Questions for discussion

Democratic elections1. What happened in the recent Iranian election?2. Why were some people protesting?3. Why are elections an important part of democracy?4. Why is it important for elections to be conducted fairly?5. Give an example of how elections can sometimes be unfair or

rigged.6. What processes help ensure that elections in Australia are

fair?7. Why do you think a secret ballot is an important part of the

election process?8. Describe the role of a scrutineer.9. Do you think it’s important for young people to understand the

election process? Why or why not?10. What do you now know about the election process that you

didn’t know before watching the BtN story?

Hold a class or small group discussion using the following questions as discussion starters: Do you believe that another country should interfere with their election processes? Should all elections be monitored by a United Nations body?

Ocker idiom1. Briefly summarise the BtN story.2. What did the Prime Minister say recently that caused

controversy?3. How did people react to the comment?4. Do you think it is ok for the Prime Minister to use those sorts of

expressions? Explain your answer.5. What influence do young people have on the English

language?6. Give some examples of how language has changed over the

years.7. How do new words make it into the dictionary?8. Give some reasons why language changes.9. Why are some people angry about what’s happening to the

English language?10. What do you understand more clearly about how language

changes since watching the BtN story?

`Should the Prime Minister use slang?’ Vote in the online poll.

© ABC 2009

EPISODE 17

23RD JUNE 2009

Green tea1. What is the most popular drink after water?2. Give two historical facts about tea.3. Describe the traditional Japanese Chado ceremony.4. Which country is an Australian farmer selling green tea to?5. Which plant does tea come from?6. Describe the process of making green and black tea.7. What factors are important to the taste of green tea?8. What are the advantages of buying Australian green tea?9. Describe the health benefits of green tea.10. How has your thinking about tea changed since watching the

BtN story?

Test your knowledge in the online tea quiz.

Croc skins1. Summarise the story about croc skins.2. What croc skin products are popular?3. Croc skin products have been described as luxurious and

desirable. What do you think that means?4. How many skins were exported from the Northern Territory

last year?5. Why are the crocodile eggs collected and incubated?6. Why is it important to have a blemish fee skin?7. What does the fashion industry look for in a crocodile skin?8. What are scientists doing to improve the skin?9. How successful has it been? Explain your answer.10. Create a plus, minus and interesting chart about farming

crocodiles for their skin.

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

Paper planes1. Explain the BtN story to another student.2. Why do you think paper plane making is popular?3. Describe the successes of Dylan Parker and James Norton.4. Where were the world paper plane championships held?5. How did James and Dylan describe the experience?6. What is the key to Dylan’s planes flying a long way?7. How are they passing their knowledge on to young people?8. What things can people learn from making paper planes?9. What do you think makes a successful paper plane?10. What was surprising about this story?

Hold a paper plane making competition in your class. The following website has some different paper plane designs http://www.10paperairplanes.com/

© ABC 2009

Democratic elections

A recent election in Iran sparked protests with some people saying the process wasn’t fair and the results were rigged. So what makes an election fair?

Focus Questions

11. What happened in the recent Iranian election?12. Why were some people protesting?13. Why are elections an important part of democracy?14. Why is it important for elections to be conducted fairly?15. Give an example of how elections can sometimes be unfair or

rigged.16. What processes help ensure that elections in Australia are

fair?17. Why do you think a secret ballot is an important part of the

election process?18. Describe the role of a scrutineer.19. Do you think it’s important for young people to understand the

election process? Why or why not?20. What do you now know about the election process that you

didn’t know before watching the BtN story?

What makes an election fair?Students will be investigating how elections are conducted in Australia and what makes them fair. Ask students to record what they think the following key words mean and how they help ensure the election process remains fair:

Preferential voting Compulsory voting Ballot paper Secret ballot

© ABC 2009

EPISODE 17

23RD JUNE 2009

Learning AreaSociety and Environment Civics and Citizenship

Key learningStudents will investigate how elections in Australia are conducted to make them fair.

.

Scrutineer Democracy Represent

Students can then check their definitions using a web or print resource. There are some web links at the end of this activity to support students. Students will then examine an aspect of elections – the secret ballot. Ask students to decide on a classroom, school or community issue that they can vote on. Students first vote with a show of hands and then use the secret ballot system. Ask students to reflect on the results:

Were there differences in the outcome of the votes? What are the possible reasons for people voting in a

different way? How could the secret ballot system impact on the way

people vote in an election? Ask students to share their responses in small groups and use either a plus, minus and interesting or SWOT (strengths, weakness, opportunities, threats) chart to display the information.

Further investigation

Hold a class or small group discussion using the following questions as discussion starters: Do you believe that another country should interfere with their election processes? Should all elections be monitored by a United Nations body?

Research and present the different stages in the election process.

Develop an argument for or against the following statement: Voting in Australia is compulsory.

8 Related Research Links

ABC News - US questions Ahmadinejad's election winhttp://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2009/06/15/2597896.htm

ABC News - Tweeting from Tehran: social media and the Iranian electionhttp://www.abc.net.au/news/events/iran-social-media/

© ABC 2009

ABC News – Iran blocks foreign coverage of election protests: mediahttp://abc.com.au/news/stories/2009/06/15/2598129.htm?site=news

Australian Electoral Commission – Democracy Rules: Teacher informationhttp://www.aec.gov.au/Education/Democracy_Rules/teachers/index.htm

Parliamentary Education Office – Information about electionshttp://www.peo.gov.au/students/fss/fss41.html

BBC Country profile – Iran http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/country_profiles/790877.stm

Ocker idiomThe Prime Minister recently used an expression that lots of people hadn’t heard in years. So why does language change?

Focus Questions

21. Briefly summarise the BtN story.22. What did the Prime Minister say recently that caused

controversy?23. How did people react to the comment?24. Do you think it is ok for the Prime Minister to use those sorts of

expressions? Explain your answer.25. What influence do young people have on the English

language?26. Give some examples of how language has changed over the

years.27. How do new words make it into the dictionary?28. Give some reasons why language changes.29. Why are some people angry about what’s happening to the

English language?

© ABC 2009

EPISODE 17

23RD JUNE 2009

Learning AreaEnglish

Key learningStudents will investigate how language changes depending on audience and context.

.

30. What do you understand more clearly about how language changes since watching the BtN story?

Changing languageStudents will be thinking about the language they use in a variety of situations/settings depending on who they are talking to. In pairs ask students to discuss the Prime Minister’s recent comment `Fair shake of the sauce bottle.’ The following questions can provide a framework for their discussion.

Have you heard the expression before and what do you think it means?

Why do you think he used the expression? What do you think he was trying to achieve? Who do you think he was trying to appeal to?

Ask each pair to report back to the class and record student responses. Students will then think about how their language changes depending on who they are speaking to. Think about and record how and why the language they use changes when they are:

In the classroom On the internet/text messaging With friends With family (does it change for different family members?)

Students can use an existing text or write a paragraph about a topic of their choice. They need to write two versions of the text for two different audiences. For example, one could be for their teacher and the other for a friend in an email, message on a social networking site or text message. Students then highlight the key differences in language for each text and use one of the following formats to show how language changes depending on context and audience.

Role play Animation/ short film Oral presentation

Reflection

What do you understand more clearly about how language changes since completing this activity?

Further investigation

© ABC 2009

Idioms are expressions or sayings that have a hidden meaning. Students research the history of idioms and choose five to translate. Display the idioms in an interesting way using illustrations.

8 Related Research Links

ABC Stateline – Lost wordshttp://www.abc.net.au/stateline/act/content/2006/s2598026.htm

ABC News - Canberra chameleon: Rudd gets saucyhttp://abc.com.au/news/stories/2009/06/10/2594427.htm

ABC News – Rudd says ocker sound bites fair dinkumhttp://abc.com.au/news/stories/2009/06/11/2595358.htm?site=news

British Library – Changing languagehttp://www.bl.uk/learning/langlit/changlang/language.html

End of term quiz

1. How many gigabytes make a terabyte?a. 10b. 100c. 1000

2. What is a virtual security wall known as?a. Firewallb. Fireballc. Virus scanner

© ABC 2009

3. Which part of the brain controls breathing and heartbeat?a. Brainstem b. Cerebellum c. Hypothalamus

4. People with bigger brains are more intelligent.a. Trueb. False

5. Swine flu is also known as…a. Animal flub. H6N1c. Influenza A (H1N1)

Term 2 2009

6. A pandemic is...a. A type of medicineb. When disease spreads quickly throughout the worldc. Staying away from sick people

7. Where do snow leopards live?a. Himalayan mountainsb. Rocky mountainsc. Swiss alps

8. For centuries Asian societies have used green tea for what?a. Medicine

© ABC 2009

b. Anti-aging creamc. Shampoo

9. Rabbits eat their poo.a. Trueb. False

10.What does ANZAC Day commemorate?a. European settlement in Australiab. Australia versus New Zealand rugbyc. Australian and New Zealand military that fought in wars.

11.Where have pirates been causing problems recently?a. Somaliab. Francec. Ireland

12.In what year will analogue television end?a. 2011b. 2013c. Never

13.The Federal budget this year was in deficit.a. Trueb. False

14.Plastic shopping bags have been banned in which state?a. New South Walesb. South Australiac. Western Australia

15.Cyber bullying is bullying someone…a. Face to face

© ABC 2009

b. Who doesn’t know much about computersc. Online or using a mobile phone

16.What is an aged pension?a. A transport ticket for old peopleb. Money some people get from the government when they

reach a certain agec. A holiday for retirees

17.How long does it take for turtle eggs to hatch?a. One monthb. Two monthsc. Six months

18.Out of 1000 hatchlings, how many turtles make it to adulthood?a. 1b. 100c. 500

19.What did a doctor recently use to treat a boy with a brain injury?a. An electric drillb. A milkshake makerc. A laser

20.Lake Eyre is a freshwater lake.a. Trueb. False

21.What colour is the black box flight recorder in planes?a. Blackb. Purple c. Orange

© ABC 2009

22.A group of children affected by the Victorian bushfires…a. Wrote a children’s bookb. Recorded and performed a songc. Danced on a kids’ TV show

© ABC 2009

23.How much blood is used in Australia each week?a. 1,000 litresb. 5,000 litresc. More than 10,000 litres

24.In which country did Gemma Sisia set up a school?a. Uganda.b. Zairec. Tanzania

25.Prime Minister Kevin Rudd recently said…a. Fair shake of the sheep’s tailb. Fair shake of the sauce bottlec. As full as a goog

Answers on the following page

© ABC 2009

Answers1. c. 10002. a. Firewall3. a. Brainstem4. b. False5. c. Influenza A (H1N1)6. b. When disease spreads quickly throughout the world7. a. Himalayan mountains 8. a. Medicine 9. a. True 10. c. Australian and New Zealand military that

fought in wars11. a. Somalia12. b. 201313. a. True14. b. South Australia15. c. Online or using a mobile phone16. b. Money some people get from the government

when they reach a certain age17. b. two months18. a. 119. a. An electric drill20. b. False21. c. Orange 22. b. Recorded and performed a song23. c. More than 10,000 litres 24. c. Tanzania 25. b. Fair shake of the sauce bottle

© ABC 2009

BtN: Episode 17 Transcripts 23/06/09

On this week's Behind the News:

Is a ‘shake of the sauce bottle’ cool or uncool? What is a Professor of Tea? And why these guys are starring on the catwalks.

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

Also on the show today – why school’s in for paper planes.

We’ll see all that later, but first to our top story.

ElectionsReporter: Nathan Bazley

INTRO: Every three years we get the chance to elect someone we want to lead the country.

It's important because it gives everyone a chance to say what sort of country they want Australia to be.

Recently there was the same sort of election in the country of Iran, but it's made people really angry because they say it was unfair.

Let's find out what's going on.

© ABC 2009

NATHAN BAZLEY, REPORTER: Music and dancing are illegal here in Iran, but the lead up to this election inspired all this and more.

Two men were the front runners.

The dancing supporters were going for a new guy against the old President of Iran.

This is where their country is, north west of Australia, between Afghanistan and Iraq.

Polling day came and went, but by the end their mood had changed completely.

Protests sprung up and quickly became violent as hundreds of thousands of people took to the streets.

Sore losers? Well, maybe not.

Many were angry because they thought they'd been cheated.

PROTESTOR: It's been rigged and they changed the results for themselves.

Elections are an important part of democracy and are usually conducted as openly as possible to let all voters know they can trust the result.

The Iranian elections have a few people suspicious, but as yet nothing's been proven.

We do know though, that people in some countries have used all sorts of dodgy tactics in the past to make sure they take out the top job!

© ABC 2009

In some countries, the leader decides how an election will run. That might mean there'll only be one party to vote for - his!

In other elections, people's votes could be stolen and destroyed so they're not counted. Or sometimes extra 'fake' votes could be cast for one of the candidates.

But perhaps the worst fraud is when political parties threaten people so they won't vote against them.

In Australia, those things aren't really a big concern, because we have a very strict and open body called the Electoral Commission to run our elections fairly.

But they also lend their hand to smaller elections too. That's why they came out to this primary school today, to help them run their Student Representative Council elections in the best way possible!

The first thing these guys learn is that no-one is allowed to see who you vote for.

They also have some guards stationed at the ballot box itself.

NATHAN BAZLEY: What's important about this ballot box, it seems to have a little lock on the top?

BALLOT SECURITY KID: Well we want to make sure nobody takes any of the votes so they're all counted.

Once all the kids have voted it's time to count.

What's your job?

© ABC 2009

SCRUITNEER: I'm a scrutineer and I'm supposed to make sure the votes are all okay.

NATHAN: How are they looking so far? Seen any dodgy work here? No, not yet.

NATHAN BAZLEY, REPORTER: Now the candidates can't count the votes, in case something dodgy happens, so they get the job of dismantling the booths.

After lots of counting, finally it's time to announce the results!

And because this school followed the same process as our big elections right round the country, they can be sure they have every right to be there!

PresenterAnd you can see more of those kids talking about their election on our website.

Quiz Let’s do a quiz.

How many governments are in Australia?

1. One2. Seven3. Nine

Answer: Nine

© ABC 2009

There are state and territory governments and the Federal Government.

The Wire

Now here’s Sarah with some of the week’s other headlines.

The government has warned people not to panic after the death of a person with swine flu.

The man died in a South Australian hospital after getting ill.

But experts say he was already sick with other diseases and they don't know if swine flu contributed to his death.

***********

There's some good water news in Sydney where the government has ended five years of tough water restrictions.

With rain filling up dams it's now OK for people to use sprinklers and watering systems 7 days a week.

***********

And a huge plantation of bamboo has been planted to feed the two pandas that will be moving to Australia later this year.

The bears will eat 20 kilos of the green stuff a day so an awful lot will be needed.

© ABC 2009

However it will take two years for the plants to mature - so families are will be asked to donate bamboo from their backyards to help out.

PRESENTER: That’s a huge bamboo breakfast.

Ocker IdiomReporter: Catherine Ellis

INTRO: In Australia most people speak English.

But sometimes even those of us speaking that same language can't understand each other because we're constantly re-inventing it.

Now because the PM pulled out an old phrase lots of people hadn't heard in years, we decided it was a good time to take a close look at our language.

Here's Catherine.

CATHERINE ELLIS REPORTING: You can't be blamed for having no idea what they just said.

Words and expressions change quickly over time so when you watch a movie from fifty years ago it can sound pretty bizarre!

It's almost like each generation has its own language.

And that's why the Prime Minister was criticised for saying this.

© ABC 2009

KEVIN RUDD, PRIME MINISTER: Oh fair shake of the sauce bottle, mate. Oh fair shake of the sauce bottle, mate. Well again, fair shake of the sauce bottle, mate.

Some people reckon it's a line only grandparents use.

You've probably heard your parents say stuff that sounds strange.

MEGAN, STUDENT: My dad's great with all the old Australian ones; 'full as a butchers dog', 'bloody ripper'.

Have you heard the words:

ACTOR: Here cobber.

ACTOR: Oh bonzer.

STUDENTS: Never heard cobber in my life! I've heard of it but I thought it was some type of lolly.

What about the term;

ACTOR: Mrs Kerfoops.

MARGARET KENNEDY: If there was somebody who was unnamed it was always Mr. or Mrs. Kerfoops.

What about the expression:

ACTOR: I’m full up to dolly's wax.

It means you've eaten too much - although even the individual expressions vary.

© ABC 2009

ELIZABETH COWAN: Full up to Dolly’s eyes I used to say.

But for all these disappearing words and phrases, kids have a whole new lot.

EDMUND: "Chill ax" it's just, you know, a cross between chilling and relaxing.

Just as we're confused by the oldies, they're confused by us! A list from the grandkids helps!

PAULETTE RAISON: 'Tank' is a person who looks muscular or intimidating, 'Petters' is petrol, 'Ranga' is someone with red hair. All these strange words I wouldn't know if he didn't say what they meant.

CATHERINE ELLIS: So how does a new word make the dictionary? Well the creators search mags, papers, tv and the net. They look for new words that are used a lot, by a lot of people and ones that are likely to stay.

Over the years 'mullet', 'six pack' and Homer Simpsons 'Doh' have made the cut.

But why does language change?

Some experts say it’s because the world changes and you need new words - like for new technology

We abbreviate for texting.

We get expressions from TV and movies.

EXCERPT FROM KATH AND KIM:

© ABC 2009

KATH: Looka me Kimi looka me.

And thanks to the internet words like 'podcast' and 'email' have been born.

Of course there are some words and phrases people wish would disappear!

MARGARET: ‘Cool to the max.’ I'm sick to death of that expression.

GRAEME HELLYER: Anytime you say anything to anyone at a restaurant the waiter always says no worries.

STUDENTS: My parents get so annoyed. They say I didn't ask if you were worried, I asked if you could do this for me.

ELIZABETH: 'Awesome', 'absolutely' and 'basically'.

MEGAN: Basically.

PAULETTE: They also use words like, 'like', 'yeah', 'but' and 'nah' during sentences in the middle and there's no need for them.

EDMUND: In a class in year 9, in a two minute speech a girl said 'like' 37 times.

Some people are angry about what's happening to the English language - they say our standards are dropping.

And they say the Prime Minister should be helping keep up those standards.

What do you reckon?

© ABC 2009

PRESENTER: There are more of those comments on our website and we’ll also make that our on-line poll.

Poll

The question is “Should the Prime Minister use slang?”

If you want to vote, go to our website.

Green TeaReporter: Sarah Larsen

INTRO: Aussies have always loved a cup of tea, but in your grandparents' day there wasn't much variety to the old cuppa - maybe with or without milk and sugar.

These days there are hundreds of different types of tea to choose from and one that's been getting more and more popular is green tea, which is supposed to have all sorts of health benefits.

But now Aussie farmers are hoping to use green tea to improve the health of their bank balances. Sarah's got the story.

SARAH LARSEN, REPORTER: It's the most popular drink in the world after water. It's been around for thousands of years. Wars have been fought over it. Songs have been written about it. And it goes really well with scones. It's tea.

© ABC 2009

REPORTER: You might think a billy of tea is a very Aussie thing to drink but overseas it's been brewed for ages.

The Chinese say tea was first discovered by an emperor more than 4000 years ago. In some countries tea is still a part of religion and much more than just a drink. This is a traditional Japanese Chado - or tea ceremony. And it's being performed by this girl who is, believe it or not, a Professor of tea. Everything has to be done just right, from the temperature of the water to the mixing of the dried tea. But there's no milk or bickies. This is green tea, which is what they drink in Japan. Except this isn't Japan, its Australia. Farmers here already grow black tea but recently more and more have been turning Japanese. George Burel used to grow Tobacco which was used to make cigarettes but now he's growing green tea. He's selling to Japan's biggest green tea company

REPORTER: Tea comes from plants like this. It's a Camellia, and you might have similar ones in your garden.

The leaves are all green when they're harvested but they can be turned into black, white or green tea depending on how they're processed. To make black tea you have to expose the leaves to heat and air. To make green tea you steam them first. Tea connoisseurs say the environment that the tea's grown in and the way its farmed has a big affect on the taste and when you're growing green tea for the Japanese you have to be pretty particular. This tea has to pass the well-trained nostrils of Matomi Ito; master tea-taster.

MOTOMI ITO (translation): The aroma is very good. Its taste is good and I can say the quality is as good as if it was being produced in Japan.

And there's an advantage to buying Aussie tea because ours is ready to harvest in November when it's spring here whereas Japanese farmers pick theirs in May when it's spring in the northern hemisphere. They reckon fresh green tea tastes a whole lot better than stuff that's been sitting

© ABC 2009

around so buying Australian means they don't have to wait a year for the best. There's an advantage for Aussies too. For centuries Asian societies have used green tea as a medicine and these Aussie scientists reckon there might just be something in it. They say there's quite a bit of scientific evidence that green tea can help prevent problems like heart disease and cancer. So they're trying to islolate the healthy bits and maybe even add them to other foods. And while we're waiting for that we can all sit back and enjoy a good cuppa.

Quiz 2

OK time to test you out again...

What is the world's largest reptile?

1. Anaconda2. Saltwater crocodile3. Hippo

Answer: Saltwater Crocodile

The saltwater croc can grow to 7 metres, the anaconda can grow to over 9 metres but is a lot skinnier, and of course the hippo isn't a reptile.

Croc SkinsReporter: Catherine Ellis

INTRO: When you think of the sort of animals you'd use to make clothes - saltwater crocs are probably not very high on the list.

© ABC 2009

It's not like they come across as all that soft or cuddly.

But that is exactly what is happening - croc skins from the muddy mangroves of Oz are all the rage on the catwalks in Paris.

Here's Catherine to explain.

CATHERINE ELLIS, REPORTER: Catwalks, VIPS, glamour, beauty and big bucks - fashion is huge! But while trends come and go, according to the fashionistas, there's one Aussie product here to stay.

CUSTOMER: This is beautiful.

EDWINA MCCANN, FASHION WRITER: Yes it's Australia's salt water crocodile.

Salt water croc skins are a type of leather used to make a range of stuff - it's really popular for handbags like Gucci and Prada.

And because the skin's unusual and unique, that makes it luxurious and desirable!

EDWINA: I recently saw a show where they fashioned full-length coats out of crocodile skins and thigh-high boots. I mean this is not a trend that's going to go away any time soon.

Demand for the stuff is rising. Almost 12,000 skins were exported from the Northern Territory last year - demand has almost doubled in a decade!

© ABC 2009

GREGORY LACOSTE, SKIN GRADER: It's a species that people in Europe, designers, are looking for because of the pattern of the scales, and when they think of a new bag or a new design, they just simply think of Australian saltwater crocodile skin.

And here's where it starts.

Tens of thousands of salt water croc eggs are collected across northern Australia.

This farm is actually the biggest - with 50,000 reptiles behind wire.

The eggs are incubated to increase their chance of survival and then it takes about three years for the crocs to grow to a size where their skins can be used.

The idea is to produce a blemish free skin.

This particular farm near Darwin produces lots of top quality skins, but their chief scientist Sally has been working on ways of making them even better. Apparently the fashion industry loves the skins to have lots of rows of scales - the more the better. Also, it would be better for the farmers if the crocs grew quicker!

So Sally's been working on this and she reckons the answer lies in their DNA.

CATHERINE: DNA is something we all have. It's in every cell in our bodies. It's like a list of instructions which determine how we grow and what we look like.

So scientists reckon if they can work out which bits of the crocs DNA are responsible for making them grow quicker

© ABC 2009

and more scaly, they can breed the right crocs to make perfect skins.

It's not always the easiest work. They actually had to count the scales on live crocs and take blood samples - pretty scary.

But it's already paying off and they've discovered the bit of DNA which controls the number of scale rows.

So maybe soon they'll be able to breed a new generation of super fashionable super crocs.

PRESENTER: And not everyone agrees with using animal skins for fashion. Next term we'll have a story explaining why.

The Score

While you're waiting for that, we may as well find out what's been happening in sport.

Pakistan has won cricket's World 20-20, beating Sri Lanka by 8 wickets.

Abdul Razzaq Took three for 20 as Sri Lanka was restricted to 6 for 138 off its 20 overs.

Shahid Afridi was named man of the match for guiding Pakistan home with 54 off 40 balls.

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

© ABC 2009

The Wallabies walloped Italy again, this time by 34 points to 12.

The home team scored 5 tries to nil and Adam Ashley-Cooper was man of the match.

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

And a record number of teams have competed in a bed race in England.

Yes that's right - competitors push beds around a town.

The race is actually for charity and it has been held for 44 years.

Kids’ teams also take part.

Quiz 3

OK next we'll be looking another unusual sport .. but we'll start with a quiz.

What is the record for the longest flight by a paper plane?

1. 11.9 seconds

2. 17.9 seconds

3. 27.9 seconds

© ABC 2009

Answer: 27.9 seconds

Paper PlanesReporter: Nathan Bazley

INTRO: OK next we'll be looking another unusual sport.

You might sometimes have been told off by your teacher for making paper planes in class. Now you have an excuse - it's on the curriculum.

Last year we told you about the paper plane championships and today we're going to introduce you to the winners.

They represented Australia in the world championships - and now they're actually visiting schools teaching kids their tricks.

SARAH LARSEN, REPORTER: Who hasn't dreamed of flying?

REPORTER: It may not be a real fighter jet but for most of us this is our first taste of flight - the humble paper plane.

For most of us they're a distraction but for these two they're an art. Meet Dylan Parker and James Norton, two Canberra guys who happen to be the best paper plane makers in the country. Their folding prowess has earned them accolades and a lot of media attention.

DYLAN PARKER: Look, it's been amazing. I've experienced things I'd never even thought I'd do. I've been on radio, TV - it's just been unreal. If you're going to be famous, you've got to be famous for something that's really, really cool.

© ABC 2009

Last year we told you about Australia's national paper plane trials, where students from around the country pitted their folding and flinging against the best and the worst. But while some crashed and burned, Dylan and James soared. They took out the nationals and won a seat on a real plane bound for Austria where the world paper plane championships were held earlier this year.

JAMES NORTON: The atmosphere was incredible and, like, the media just getting your heart pounding. You walk into this huge glass hangar in Salzburg and 85 countries, three people from each country. Everyone had, like, the same love and passion that we do.

It was a brilliant experience for both of these guys but for Dylan there was extra emotion. Two weeks before the nationals he had a brain tumour removed. He says the experience made him more determined to get the most out of life and have fun whenever possible.

DYLAN PARKER: Look, it's the most important thing in the world. That's something that was really clarified during my sickness, is that if you don't have all these little fun things in your life, then, you know, it's not really balanced. So all these paper planes and all the childish things I've been doing in the last few months since my surgery has really helped me get back on my feet and it's been such a fun and exciting time.

A world championship win would have been the perfect ending, but sadly it wasn't to be. James' hopes crashed into a wall but Dylan came third. His speciality is distance and he shows how to get the most out of a flight. DYLAN PARKER: The key, my key to distance is having something that is very thin, like this one. It has very little drag, which is wind resistance. Now the boys are passing on their knowledge to kids at schools.

KID: So they can go further and smoother.

© ABC 2009

JAMES NORTON: At the front of the wind they have a rounded nose section which gives a plane lift.

Of course, not everyone's a flight engineer.

REPORTER: That looks good, how do you think it will go?GIRL: Terribly.REPORTER: That's not important, is it?GIRL: All about looks.

Maybe these big kids will inspire the next generation of paper plane champions.

PRESENTER: If you want some hints on how to make some of those planes hit our homepage.

Closer

Just before we go, the ABC's new kids channel has been officially launched.

ABC 3 will start transmitting before Christmas and will broadcast shows for kids from 6 to 15.

It will be on air between 6 in the morning and 9 at night and we'll also be doing a kids news every day from Monday to Friday.

We'll let you know when it switches on.

That's it for this show and this term!

© ABC 2009

We're taking a break for three weeks, but you'll still be able to catch us in BtN Daily.

And we'll see you when we get back! Catch you then!

© ABC 2009