CRAZY BUT TRUE FirstNews ISSUE 487 16th 22nd October 2015 Paper car! The Japanese craft of folding paper into different shapes is called origami. It might sound car-rrazy, but the car company Lexus has made a full-sized car out of cardboard and it really works! The cardboard car was created by a team of five designers and model makers. It is made from 1,700 sheets of cardboard. Each sheet was cut to shape with a laser. Then the sheets were glued together to create an exact copy of a Lexus car. It s not just impressive to look at though. On no, folks! The cardboard car has doors that work, headlights and rolling wheels. Powered by an electric motor, the car can actually be driven! The model was made to celebrate the skill of the craftsmen and women who make cars at Lexus, in Japan. They are called takumi. Only the very best craftspeople can become takumi. They have to pass very difficult tests to prove their skills. For example, they have to be able to fold a square of paper into the shape of a paper cat using only their weaker hand (the one they don t write with)! This amazing car will be on display at the Grand Designs Live Show in Birmingham, from 8 October. Getty
Discussion Questions Power car! FirstNews Issue 487 16th 22nd October 2015 1) How is this model similar to a real car? 5) Who are takumi? 2) Which of these items were needed to build the model? paper squares glue nuts and bolts 6) Describe one of the difficult tests they have to complete to become takumi. string a laser 1,700 sheets of cardboard 7) The first sentence starts: 3) Lexus is a Japanese car maker. Can you find two words which might be Japanese words? It might sound car-rrazy, but Why has the writer changed the spelling of the word crazy? 4) Why was this car made? to advertise the new Lexus car to celebrate the skill of the takumi to celebrate the birthday of the car designer 8) Which of your hands is weaker than the other? Do you think you could use it to write your name? Why do you think some jobs may need you to be able to use both hands well?
ANIMALS FirstNews ISSUE 487 16th 22nd October 2015 Turtle nappies! University of Queensland / Twitter Animal experts in Australia have made special swimsuits for turtles so that they can collect their poo! Why would anyone want to collect turtle poo? you might be asking. Well, Owen Coffee is studying sea turtles at a university in Australia. He wanted to find out exactly what they eat and where this food comes from. Studying the turtle s poo is an excellent way to find this out, but he had a problem: how to collect the droppings? It is very difficult to collect the poo of animals which live in water for obvious reasons! These nappies solve that problem. They were made by hand from old swim-suits. Owen and his team caught six loggerhead turtles from the ocean. A nappy was made to fit each turtle and then they waited for nature to take its course. Once the samples were collected, the turtles were released back into the ocean. One of the team said: To our great surprise, it worked perfectly. The suits were easy to put on, comfortable for the sea turtles to wear, looked great, and Owen was able to collect the entire faecal (poo) sample.
Discussion Questions Turtle nappies! FirstNews Issue 487 16th 22nd October 2015 1) What question does the writer ask at the start of this story? 2) What is the answer to the question? 3) What kind of turtles were fitted with the nappies? 6) Once the nappies were on, the team had to wait for the turtles to do a poo. But the writer doesn t use these words. What phrase is used instead? then they waited loggerhead green leatherback 4) Why were nappies needed to collect the poo? 5) How were the nappies made? 7) Put these events in order: Nappies were fitted to each animal. The turtles were released back into the sea. The team waited for the turtles to produce droppings. Six turtles were caught in the ocean. 8) Experts are trying to look after and protect these turtles. Why do you think it is important to know what the animals eat?
HOME NEWS FirstNews ISSUE 487 16th 22nd October 2015 NORTHAMPTON Conker champ Around 200 people have taken part in this year s World Conker Championship. In the game of conkers, two players take it in turns to strike each other s nut. They are allowed three strikes each turn. The winner is the first person to smash the other person s conker. This year, Steven Prescott and Amy Farrow were crowned King and Queen Conker! BRISTOL Superhero arms A company in Bristol which makes artificial arms and hands has come up with a brilliant way to make them more appealing for children. They are giving them movie character themes! Children who need a new hand, or arm, can now choose an Iron Man hand, a Star Wars lightsabre hand or a snowflake hand, inspired by Elsa from Frozen. VIA Open Bionics / Twitter Northern Ireland Wales Scotland England Ireland HAMPSHIRE Ancient ship discovered A warship belonging to Henry V (5th) has been found buried in mud in the River Hamble. It is thought to be around 600 years old. King Henry had the ship built when he was fighting the French in the Hundred Years War. It joined his fleet in 1415. VIA Historic England/ Twitter
Discussion Questions Home News FirstNews Issue 487 16th 22nd October 2015 1) Find the place. Clue An old ship has just been discovered in this river. The World Conker Championship has just taken place here. A company which makes artificial arms is found in this city. Look at the story from Hampshire. The place 4) What do you call the two people who win the competition? Chestnut Champs King and Queen Conker 5) Why do you think this competition takes place in October? Look at the story from Bristol. 6) What does the word artificial mean? Conker Gold Medallists 2a) How old is the ship which has been found in the mud? 2b) Why did Henry V need a warship at this time? Look at the story from Northampton. 3) The World Conker Championship has just taken place. Explain how you play this game. made by humans - not natural made of metal beautiful to look at 7) Imagine how it must feel to be a child who needs an artificial arm or hand. Why do you think the company in Bristol has decided to make arms like this? 8) Which of these stories do you find most interesting? Can you think of three questions you would like to ask to find out more about the story?
ANIMALS FirstNews ISSUE 487 16th 22nd October 2015 Saving Scottish wild cats A charity is asking people to join their fight to save the Scottish wildcat. If you are asked to name a very rare animal, you might come up with a panda, or tiger. In fact, an even rarer animal lives much closer to home. The Scottish wildcat is one of the rarest animals in the world. There are thought to be fewer than a hundred left in the wild. The charity Wildcat Haven is working hard to protect this animal, which only lives in the Scottish Highlands. They have found six areas where the cat has the best chance of survival. Now, they would like local people to set up hidden cameras to try and video the cats. Experts will look at the films to try and learn more about the cats and help them survive. This animal is a truly wild cat which lived here long before people. It can be about twice the size of a pet cat. It has black and brown stripes all over its body and very thick fur. The wildcat may look like a big tabby cat, but it is a fierce hunter that can live through the harsh Scottish winters. Sadly, if efforts to save the cat don t work, our last large predator will become extinct.
Discussion Questions Saving Scottish wild cats FirstNews Issue 487 16th 22nd October 2015 1) Which is the rarest animal? tiger Scottish wildcat panda 5) How does the animal charity want local people to help? 2) How many Scottish wildcats are left in the wild? 3) Where do these animals live? 6) Find two facts which describe what the Scottish wildcat looks like. 1:... 2:... 4) The animal charity trying to help the cat is called Wildcat Haven. What do you think the word haven means? a place of safety a dark forest a place cats go after they die 7) Why do you think people are so keen to help this cat? 8) How do you think this story might end? What will people be saying about this cat when you are a grown-up?