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TRANSCRIPT
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
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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.
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?
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’?
© 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:
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
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
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