Tuesday

16/08/2016
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1. Watch video clip
http://www.abc.net.au/btn/story/s3610675.htm
2. Clarify unfamiliar phrases, words, or pronunciation
3. Briefly Summarize the topic: School of the Air
4. Questions for Comprehension

i. Why do kids go to the School of the Air?

ii. How long has the School of the Air been around for in
Australia?
iii. When the School of the Air first started students
communicated using pedal-powered radios. True or
false?
iv. What types of technology do School of the Air students
use these days to communicate with their teachers and
other students?
v. How often do School of the Air students get to see their
school mates face to face?

5. Opinion Questions

i. What do you think would be some of the challenges for

kids that go to the School of the Air?
ii. List some of the similarities and differences between the
School of the Air and mainstream schools.
iii. What was surprising about this story?

6. Discussion Points
What aspects of Taiwanese schools make them unique or
interesting (consider factors such as cultural diversity,
special programs, sporting activities)?
What should schools value and how can it be reflected?
What are the pros and cons of the School of the Air?
Imagine what its like for children living in isolated and
remote communities.
ARTICLE TRANSCRIPT

video: http://www.abc.net.au/btn/story/s3610675.htm

SCHOOL OF THE AIR

Reporter: Natasha Thiele
INTRO: Going to school is pretty normal for Aussie kids who live near big
cities and towns. But there are some kids who can't get to a school because
they live in such remote areas. They can do their schooling from home
through something called the School of the Air. Here's Tash to explain what
it is.

NATASHA THIELE, REPORTER: These guys all have something in

common. They live in remote parts of Australia, far away from major towns
and cities. And they all go to the same school, a special one called School of
the Air.

KID 1: Hi I'm Gordon, I live on Yarlin Station. It's a million acre cattle
station in Western Australia. I study through Portland School of the Air
because I'm too remote to do any other schools.

KID 2: This is me on a lesson. I do all of my lessons on the computer.

KID 3: I use a satellite dish and a laptop to talk with my classmates on

School of the Air.
School of the Air was created in the 1950s and this is how it works. Kids in
remote areas listen in to lessons on the radio from home and use theirs to
talk back to the teacher. The idea is pretty similar today although new
technology has made things a lot easier. Kids like Max can have up to four
lessons a day. Sometimes the technology doesn't always run so smoothly.

MAX: You keep dropping out and then like the internet crashes and
everything and you're like trying to get back on and you just can't, so
sometimes you get like quite angry with that.

But as normal as school is for these guys, it can be strange to have friends in
your class that live hundreds of kays away and you might not even know
what they look like. So sometimes the school organises special camps where
the kids can meet up as a class.

KID 4: Hi, I'm Lawson and this is my home Cheela Plains Station. It's 90
kays west of Paraburdoo in the Pilbara region of Western Australia. Come

2
ARTICLE TRANSCRIPT

join me at the Port Headland School of the Air camp.

Tonight's a movie night. They're watching home videos they made with the
help of ABC Open to show their classmates what life's like where they live.

KID 2: I use a buggy that we call a mill to feed the chooks. Lately, the
roosters have been getting aggressive. They tried to attack me from behind,
sometimes they succeed because there's no one to warn me.

KID 5: We feed our horses every afternoon and morning. I have my very
own horse, named Forest. Sometimes I go mustering with my Dad and
Brother on the weekends. Sometimes I muster on a motorbike and
sometimes on a horse. Occasionally I work all day, but sometimes til just til
lunch.
KID 6: I love living on a cattle station because I can go to the bush to make
big cubbies.
These guys want city kids to understand that not everyone has the luxury of
going to an actual school.

KID 7: I'd just like to say to kids all over Australia that not all Australian
kids go to mainstream schools. Sometimes they only just do school at home.

And thanks to School of the Air, these guys are able to get an education like
everyone else.

UNUSUAL VOCAB

Kays Km kilometers
Do school used in the same way as do homework
Chooks chicken
Muster (verb or noun) / go mustering (verb) to gather together
used in Australia to refer to the rounding up (or gathering together) of
livestock such as sheep, cattle, horses.
Til until or till
Cubby / cubbies cubby house or cubby hole a small room or
construction that children play in.