Questions for discussionUpsetting News

1. Discuss the Upsetting News story with another student.2. When do you watch the news?3. Why do you watch the news?4. How do you feel when you watch some news stories? 5. Which recent news stories have made you feel upset?6. What do you do if something upsets you?7. Who can you talk to if something in the news upsets you?8. Complete the following sentence: Sad and upsetting stories are on the news because...9. What advice does Kirrilie the child psychologist give?10. What do you understand more clearly since watching this story?

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

Asylum Kids1. Summarise the Asylum Kids story.2. What happened to the students from Woodville High School?3. Where were the students sent?4. Which country were the students from?5. In your own words, describe what an asylum seeker is.6. What have the students at Woodville High School been doing to try to help their classmates?7. What did they say in the letters they wrote to them?8. What did some students say in their speech at the Youth Parliament?9. What are they hoping the campaign will achieve?10. How did this story make you feel?

Check out the BtN Asylum Kids teacher resource on the Teachers page http://www.abc.net.au/btn/teachers.htm

Web Secrets1. What was the main point of the Web Secrets story?2. Complete the following sentence: A recent study found that...3. What percentage of kids interviewed in the study said their parents didn’t know what they did

online?4. What reasons did the kids give for parents not knowing?5. How are kids hiding what they do online?6. Do you think kids have a right to keep some of what they do online private? Why?7. What are some advantages of parents being aware of what their children are doing online?8. How much do you share what you do online with your parents?9. Do parents have a right to know about everything you do online?

1

Episode 215th August 2014

10. How has your thinking changed since watching the story?

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

WWI Centenary1. What is the Centenary of World War I?2. When did the First World War start?3. Why did Australia become involved in the war?4. Complete the following sentence: Some young Australian men were so keen to sign up to

serve in the war they...5. During which battle did the ANZACs fight together for the first time?6. Describe what life for the soldiers was like in the trenches?7. Where did most of the fighting happen?8. How did the attitudes of Australians change as the war went on?9. What is an armistice and in which year was it signed?10. How many soldiers and civilians were killed or wounded in World War I?

Check out the BtN WWI Centenary resource on the Teachers page http://www.abc.net.au/btn/teachers.htm

Scottish Dancing1. Where is Scotland? Locate it on a map.2. What is Scottish dancing also known as?3. Why do the students like to learn Scottish dancing?4. Briefly describe the history of Scottish dancing.5. It was a form of ______________ dancing to show off ___________.6. Describe what the Scottish dance routines involve.7. What do the men wear when they dance?8. What is a sporran?9. Which pattern are Scottish kilts almost always made from?

a. Ginghamb. Tartanc. Houndstooth

10. Illustrate an aspect of this story.

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

2

Activity

Asylum KidsKey LearningStudents will examine the terms asylum seeker, refugee and migrant and discuss the differences. They will also investigate reasons why people become asylum seekers and refugees.

The Australian CurriculumCivics and Citizenship/Knowledge and Understanding/Citizenship, diversity and identity

History/Historical Knowledge and Understanding/The Australian colonies

The obligations citizens may consider they have beyond their own national borders as active and informed global citizens (ACHCK039)Year 6

The reasons people migrated to Australia from Europe and Asia, and the experiences and contributions of a particular migrant group within a colony (ACHHK096) Year 5

Discussion Questions1. Summarise the Asylum Kids story.

2. What happened to the students from Woodville High School?

3. Where were the students sent?

4. Which country were the students from?

5. In your own words, describe what an asylum seeker is.

6. What have the students at Woodville High School been doing to try to help their classmates?

7. What did they say in the letters they wrote to them?

8. What did some students say in their speech at the Youth Parliament?

9. What are they hoping the campaign will achieve?

10. How did this story make you feel?

Activities

Class discussion

Discuss the issues raised in the Asylum Kids story. Ask students to write down what they think the following terms mean.

An asylum seeker is...A refugee is...A migrant is...

Students will develop an understanding of what an asylum seeker is. Ask students to brainstorm and record words they associate with asylum seeker.As a class, share what each group brainstormed. Record all responses on a large sheet of paper. Ask students to consider the following questions:

Which words have a positive or negative meaning?

3

Episode 215th August 2014

Where they have heard the words used - media, friends, family? What has shaped their understanding and opinion of asylum seekers?

Come up with a class definition of what an asylum seeker is.

Why do people become asylum seekers?

People don’t plan to become asylum seekers or refugees. Usually circumstances beyond their control force them to flee. Discuss with students reasons why people might leave their homeland. Ask them to think of three reasons and write them on post-it notes. Collate student responses and discuss.

Ask students to image they had to flee their home in a hurry, leaving their family and belongings to move to another country. Think about where they would go, how they would travel and what resources they would need. Students can present their ideas as a story or create a picture that describes the experience.

To take the activity further, students can find out which countries asylum seekers and refugees come from that make their way to Australia. On a world map, students:

label and shade these countries label two countries that border each country Choose one country and mark the route people would take to get from there to Australia Which countries would they pass through on their journey to Australia?

Which countries around the world resettle refugees and people in humanitarian need each year? What proportion does Australia accept? Display the information in a table.

Refugee art

’

Mohammad, 'Freedom', coffee on paper

4

Explore how some refugees use art to tell their stories. The Refugee Art Project has artwork created by refugees http://therefugeeartproject.com/home/gallery/ Ask students to choose an artwork and respond to the following questions:Which gallery was the artwork from?What story does it tell about the artist’s experience?How did the artwork make you feel?

Further Investigation

How does Australia help refugees? What support do they get to resettle? Work with a partner to find out what is being done and make a list of things that could be done to help refugees. What is done in your school or local community to help refugees resettle? Present your information to the class.

8 Related Research Links

Behind the News – Asylum Seekershttp://www.abc.net.au/btn/story/s2881114.htm

Behind the News – Detention Centreshttp://www.abc.net.au/btn/story/s3044730.htm

Racism, No Way – Fact Sheetshttp://www.racismnoway.com.au/teaching-resources/factsheets/44.html

UNHCR – Asylum Seekershttp://www.unhcr.org/pages/49c3646c137.html

The Refugee Art Project – Gallerieshttp://therefugeeartproject.com/home/gallery/

5

Activity

World War I CentenaryKey LearningStudents will gain a deeper understanding of Australia’s involvement in the First World War.

The Australian CurriculumHistory / Historical Skills / Chronology, terms and concepts

Sequence historical events, developments and periods (ACHHS205)

Use historical terms and concepts (ACHHS206)

History / Historical Skills / Historical questions and research

Identify a range of questions about the past to inform a historical inquiry. (ACHHS207)

History / Historical Knowledge and Understanding / Community and Remembrance

Days and weeks celebrated or commemorated in Australia (including Australia Day, ANZAC Day, Harmony Week, National Reconciliation Week, NAIDOC week and National Sorry Day) and the importance of symbols and emblems.(ACHHK063)

Discussion Questions

1. What is the Centenary of World War I?2. When did the First World War start?3. Why did Australia become involved in the war?4. Complete the following sentence: Some young Australian men were so keen to sign up to

serve in the war they...5. During which battle did the ANZACs fight together for the first time?6. Describe what life for the soldiers was like in the trenches?7. Where did most of the fighting happen?8. How did the attitudes of Australians change as the war went on?9. What is an armistice and in which year was it signed?10. How many soldiers and civilians were killed or wounded in World War I?

Activities

Key words

Students will find out what the following key words mean.

6

Episode 215th August 2014

Gallipoli trenchesenlist

Anzac alliesarmistice

Snapshot of World War I

Students will find out more about World War I and create a snapshot of Australia involvement in the war. The following questions can be used to help guide students’ research.

Why did Australia become involved in this war? How was Australia involved in the war? Which events started and ended World War I? Where were Australian troops located? Show on a map. What were the major battles in the First World War? What was the role of women in World War I?

Students can display their research in using one of the following:

Prezi http://prezi.com/index/ Glogster http://www.glogster.com/

Recruiting soldiers

Students look at the recruitment posters for the First World War and respond to the following questions:

How are young men being encouraged to enlist? What words and pictures were used? Why would recruitment posters have been needed during the First World War?

Listen to the audio recording of five Australian solders explaining why they signed up to fight in WWI. Briefly describe their experiences and memories. http://www.awm.gov.au/blog/2013/12/04/sound-collection-online-recruitment-recalls/

Images from World War I

Students will look at the following images from World War 1 and then respond to the following questions:

What is happening in the image? Where do you think they are? How do you think they might be feeling? Is there a message about war that come across in the image? What three questions would you ask the person/people in the image? Create a caption for each image.

7

8

Biography

Students will choose an Australian who served in World War I and create a biography about them. The person could be a well known serviceman or woman or someone related to the student.

The following plan provides a guide for students when writing a biography. Research Set a direction for your biography Create a plan Start writing Edit

Encourage students to present their research using maps, timelines, drawings and photographs in an interesting way, for example using Bio Cube Creator http://www.readwritethink.org/files/resources/interactives/cube_creator/

Remind students that they will need to cite all references in a bibliography at the end of their biography.

Further Investigation

Students investigate what life was like in the trenches for Australian soldiers. What were the conditions like and what problems did soldiers face? Draw a picture to illustrate life in the trenches.

8 Related Research LinksBehind the News – Remembrance Dayhttp://www.abc.net.au/btn/story/s3880227.htm

ABC – First World War Centenaryhttp://www.abc.net.au/news/first-world-war-centenary/

Australian War Memorial – Centenary of the First World Warhttps://www.awm.gov.au/1914-1918/

Australian War Memorial – Timeline WWIhttps://www.awm.gov.au/1914-1918/timeline/#43

9

Research questions Who is the biography about? Where are they from? Find it on a map. How did they become involved in WWI? Briefly describe their service during the war. What were their challenges? Describe their life after the war.

Alec Campbell

John Simpson Kirkpatrick

Albert Jacka

Vera Deakin

Australian War Memorial – First World War trench environmenthttp://www.awm.gov.au/education/schools/discovery-zone/first-world-war/

Civics and Citizenship Education – Australia’s involvement in World War Ihttp://www.civicsandcitizenship.edu.au/cce/fast_facts_file,9614.html

10

BtN: Episode 21 Transcript 5/8/14Coming up:

Do you tell your parents what you get up to online? A new study says probably not.

100 years on from World War One, we find out why it all happened and what it was like to be there.

And to celebrate the Commonwealth Games in Scotland we put Matt in a kilt and taught him to dance.

Hi I'm Nathan and you're watching Behind the News. You can see all that stuff a bit later on. But first as you'd know there's been some pretty serious stories around lately. Here's the wire with the latest on them.

The WireAussie Federal Police officers arrived in Ukraine this week. Ready to help with the search of the MH17 crash site. It took the experts a while to make it there. Because fighting in the area between the Ukrainian military and pro Russian rebels made it too dangerous. But they were let through on Thursday. And have been searching the area ever since.

Over the weekend, Israeli and Palestinian leaders called a ceasefire after weeks of violence. It was supposed to last 72 hours. But it barely lasted two!

Since then, the situation in the area has only gotten worse. With Israeli forces bombing a school in Gaza, where people who had fled their homes were hiding.

And over in Africa. Doctors are working hard to contain a disease called Ebola. It's a very contagious virus. And it's really deadly because there's no cure for it. Right now, it's spreading through the North West of Africa. And more than 700 people have died. But experts say it's pretty unlikely the virus will spread to Australia.

11

Upsetting NewsReporter: Natasha Thiele

INTRO: As you saw there, there's been some pretty troubling stuff going on around the world recently. The MH17 tragedy, the conflict in Gaza and now Ebola are all pretty scary stories to hear about. When this much bad stuff happens in a short period of time it can leave many of us, adults and kids feeling a bit overwhelmed. So Tash decided to find out what you can do about it.

NATASHA THIELE, REPORTER: It's easy to feel sad and upset about some of the things you see on the news. Because it's real it can be really hard to take in. But it's on there for a reason. It's important and it shows us things that could change the world as we know it.

REPORTER: So when do you watch the news?

KID 1: I watch the news when my parents are watching it.

KID 2: I watch the news because I just like see what's happening all around the world.

KID 3: I watch it sometimes when I just turn on the TV and I see something interesting so I watch it.

But news stories can make people feel different things.

KID 4: Some stories make me feel upset because people are fighting but they don't know why they're fighting.

KID 5: The stories that make me upset when I watch the news are when people died or get hurt for no reason and ones where there are kids involved

KID 6: It makes me feel lucky that I'm in a country that doesn't have a lot of fighting and sad because lots of young kids are getting injured.

REPORTER: And how do you deal with the way you're feeling?

12

KID 7: I deal about how I feel by calling my Grandma and then my Grandma asks me 'What's been happening lately?' or 'How's things?' and I just kind of like tell her everything.

KID 3: I talk to my parents about it and sometimes they tell me it's alright.

KID 5: I deal with it by like talking to my friends and everyone else but, so then we both understand.

But is that the best way to deal with upsetting news? Kirrilie is a child psychologist and part of her job is talking to kids about their feelings.

REPORTER: Thanks for joining us!

KID 1: Why do some stories in the news upset us?

KIRRILIE SMOUT, CHILD PSYCHOLOGIST: It's because you're seeing things on the news that are scary and sad and when you feel scared and sad about what's happening on the news you should remind yourself that it means you're becoming a responsible human citizen. You're not alone, there are lots of people in the world who feel scared and sad about what's happening on the news and that's because you're mature enough now to understand that there's really tricky stuff in the world.

KID 2: What should we be thinking when we're watching the news?

KIRRILIE: One thing to remember or to think when we're watching the news is that the news usually only has a really short period of time to tell us about something. They might have 30 seconds, they might have 3 minutes and that means they have to leave a lot of stuff out and some of the stuff that they leave out can help us feel better.

KID 8: How should we deal with our feelings?

KIRRLIE: One thing you can do to feel better is to remind yourself that what's on your news is news because it's unusual, it's special, it's different, it's not that everyday stuff that happens. I think you should talk to anyone you feel comfortable talking to, sometimes that's other people in your class or friends, sometimes it might be a teacher or a school councillor, your mums and dads are often great people to talk to.

KID 7: What's something else we can do when we're feeling upset?

13

KIRRILIE: One thing I would recommend that we all do when we're watching the news and we're seeing something that upsets us is to look for the helpers, to look for the good because in every difficult situation whether it be a catastrophe or a war or a disaster of some kind, there are good people who are trying to help.

And above all remember that you choose what you watch, so if something upsets you can always just turn it off!

Presenter: Thanks to Kirrilie and all the kids for sharing their feelings with us for that story. And we'd love it if you guys would do the same on our website. Okay, soon we're going to find out about some young asylum seekers. But first, let's go to a quiz.

Quiz 1

How many people asked for asylum in Australia in 2011?

1,500

11,500

Or 31,500

The answer - 11,500

In the same year, 74,000 people asked for asylum in the US.

Asylum KidsReporter: Natasha Thiele

INTRO: Recently, two teenage asylum seekers from Vietnam were unexpectedly taken from their homes in Adelaide and sent to a detention centre in Darwin. Soon after they escaped from that centre and went on the run. But while immigration officers try to find them, back at their school in Adelaide friends and classmates have been campaigning for their return. Tash has more.

NATASHA THIELE, REPORTER: Imagine if one day two of your classmates didn't turn up for school. They were asylum seekers hoping for a better life in Australia. But they were taken away by immigration

14

officers before you could even say goodbye. What would you do? Well that's exactly what happened to two teenage boys in Adelaide recently. They were flown to Darwin's Wickham Point Detention Centre. The government says it was just a normal part of a system that needs to be followed. But their friends disagree.

This is some of them from Woodville High School.

REPORTER: Thanks for having me here. So can you tell about the two students that were taken away?

KYLE: They had a lot of friends, you know, everyone thought they were really good and respectful students, they were even on a soccer team together so it wasn't like they were abnormal in any way, you know especially this being a very multicultural community, they fit right in.

REPORTER: And did they ever talk about what it was like to be asylum seekers here in Australia?

STEVEN: Ah no, they kept that part of their life very private, I mean it's kind of understandable like most students with that kind of background wouldn't like to mention it.

These guys were really upset when their friends were taken. All they want to do now is bring them home.

KATHY: We feel real strongly about this topic. We don't think that it's really fair for students to be taken without any reason and yeah we just feel really upset and wanna do something about it so.

STEVEN: None of us were actually told, we either heard from word of mouth or actually like knowing the students ourselves yeah we weren't informed of this decision.

REPORTER: And have you had any contact with them?

KEVIN: We have been given an opportunity to send them letters from ourselves, but we haven't received the opportunity yet and it's quite distressful for us.

REPORTER: What did you, what did you write in the letters? What did you want to tell them?

15

KEVIN: I wanted to say I'm sorry I couldn't help them on the day and that I'm here fighting for them now.

REPORTER: What have you guys been doing to try to get them back?

KASSIDY: It started with a petition, a signature petition that we started at school and then like students from the Youth Parliament group when they were there they got lots of friends and stuff and they started liked Facebook pages, Twitter pages and a hashtag and stuff like that just to try help and then Kyle over there started an online petition which has over 9,000 signatures.

They also delivered a speech at Youth Parliament, which gives kids a chance to talk about the issues concerning them.

KYLE: And since I think we've been in three newspaper interviews between us, probably two to three TV interviews, a few radio shows as well.

But their determination doesn't end here. They've also now held a protest that attracted lots of people!

The fate of these two kids is an issue these guys feel strongly about and they're hoping their campaign will make a difference!

WATHNACK: We want them back to Adelaide, we want them back to our school.

KATHY: We're just really thankful for all the support that we are getting and yeah hopefully it gets solved soon.

KEVIN: They deserve to be safe, they deserve an education.

Presenter: Now, as we said at the start of that story, those two kids are currently on the run in Darwin. The government says it's concerned about their welfare and is trying to find them as quickly as possible. But they stress that in taking them into detention they were just following standard procedures that have been in place for many years.

Web SecretsReporter: Emma Davis

16

INTRO: Now, how much do you tell your parents about what you do online?Everything? A little bit? Or nothing at all? A recent study has found the majority of kids try to hide their online actions from their parents. Emma found out why.

MUM: "What are you doing?SON: "Go away Mum!"

EMMA DAVIS, REPORTER: This situation probably looks a little familiar.

SON: "Mum is always trying to check up on me"MUM: "I'm not nosy, just curious!"

REPORTER/EMMA DAVIS: But how much of what you do online do you want to share with your parents? According to a new study, not that much! More than one thousand Aussie kids were asked a heap of questions about what they do online and 70 percent of them said their parents don't really know what they're up to. Some of them said it's because their parents can't keep up with technology. But most said they hide stuff on purpose. That could mean deleting their internet history, hiding messages or even creating fake profile pages! But why all the secrecy?

Well a lot of kids say they have the right to keep some stuff private.

SON: "I don't want mum reading all my messages, they're private! If I had a journal she wouldn't look at them."

Plus some kids see it as a lack of trust if they catch their parents snooping.

SON: "Mum should trust me. I'm not doing anything dangerous!"

MUM: "Oh yeah looking up how to slam dunk off a garbage bin isn't dangerous at all!"

But on your parent's side, most just want to check that you're ok and not in trouble.

MUM: "I'm not trying to spy on him, I only want to make sure nothing bad is happening. I mean, what if he's being bullied or something?"

17

Also, parents are a bit more careful about other problems you can get into online. Like giving away personal details.

MUM: "Sometimes I'm really worried that he'll put something online without really meaning to. I mean, putting up your personal info can be really dangerous!"

Or posting photos that can cause headaches for yourself later in life or even break the law!

MUM: Yeah I'm sure employers are going to be jumping at the chance to hire you with a shot of you mooning at the camera online.

SON: What? Sometimes I don't realise what I'm posting.

Having a parent double check your posts is a good way to make sure that doesn't happen!

Overall 80 percent of the kids did admit their parents give good advice when it comes to social media. But they can only give advice about things they can see. So how much do you want to let your parents in on?

GIRL 1: "I think they should see most of what I do to make sure I don't do something wrong by accident."GIRL 2: "Because they might post something that they're gonna regret later on."GIRL 3: "I share most of it with my parents because they have a right to know what I do and just in case I download a virus or something."BOY: "I don't like anyone looking at my messages or going on my devices, even though there's nothing bad on them. I just don't want them to go on it because it's my personal stuff."

Online PollRight, let's find out how you guys feel about that one. Do parents have a right to know about everything you do online?

Our website is the place to vote. Last week we asked you if naughty corner type punishments go against your rights as a kid. Lots of you voted and it was a pretty close result.

Just in front, were those of you who said the naughty corner is perfectly fine.

18

WW1 CentenaryReporter: Matt Holbrook

INTRO: This week marks 100 years since the start of Australia's involvement in the First World War. At the time, very few people realised just how big an impact it would have on our country and the world. But how did it all happen? Here's Matt.

Donald Goldsmith Armstrong: I am going to have a try for the war, I think I ought to go, they want all they can get and I think it is the greatest opportunity for a chap to make a man of himself

Nurse, Evelyn Davies: I feel that now I have the opportunity, I ought to go. Nurses are badly needed, goodness knows, and someone must do it. I want to do the right thing.

These are the words of Donald Armstrong and Evelyn Davies. Just two of the hundreds of thousands of young Australians who volunteered for World War One.

It all began in 1914. There were a lot of complicated things happening already, but when Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria was killed on June 28, things exploded.

Austria declared war on Serbia. And countries supporting both sides came to help. Suddenly a small war became a big one. On one side were the Allies, including countries like France, Britain and Russia. On the other were the Central Powers. Germany, Austria-Hungary, and the Ottoman Empire (now Turkey).

At the time, Australia was still a member of the British Empire, so they joined the Allies. The word went out for volunteers, and more than four hundred thousand young men enlisted. Some young teenagers also wanted to fight, so they lied about their age to get in. In 1915 they landed at Gallipoli. Soldiers from New Zealand joined them, inspiring the legend of the ANZACS. And they fought the famous battle we still learn about today.

Archie Barwick: It did seem funny to hear the bullets cutting into the scrub alongside of us as we went along and no-one seemed afraid. It was when we began to realise that bullets hurt when they hit you that we knew what fear was.

19

But most of the fighting didn't happen here. It happened on the Western Front, in France. As the war stretched on, technology advanced quickly. Soon planes ruled the skies. There was fighting in the air, at sea, and on the ground.

Frank Hurley: It has been a glorious and frightful day. The battle is over and we have achieved our objectives. All last night a heavy bombardment was maintained on the enemy's lines.

Life was especially tough for soldiers in the trenches. A big threat here was disease. The trenches weren't clean, there wasn't much medical help, and at times it got really cold. Many soldiers died because of the conditions they lived in, rather than in battle.

Dene Barrett Fry: My dear mother, I am far too upset and sick at heart to say much mother dear for I've just had a telegram from Tommy which tells me Allen died of wounds in France on August 14th.

By 1918, the Allies started to get the upper hand. And on the 11th of November, 1918, European leaders came together to sign an armistice, an agreement to end the war.

The Great War was over, but the effects of it would last a long, long time. 16 million people died, and many more were wounded. 100 years has now passed since the war began, and while those who witnessed it are gone, their stories will live on.

John Harold Falconer: Thinking over the times I have been through, and of the pals I have fought with and whom I have lost, I feel proud that I was one of them in the big venture that they laid down their lives in.

Quiz 2Let's go to a quiz on that.

What percentage of Australian men aged 18 - 44 enlisted to fight in WWI?

9

19

20

Or 39%

The answer is 39%

Can you imagine that many people signing up today?

Okay. Sports news now. Here's the Score.

The ScoreThe Commonwealth Games is over in Glasgow. And Australia had plenty of golden moments. Among them, Sally Pearson's win in the 100 metre hurdles. Here she's congratulating fellow gold medallist, Eleanor Patterson who took out the high jump.

Australia finished second overall in the medal tally. With 49 gold 42 silver and 46 bronze. England took out top spot.

Aussie Sam Willoughby. Has won the BMX world title in the Netherlands. It's the second time he's done it. He first won the event back in 2012. This time around. He took out gold in both the elite men's event and the time trial.

And Aussie Tyler Wright is now number three in the world, after winning the US Open Surfing comp in California. She beat five-time world champion Stephanie Gilmore to kick-start her own world champion quest.

Scottish DancingReporter: Matt Holbrook

INTRO: As you saw in the score the Commonwealth Games have just wrapped up in Glasgow, Scotland. So to celebrate we sent Matt to learn about one of Scotland's main cultural traditions, highland dancing. And that included wearing a kilt. Take a look.

MATT HOLBROOK, REPORTER: The graceful moves of a warrior. Showcasing speed, strength and balance. OK, maybe not in this case. But when these dancers do it, it's amazing to watch! This is Highland Dancing. And while it started in Scotland, here in Australia, it's got some pretty keen fans!

ALITA: What I like about highland dancing, is it's really fun and you get to do lots of experiences and stuff.

21

NATASHA: Highland dancing is not Irish dancing, which people get confused with. It's more ballet, but it's not, and it's really good for fitness.

Highland dancing dates back a long, long time. And some of the dances have a bit of a gory history!

NATASHA: Highland dancing obviously originated in Scotland, there's a lot of history in lots of dances, like we have a dance called the sword dance which is about how when the Scotsmen went to fight they would chop the heads off their enemies and put it on the end of their sword and dance over it. And if they hit it, it wasn't a good day to go out to battle.

These days it's a lot less violent, but tradition still plays a big part.

MATT HOLBROOK, REPORTER: Aside from dancing, appearance is really important. You might have noticed, but normally I don't wear a lot of kilts.

Luckily, I've got Jo to explain things for me.

MATT: Jo, can you tell me a bit about what we're wearing today?

JO: Alright so I'll start with probably the most noticeable, that's probably the kilt. It's like a dress but not really like a dress, it's a lot heavier.

MATT: It is rather comfortable, though, but you can see my hairy knees, so.

JO: Mine aren't that hairy.

There are a few differences in what girls and guys wear, but this is one of the biggies, the sporran. It's basically a pouch to store stuff, which is good, because my kilt doesn't have any pockets.

Now I almost look the part, it's time for my first lesson leg movement.

JO: This actually resembles a stag.

And then, the arms.

MATT: Put it under your arm, like this is just how I roll.

22

Then, it's show-time, and while this is basically a solo dance, I still manage to run into someone anyway.

MATT: Oh, sorry about that.

GIRL: That's OK.

MATT: I think I should leave now.

But even if you find it a bit challenging to begin with, this group say Highland Dancing's definitely worth trying, even for someone like me.

MATT: Good work guys, I think you should try to keep up with me a bit more next time, but it's OK.

Closer

And that brings us to the end of the show! But the fun doesn't have to end there. Head to our website to let us know what you thought of our stories this week and cast your vote in our poll on your parents and the web. Have a good one, and we'll see you next time!

23

24