w? ou wn science scorpions inspire scientists€¦ · scorpions inspire scientists the way that...

7
6 A HUGE blast on the sun’s surface has caused the northern lights to be seen further south than usual. The explosion, which is technically known as a coronal mass ejection (CME), fired a huge stream of fast, energetic particles towards Earth. The northern lights, or aurora borealis, are caused by these charged particles from the sun hitting the Earth’s magnetic field. They release energy in the form of light, causing the dramatic greens and reds that brighten the night sky. Although we hear about the northern lights most often, the same thing happens at the south pole, where they are called the aurora australis, or southern lights. People in Scotland reported seeing amazing auroral displays, but the lights could even be seen as far south as North Yorkshire. The Space Weather Prediction Center says that the CME caused the strongest solar radiation storm since October 2003. These radiation storms have been known to affect satellites and radio communications, but they aren’t harmful to humans. Did you see the northern lights this week? Send an email to newsdesk@firstnews.co.ukand let us know! AN interesting study in Psychological Sciencehas shown that acting out sayings can make people more creative. Five experiments were carried out to see if sayings related to creativity could actually help someone to come up with lots of original ideas. The phrase “think outside the box” has been so overused that it’s become a bit of a joke. However, in the study, volunteers were asked to complete some creativity tests either sat literally inside a box, or just outside of one. The people outside the box did actually come up with more ideas, and more original ones, than those who did the tests in the box. Another test looked at the phrase “putting two and two together”. Some volunteers had to put halved coasters together again, while others just moved them to different piles. The ones who literally put the two halves together were better at tests where they had to take several pieces of information and work out the right answer. THE way that scorpions can resist wear and tear from fierce desert sandstorms could help scientists to make longer-lasting machinery. Sand is incredibly tough, so when it is blown at high speeds by desert winds it can cause a lot of damage. However, the yellow fat-tailed scorpion, Androctonus australis, can survive in harsh desert environments without suffering erosion to its body. Erosion is a serious problem in industry and can affect everything from pipes and machinery to helicopter rotors and jet engines. Dirt, sand or grit in the air or inside machinery is often responsible. By using microscopes to study the bodies of several scorpions, scientists found that the creatures have a mixture of tiny bumps and grooves on their backs. The researchers then used computer models to see how air travels down these grooves. They found that because of the way air flows down the grooves, sand particles are either channelled away from the scorpion’s body, or strike it with much less force than they would if the grooves weren’t there. Scorpions inspire scientists SCIENCE For more science news, pictures and videos go to www.firstnews.co.uk/discover Did you know ? The yellow fat-tailed scorpion (see above) gets its scientific name, Androctonus australis, from a mixture of Latin and Greek. Australis is Latin for ‘southern’, while androctonus is a rough translation of the Greek words for ‘man-killer’. Dino den FirstNews ISSUE 295 3 – 9 FEBRUARY 2012 Thinking outside the box A DIG in South Africa has uncovered a 190-million-year-old dinosaur nesting site, which is 90 million years older than any similar sites that have been discovered so far. Fossilised adult dinosaurs, eggs and embryos were discovered in the Golden Gate Highlands National Park. The fossils are all of the Massospondylus species, which is a relative of the large, long- necked sauropods. Tiny footprints made by baby dinosaurs were also found at the site. Researchers say that at least ten different nests have been found at different depths in the area. The evidence suggests that the creatures returned repeatedly to the same nesting site and also gathered in groups to lay their eggs. The fossils show that the baby dinosaurs stayed at the nest until they had at least doubled in size, according to the report in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. Solar burst £1.30 3 – 9 FEBRUARY 2012 ISSUE 295 Working with First Newssupports children’s charities The weekly newspaper for young people NATIONAL NEWSPAPER OF THE YEAR ** MORE THAN A MILLION READERS * THE KING IS DEAD, LONG LIVE THE QUEEN The Queen came to the throne on 6 February 1952, although her coronation – or crowning – didn’t take place until 2 June 1953. This year there will be Diamond Jubilee celebrations, marking the Queen’s 60 years on the throne, both in Britain and overseas, especially over the Diamond Jubilee central weekend (2–5 June). But how did Princess Elizabeth become Queen? After her marriage in 1947, Princess Elizabeth began to make visits abroad with her husband, The Duke of Edinburgh. This way of life didn’t last long, because her father, King George VI, wasn’t well. In 1952, his illness forced him to abandon his planned visit to Australia and New Zealand. Princess Elizabeth took his place. On Wednesday 6 February 1952, Princess Elizabeth was in Kenya when she received the news of her father’s death. It meant she had immediately ascended the throne to become Queen – leading to the phrase: “The King is dead. Long live the Queen.” The tour had to be abandoned, and the young Princess flew back to Britain as Queen. She was greeted by Prime Minister Winston Churchill at the airport. The Queen’s coronation took place in Westminster Abbey, but not until 2 June 1953. View films from the archives charting the death of King George VI and The Queen’s accession and coronation at: www.firstnews.co.uk. by editor Nicky Cox EXACTLY 60 years ago this week, King George VI died and his daughter, Princess Elizabeth, instantly became Queen. The greatest show on Earth?2012 Olympics p2 WIN! An overnight stay at Alton Towers p19 Jedward’s Big Adventure! Exclusive interview p12 FirstNews TEACHING RESOURCES www.firstnews.co.uk © First News, Newsbridge Ltd. Can you: Find the facts? Interpret the information? Work out why the journalist wrote and presented the story in the way that they did? FirstNews ISSUE 295 3 - 9 FEBRUARY 2012 LOOK CLOSER Weekly In-Depth Reading Comprehension SCIENCE For more science news, pictures and videos go to www.firstnews.co.uk/discover GLOSSARY computer model – or simulation is set up to imitate a real situation on a computer so scientists can explore it and test their predictions erosion – the gradual wearing away and destruction of something microscope – a piece of equipment which magnifies very small objects so that you can see them sand – natural material found on beaches and in deserts made up of tiny pieces of rock Scorpions inspire scientists THE way that scorpions can resist wear and tear from fierce desert sandstorms could help scientists to make longer-lasting machinery. Sand is incredibly tough, so when it is blown at high speeds by desert winds it can cause a lot of damage. However, the yellow fat-tailed scorpion, Androctonus australis, can survive in harsh desert environments without suffering erosion to its body. Erosion is a serious problem in industry and can affect everything from pipes and machinery to helicopter rotors and jet engines. Dirt, sand or grit in the air or inside machinery is often responsible. By using microscopes to study the bodies of several scorpions, scientists found that the creatures have a mixture of tiny bumps and grooves on their backs. The researchers then used computer models to see how air travels down these grooves. They found that because of the way air flows down the grooves, sand particles are either channelled away from the scorpion’s body, or strike it with much less force than they would if the grooves weren’t there. A yellow fat- tailed scorpion like the ones used in the study Siim Sepp Sand grains are responsible for the erosion problems inside machinery.

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Page 1: w? ou wn SCIENCE Scorpions inspire scientists€¦ · Scorpions inspire scientists THE way that scorpions can resist wear and tear from fierce desert sandstorms could help scientists

6

a huge blast on the sun’s surface has caused the

northern lights to be seen further south than usual.

The explosion, which is technically known as a coronal mass ejection

(CME), fired a huge stream of fast, energetic particles towards Earth.

The northern lights, or aurora borealis, are caused by these charged

particles from the sun hitting the Earth’s magnetic field. They release

energy in the form of light, causing the dramatic greens and reds that

brighten the night sky. Although we hear about the northern lights

most often, the same thing happens at the south pole, where they are

called the aurora australis, or southern lights.

People in Scotland reported seeing amazing auroral displays, but the

lights could even be seen as far south as North Yorkshire.

The Space Weather Prediction Center says that the CME caused the

strongest solar radiation storm since October 2003.

These radiation storms have been known to affect satellites and radio

communications, but they aren’t harmful to humans.

Did you see the northern lights this week? Send an email to

[email protected] and let us know!

an interesting study in Psychological Science has shown

that acting out sayings can make people more creative.

Five experiments were carried out to see if sayings related to creativity could actually help someone to come up with lots of original ideas.The phrase “think outside the

box” has been so overused that it’s become a bit of a joke. However, in the study, volunteers were asked to complete some creativity tests either sat literally inside a box, or just outside of one. The people outside the box did actually come

up with more ideas, and more original ones, than those who did the tests in the box.Another test looked at the phrase

“putting two and two together”. Some volunteers had to put halved coasters together again, while others just moved them to different piles. The ones who literally put the two halves together were better at tests where they had to take several pieces of information and work out the right answer.

the way that scorpions can resist wear and tear from

fierce desert sandstorms could help scientists to make

longer-lasting machinery. Sand is incredibly tough, so when it is blown at high speeds by desert winds it can cause a lot of damage. However, the yellow fat-tailed scorpion, Androctonus australis, can survive in harsh desert environments without suffering erosion to its body.Erosion is a serious problem in

industry and can affect everything from pipes and machinery to helicopter rotors and jet engines. Dirt, sand or grit in the air or inside machinery is often responsible.

By using microscopes to study the bodies of several scorpions, scientists found that the creatures have a mixture of tiny bumps and grooves on their backs. The researchers then used

computer models to see how air travels down these grooves. They found that because of the way air flows down the grooves, sand particles are either channelled away from the scorpion’s body, or strike it with much less force than they would if the grooves weren’t there.

Scorpions inspire scientists

Literally thinking outside a box can help you to

come up with better ideas than if you were inside it

NA

SA/S

DO

/AIA

Get

ty

Get

ty

Juliu

s Cso

tony

i

SCIENCE

For more science news, pictures and videos go to www.firstnews.co.uk/discover

Did you know?The yellow fat-tailed scorpion (see above) gets its scientific name, Androctonus australis, from a mixture of Latin and Greek. Australis is Latin for ‘southern’, while androctonus is a rough translation of the Greek words for ‘man-killer’.

Dino den

FirstNews Issue 295 3 – 9 FEBruArY 2012

Thinking outside the box This image of the activity on the sun was taken by NASA’s Solar Dynamics Observatory

Dinosaurs would continually return to the nesting site

a dig in South africa has uncovered a 190-million-year-old dinosaur nesting site, which is 90 million years older than

any similar sites that have been discovered so far.

Fossilised adult dinosaurs, eggs and

embryos were discovered in the Golden Gate

Highlands National Park. The fossils are all of the Massospondylus

species, which is a relative of the large, long-

necked sauropods. Tiny footprints made by

baby dinosaurs were also found at the site.

researchers say that at least ten different

nests have been found at different depths

in the area. The evidence suggests that the

creatures returned repeatedly to the same

nesting site and also gathered in groups to lay

their eggs.The fossils show that the baby dinosaurs

stayed at the nest until they had at least

doubled in size, according to the report

in Proceedings of the National Academy

of Sciences.

A yellow fat-tailed scorpion like the ones used in the study

solar burst

£1.30 3 – 9 FEBrUArY 2012 IssUE 295

Working with

First News supports

children’s charities

The weekly newspaper for young peopleNATIONAL NEWSPAPER OF THE YEAR**

more than

a million

readers *

*Source: First News Readership Survey, January 2011, Opinion Matters **Awarded by the Plain English Campaign, December 2011.

The King is dead,

long live The queenThe Queen in 1952, waving from

the balcony of Buckingham Palace.

The Queen Mother looks on.

The Queen as she is now.

The Queen came to the throne on 6 February 1952, although her

coronation – or crowning – didn’t take place until 2 June 1953.

This year there will be Diamond Jubilee celebrations, marking the

Queen’s 60 years on the throne, both in Britain and overseas, especially

over the Diamond Jubilee central weekend (2–5 June).

But how did Princess Elizabeth become Queen?

After her marriage in 1947, Princess Elizabeth began to make visits

abroad with her husband, The Duke of Edinburgh.

This way of life didn’t last long, because her father, King George VI,

wasn’t well. In 1952, his illness forced him to abandon his planned visit

to Australia and New Zealand. Princess Elizabeth took his place.

On Wednesday 6 February 1952, Princess Elizabeth was in Kenya

when she received the news of her father’s death. It meant she had

immediately ascended the throne to become Queen – leading to the

phrase: “The King is dead. Long live the Queen.”

The tour had to be abandoned, and the young Princess flew back to

Britain as Queen. She was greeted by Prime Minister Winston Churchill

at the airport. The Queen’s coronation took place in Westminster

Abbey, but not until 2 June 1953.

View films from the archives charting the death of King George VI

and The Queen’s accession and coronation at: www.firstnews.co.uk.

by editor Nicky Cox

EXACTLY 60 years ago this week, King George VI died and his daughter, Princess Elizabeth, instantly became Queen.

The greatest show on

Earth? 2012 Olympics p2

wIn! An overnight

stay at Alton Towers p19

Jedward’s Big Adventure!

Exclusive interview p12

FirstNews TEACHING RESOURCES

www.firstnews.co.uk© First News, Newsbridge Ltd.

Can you: Find the facts? Interpret the information? Work out why the journalist wrote and presented

the story in the way that they did?

FirstNews ISSUE 295 3 - 9 FEBRUARY 2012

LOOK CLOSERWeekly In-Depth Reading Comprehension

SCIENCE For more science news, pictures and videos go to www.firstnews.co.uk/discover

GLOSSARY computer model – or simulation is set up to imitate a real

situation on a computer so scientists can explore it and test their predictions

erosion – the gradual wearing away and destruction of something microscope – a piece of equipment which magnifies very small

objects so that you can see them sand – natural material found on beaches and in deserts made up

of tiny pieces of rock

Scorpions inspire scientistsTHE way that scorpions can resist wear and tear from fierce desert sandstorms could help scientists to make longer-lasting machinery.

Sand is incredibly tough, so when it is blown at high speeds by desert winds it can cause a lot of damage. However, the yellow fat-tailed scorpion, Androctonus australis, can survive in harsh desert environments without suffering erosion to its body.

Erosion is a serious problem in industry and can affect everything from pipes and machinery to helicopter rotors and jet engines. Dirt, sand or grit in the air or inside machinery is often responsible.

By using microscopes to study the bodies of several scorpions, scientists found that the creatures have a mixture of tiny bumps and grooves on their backs.

The researchers then used computer models to see how air travels down these grooves. They found that because of the way air flows down the grooves, sand particles are either channelled away from the scorpion’s body, or strike it with much less force than they would if the grooves weren’t there.

A yellow fat-tailed scorpion

like the ones used in the study

Siim

Sep

pSand grains are responsible for the erosion problems inside

machinery.

Page 2: w? ou wn SCIENCE Scorpions inspire scientists€¦ · Scorpions inspire scientists THE way that scorpions can resist wear and tear from fierce desert sandstorms could help scientists

www.firstnews.co.uk© First News, Newsbridge Ltd.

Can you: Find the facts? Interpret the information? Work out why the journalist wrote and presented the story in

the way that they did?

LOOK CLOSERWeekly In-Depth Reading Comprehension

FirstNews TEACHING RESOURCES

Carefully read the article ‘Scorpions inspire scientists’ and then answer the following questions:

1) Name two types of machine, or parts of a machine, that are damaged by the erosion caused by grit, sand or dirt.

£1.30 3 – 9 FEBrUArY 2012 IssUE 295Working with

First News supports children’s charities

The weekly newspaper for young people

NATIONAL NEWSPAPER OF THE YEAR**

more than a million readers *

*Source: First News Readership Survey, January 2011, Opinion Matters **Awarded by the Plain English Campaign, December 2011.

The King is dead,long live The queen

The Queen in 1952, waving from the balcony of Buckingham Palace.

The Queen Mother looks on.

The Queen as she is now.

The Queen came to the throne on 6 February 1952, although her

coronation – or crowning – didn’t take place until 2 June 1953.

This year there will be Diamond Jubilee celebrations, marking the

Queen’s 60 years on the throne, both in Britain and overseas, especially

over the Diamond Jubilee central weekend (2–5 June).

But how did Princess Elizabeth become Queen?After her marriage in 1947, Princess Elizabeth began to make visits

abroad with her husband, The Duke of Edinburgh.

This way of life didn’t last long, because her father, King George VI,

wasn’t well. In 1952, his illness forced him to abandon his planned visit

to Australia and New Zealand. Princess Elizabeth took his place.

On Wednesday 6 February 1952, Princess Elizabeth was in Kenya

when she received the news of her father’s death. It meant she had

immediately ascended the throne to become Queen – leading to the

phrase: “The King is dead. Long live the Queen.”The tour had to be abandoned, and the young Princess flew back to

Britain as Queen. She was greeted by Prime Minister Winston Churchill

at the airport. The Queen’s coronation took place in Westminster

Abbey, but not until 2 June 1953. View films from the archives charting the death of King George VI

and The Queen’s accession and coronation at: www.firstnews.co.uk.

by editor Nicky Cox

EXACTLY 60 years ago this week, King George VI died and his daughter, Princess Elizabeth, instantly became Queen.

The greatest show on Earth? 2012 Olympics p2

wIn! An overnight stay at Alton Towers p19

Jedward’s Big Adventure! Exclusive interview p12

SCIENCE - READING COMPREHENSION 6

a huge blast on the sun’s surface has caused the

northern lights to be seen further south than usual.

The explosion, which is technically known as a coronal mass ejection

(CME), fired a huge stream of fast, energetic particles towards Earth.

The northern lights, or aurora borealis, are caused by these charged

particles from the sun hitting the Earth’s magnetic field. They release

energy in the form of light, causing the dramatic greens and reds that

brighten the night sky. Although we hear about the northern lights

most often, the same thing happens at the south pole, where they are

called the aurora australis, or southern lights.

People in Scotland reported seeing amazing auroral displays, but the

lights could even be seen as far south as North Yorkshire.

The Space Weather Prediction Center says that the CME caused the

strongest solar radiation storm since October 2003.

These radiation storms have been known to affect satellites and radio

communications, but they aren’t harmful to humans.

Did you see the northern lights this week? Send an email to

[email protected] and let us know!

an interesting study in Psychological Science has shown

that acting out sayings can make people more creative.

Five experiments were carried

out to see if sayings related to

creativity could actually help

someone to come up with lots of

original ideas.

The phrase “think outside the

box” has been so overused that it’s

become a bit of a joke. However, in

the study, volunteers were asked

to complete some creativity tests

either sat literally inside a box, or

just outside of one. The people

outside the box did actually come

up with more ideas, and more

original ones, than those who did

the tests in the box.

Another test looked at the phrase

“putting two and two together”.

Some volunteers had to put halved

coasters together again, while

others just moved them to different

piles. The ones who literally put the

two halves together were better at

tests where they had to take several

pieces of information and work out

the right answer.

the way that scorpions can

resist wear and tear from

fierce desert sandstorms

could help scientists to make

longer-lasting machinery.

Sand is incredibly tough, so

when it is blown at high speeds

by desert winds it can cause a lot

of damage. However, the yellow

fat-tailed scorpion, Androctonus

australis, can survive in harsh desert

environments without suffering

erosion to its body.

Erosion is a serious problem in

industry and can affect everything

from pipes and machinery to

helicopter rotors and jet engines.

Dirt, sand or grit in the air or inside

machinery is often responsible.

By using microscopes to study

the bodies of several scorpions,

scientists found that the creatures

have a mixture of tiny bumps and

grooves on their backs.

The researchers then used

computer models to see how air

travels down these grooves. They

found that because of the way

air flows down the grooves, sand

particles are either channelled away

from the scorpion’s body, or strike

it with much less force than they

would if the grooves weren’t there.

Scorpions inspire scientists

Literally thinking outside

a box can help you to

come up with better ideas

than if you were inside it

NA

SA/S

DO

/AIA

Get

ty

Get

ty

Juliu

s Cs

oton

yi

SCIENCEFor more science news, pictures and videos go to www.firstnews.co.uk/discover

Did you

know?The yellow fat-tailed scorpion

(see above) gets its scientific

name, Androctonus australis,

from a mixture of Latin and

Greek. Australis is Latin for

‘southern’, while androctonus

is a rough translation of the

Greek words for ‘man-killer’.

Dino den

FirstNews Issue 295 3 – 9 FEBruArY 2012

Thinking outside the box

This image of the activity on

the sun was taken by NASA’s

Solar Dynamics Observatory

Dinosaurs would continually

return to the nesting site

a dig in South africa has uncovered a 190-million-year-old dinosaur nesting site, which is 90 million years older than

any similar sites that have been discovered so far.

Fossilised adult dinosaurs, eggs and

embryos were discovered in the Golden Gate

Highlands National Park.

The fossils are all of the Massospondylus

species, which is a relative of the large, long-

necked sauropods. Tiny footprints made by

baby dinosaurs were also found at the site.

researchers say that at least ten different

nests have been found at different depths

in the area. The evidence suggests that the

creatures returned repeatedly to the same

nesting site and also gathered in groups to lay

their eggs.

The fossils show that the baby dinosaurs

stayed at the nest until they had at least

doubled in size, according to the report

in Proceedings of the National Academy

of Sciences.

A yellow fat-tailed scorpion

like the ones used in the study

solar burst

2) What damage does erosion by grit, sand or dirt cause?(Imagine standing in a sandy desert when winds are strong or falling over on a rough and gritty surface.)

3) Which animal did scientists identify that might help them understand how to solve the problems caused to machines by erosions?

4) Why did they think that this animal would help them design machines that would last longer?

5) What did the scientists discover when they looked at the yellow fat-tailed scorpions through microscopes?

Page 3: w? ou wn SCIENCE Scorpions inspire scientists€¦ · Scorpions inspire scientists THE way that scorpions can resist wear and tear from fierce desert sandstorms could help scientists

6) Put these stages in the scientists’ experiments in order. Label them one to four.

A) Bumps and grooves were found on the backs of the scorpions.

B) Scientists studied the bodies of scorpions using microscopes.

C) Scientists found that sand does not hit a scorpion’s body directly because the air and sand flows through the grooves.

D) Computer simulations were used to see how air and sand travels through grooves on the backs of scorpions.

FirstNews TEACHING RESOURCES

www.firstnews.co.uk/teachers© First News, Newsbridge Ltd.

SCIENCE - READING COMPREHENSION

7) Why do scientists think having the bumps and grooves help to protect the scorpion from desert sandstorms?

8) How do you think this research will be used when new machines are designed in the future?

9) The journalist writes, ‘The way that scorpions can resist the wear and tear from fierce sandstorms could help scientists…’ ‘Fierce’ is an adjective often used to describe wild, predatory animals like lions and tigers. Why has the journalist used this adjective to describe a desert sandstorm?

10) Newspaper headlines play with language to hook you into a story. What language techniques has the journalist used in the headline for this article ‘Scorpions inspire scientists’?

Page 4: w? ou wn SCIENCE Scorpions inspire scientists€¦ · Scorpions inspire scientists THE way that scorpions can resist wear and tear from fierce desert sandstorms could help scientists

© First News, Newsbridge Ltd.

FirstNews TEACHING RESOURCES

BIONIC ENGINEERING RESEARCH SUGGESTIONS The scientists who carried out this research work in a laboratory at a Chinese university that studies bionic engineering. Bionic engineering looks at nature to find solutions to engineering and technology problems, or to use nature’s methods

in new products.Think of other animals or plants with useful skills or properties that scientists could study, and which products their research would benefit. Write your ideas in the table below.

SCIENCE - EXTENSION IDEAS

Animal or plant Useful or unique property or ability Product to be invented

E.g. gecko Can cling upside down and on smooth surfaces with no effort.

super sticky sellotape

LOOK CLOSER - SCIENCE INSPIRES SCIENTISTS EXTENSION TASK:

FirstNews TEACHING RESOURCES

BIONIC ENGINEERING RESEARCH SUGGESTIONS The scientists who carried out this research work in a laboratory at a Chinese university that studies bionic engineering. Bionic engineering looks at nature to find solutions to engineering and technology problems, or to use nature’s methods

in new products.Think of other animals or plants with useful skills or properties that scientists could study, and which products their research would benefit. Write your ideas in the table below.

SCIENCE - EXTENSION IDEAS

Animal or plant Useful or unique property or ability Product to be invented

E.g. gecko Can cling upside down and on smooth surfaces with no effort.

super sticky sellotape

LOOK CLOSER - SCIENCE INSPIRES SCIENTISTS EXTENSION TASK:

Page 5: w? ou wn SCIENCE Scorpions inspire scientists€¦ · Scorpions inspire scientists THE way that scorpions can resist wear and tear from fierce desert sandstorms could help scientists

1) Name two types of machine, or parts of a machine, that are damaged by the erosion caused by grit, sand or dirt.AF2 – understand, describe, select, retrieve information, events or ideas from texts and use quotation and reference to the textPossible answers:L3 – identifying obvious pointsl Two from: pipes, helicopter rotors, jet engines, (or any part of a machine).

2) What damage does erosion by grit, sand or dirt cause?(Imagine standing in a sandy desert when winds are strong or falling over on a rough and gritty surface.)AF3 - deduce, infer or interpret information, events or ideas from texts (simple inference)Possible answers:L3 - simple inferencel Wear and tear, or things are worn down (direct copy from text without interpretation).L4/5 – more complex inference with explanationl When the grit or sand hits an object it scratches and dents it. When lots of particles of sand strike an object over a long period of time lots of damage is caused. The object will get worn away and holes may form. This damage can stop machines working properly.

3) Which animal did scientists identify that might help them understand how to solve the problems caused to machines by erosions?AF2 - understand, describe, select, retrieve information, events or ideas from texts and use quotation and reference to the textPossible answers:L3 – identifying obvious pointsl Scorpion.L4/5 – identifying relevant pointsl The yellow fat-tailed scorpion, Androctonus australis.

4) Why did they think that this animal would help them design machines that would last longer?AF3 - deduce, infer or interpret information, events or ideas from texts (simple inference)Possible answers:L3 - simple inferencel Because they can resist the wear and tear from fierce desert sandstorms (direct copy from text without interpretation).L4/5 – more complex inference with explanationl These scorpions can survive in desert sandstorms. Their bodies are hit by sand being blown at them by high speed winds and are not damaged. The scientists wanted to find out what was special about these scorpions; what it was that protects their bodies in these conditions, when other things would get damaged.

5) What did the scientists discover when they looked at the yellow fat-tailed scorpions through microscopes?AF2 - understand, describe, select, retrieve information, events or ideas from texts and use quotation and reference to the textPossible answers:L3 – identifying obvious pointsl Bumps and grooves.L4/5 – identifying relevant pointsl A mixture of bumps and grooves on their back.

6) Put these stages in the scientists’ experiments in order. Label them one to four.AF2 – understand, describe, select, retrieve information, events or ideas from texts and use quotation and reference to the textL4 – identifying relevant points2 Bumps and grooves were found on the backs of the scorpions. 1 Scientists studied the bodies of scorpions using microscopes. 4 Scientists found that sand does not hit a scorpion’s body directly because the air and sand flows through the grooves.3 Computer simulations were used to see how air and sand travels through grooves on the backs of scorpions.

www.firstnews.co.uk/teachers© First News, Newsbridge Ltd.

FirstNews TEACHING RESOURCES

LOOK CLOSERWeekly In-Depth Reading Comprehension

TEACHER ANSWERS AND ASSESSMENT FOCUS GUIDANCE

Page 6: w? ou wn SCIENCE Scorpions inspire scientists€¦ · Scorpions inspire scientists THE way that scorpions can resist wear and tear from fierce desert sandstorms could help scientists

7) Why do scientists think having the grooves and bumps help to protect the scorpion from desert sandstorms? AF3 - deduce, infer or interpret information, events or ideas from texts (simple inference)Possible answers:L4 - more complex inference with explanationl Scientists think the air and sand flows through the grooves, and that the sand is moved away from the scorpion’s body, so not causing it any harm. If the sand does hit the scorpion’s body, the force has been reduced so it does not have the power to cause so much damage.

8) How do you think this research will be used when new machines are designed in the future?AF3 - deduce, infer or interpret information, events or ideas from texts (simple inference)Possible answers:L3 - simple inferencel They will be like the scorpion.L4 - more complex inference with explanationl If scientists are trying to design machines that last longer and are not damaged so quickly by erosion, they could study the groove and bump patterns to see if they could replicate this on the surface of the parts of the machines that are getting damaged. They would need to test the patterns further using their computer models to find what the best structure would be. Then they need to find a way of recreating the groove and bump pattern structure in metal, plastic or whatever material the machine part is made from.

9) The journalist writes, ‘The way that scorpions can resist the wear and tear from fierce sandstorms could help scientists…’ ‘Fierce’ is an adjective often used to describe wild, predatory animals like lions and tigers. Why has the journalist used this adjective to describe a desert sandstorm?AF5 - explain and comment on the writer’s uses of language, including grammatical and literary features at word and sentence levelPossible answers:L4/5 – detailed explanation making reference to the choice of wordsl Fierce means intense, strong, wild or violent. The journalist uses the word to emphasise how powerful the desert sandstorms are and to create the picture of the storms attacking the scorpion.

10) Newspaper headlines play with language to hook you into a story. What language techniques has the journalist used in the headline for this article ‘Scorpions inspire scientists’?AF6 - identify and comment on writers’ purpose and the overall effect of the text on the readerL4 – understands the purpose of a headline and recognises some techniques used / L5 – understands the purpose of a headline and recognises most techniques usedl It summarises the story in very few words.l Alliteration – scorpions, scientists.l Assonance – the ‘i’ vowel sound is repeated in each of the three words (Scorpions inspire scientists). Also, there is the repeated ‘s’ sound at the end as well as the beginning of the first and last word and in the middle of the middle word (Teacher note - sibilance).l Rhythmic patterns – same number of syllables in the first and last word creates a pleasing pattern (scor/pi/ons - sci/en/tists).

www.firstnews.co.uk/teachers© First News, Newsbridge Ltd.

FirstNews TEACHING RESOURCES

LOOK CLOSERWeekly In-Depth Reading Comprehension

TEACHER ANSWERS AND ASSESSMENT FOCUS GUIDANCE

Page 7: w? ou wn SCIENCE Scorpions inspire scientists€¦ · Scorpions inspire scientists THE way that scorpions can resist wear and tear from fierce desert sandstorms could help scientists

www.firstnews.co.uk/teachers© First News, Newsbridge Ltd.

FirstNews TEACHING RESOURCES

TEACHER ANSWERS AND ASSESSMENT FOCUS GUIDANCE

This resource is available to

schools that subscribe to six

or more weekly copies of First

News. It usually consists of

seven pages including a

blown-up version of the

Look Closer article.

Download more of our teaching

resources on our First News website www.firstnews.co.uk/teachers

Resource Explanation

Look Closer is a resource designed to encourage pupils to look closer at one article in the week’s newspaper and analyse it in detail. Each week the questions will enable children to find the facts, interpret the information and work out why journalists wrote and presented the story the way they did. These questions are based on the assessment focus strands (AF2-7) which are referenced in the Teacher Answers along with suggested levels.

The resource aims to assist Year 6 pupils in developing the essential reading comprehension skills of extracting and understanding information. It is a useful weekly SATs practice activity using topical real news to engage pupils.

Uses

Ideal for:

l guided reading

l booster sessions

l homework activities

l SATs practice

l whole class starters

l cross-curricular functional skills practice

l extension activities

l individual assessment focus (AF2-7)

teaching opportunities by focusing on

one question in a plenary session

l a handy record of pupils’ reading

performance and ideal APP evidence