleveland

Cavs to take a 2-1 lead in the series. But yesterday in game 4 Lebron James got some sweet

sweet revenge for the Cavs.

“It's Good Lebron James at the buzzer!”

That makes it 2 all in the best of 7 playoff series.

And finally if ball sports aren't your thing, how about flying paper planes?

Hundreds of umm pilots from around the globe put their designs and chucking skills to the

test at the world paper airplane championships in Austria. They were tested on things like

longest air time distance and aerobatics, with some very excited commentators helping

out.

“Aw this is amazing! This is good! This is the best one!”

This guy from Bulgaria won longest distance with more than 53 metres. And this guy from

Armenia took longest airtime with more than 14 seconds of flight.

BustaMove Kids

Reporter: Carl Smith

INTRO: Finally today, you're about to meet Bust a Move a dance group made up of

entirely of kids with different disabilities. Most signed up for a bit of fun. But now things

have got a bit more serious and a bit more exciting for them because they've been invited

©ABC 2015

to perform a big show over in Los Angeles. Carl caught up with them to find out how

they're feeling ahead of their big gig.

CARL SMITH, REPORTING: They're practising hard, learning their routines, and getting

very excited. Because soon these kids, all with different disabilities, will be dancing their

way to LA. They'll be performing at the Special Olympics World Games.

Kid: “I am looking forward to LA because it's going to be a trip, like I am a Special

Olympics athlete, like when I head over there with a dance team, it's going to be amazing!”

Kid: “An opportunity like this, is going to be completely amazing. We're going to enjoy it,

it's going to benefit us in the best way possible. And we're just going to enjoy ourselves

dancing.”

They call themselves 'BAM' because they train at the 'Bust a Move Dance School' in

Brisbane.

Ali (dance teacher): At Bust a Move our vision is that people of all abilities feel really equal

and powerful in the world and we use the vehicle of dance to encourage our dancers to be

really confident, resilient, improve their social skills and become really independent.

Kid: “BAM is provided for people with a wide range of disabilities,

Autism, Cerebral Palsy. It's great for everyone to get involved with BAM with a disability.”

To get to the Special Olympics they've had to raise a lot of money through a crowd funding

campaign.

Kid: “I just want to say thanks for all the support and, yeah it's going to be awesome, it's

going to be great. LA here we go!”

It's been a lot of hard work and performing at the games is a big deal.

Kid: “It's like one of those once in a lifetime experience things, you won't be able to believe

it when you actually do it. But when you do actually do it, it's so thrilling.”

©ABC 2015

Kid: “We'll be dancing every single day for 7 days at 2 campuses and hopefully dancing at

the opening ceremony of the Special Olympics world games.”

But it's not the first time the BAM team have made it onto such a big stage.

Ali (teacher): “Two years ago Bust a Move performed at the Asia Pacific Special Olympics

in Newcastle in front of 40,000 people and had the time of our lives!”

They're proud of their success but even more proud of the fun they have along the way.

Kid: “Meeting new friends and dancing new routines and practicing them and I really

enjoy that, it takes the time to just like be myself.”

That's one of the main reasons why their dance teacher Ali set up the program.

Ali (teacher): “So for me the most rewarding thing about BAM was seeing how my students

were adapting and growing. They were becoming more confident and more independent

and I was really seeing them come out of their shells.”

Her enthusiasm and skills have helped inspire the BAM students too.

Kid: “The teachers are nice and friendly, they're very crazy like mad, awesome like

teachers. So yeah, all good!”

It's all fun, it's social, and it helps keep them fit. So it's just an added bonus that they'll

soon be in America to perform in front of the world's best special athletes. And for these

guys, that's something really worth dancing about.

Closer

Good luck to them! And that's it's from us for today! But there's more to get involved in on

our website including extra classroom activities and behind the scenes stuff from Carl's

challenge this week too. Thanks for watching and bye for now!