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18/03/08

QUESTIONS FOR DISCUSSION

Islamic Schools

1. Describe how some people in Camden are feeling about an Islamic School being built in their community.

2. How do you think an Islamic school might be similar to and different from the school you go

to? 3. Do you think community members should be able to have a say in which schools are built?

4. Why don’t some residents of Camden want an Islamic school built there? 5. Discuss whether you think these are valid reasons.

6. Describe what you think an `Australian’ is.

7. How do you think it is possible for people with different beliefs and values to live in harmony together?

8. How do events such as terrorist attacks and wars in Afghanistan and Iraq make some people feel about Muslims living in Australia?

9. Some Muslims are upset because they say they are being unfairly targeted. Discuss.

10. How did you feel as you were watching the story?

FOLLOW-UP TASK: `Should the Islamic school go ahead in Camden?’ Vote in the online poll

Binge Drinking

1. Why do you think people drink alcohol? 2. What is binge drinking?

3. Why are some young people binge drinking? 4. Apart from the health risks, what are some of the dangers associated with binge drinking?

5. What is peer pressure and how does it relate to binge drinking?

6. What is the Government doing about binge drinking? 7. How is the money going to be used to reduce binge drinking?

8. Do you think this will reduce the amount of young people binge drinking? Why or why not? 9. What are some other ideas being put forward by people to reduce binge drinking?

10. How do you think the problem could be solved?

FOLLOW-UP TASK: Find out more about the affect of alcohol on the body. Play the `You make me

sick’ game at the following website: http://news.bbc.co.uk/cbbcnews/hi/static/games/you_make_me_sick/index.stm

Discrimination

1. What is discrimination? 2. What discrimination did women face until the 1960s?

3. How were Indigenous Australians discriminated against in the past? 4. What was the `White Australia Policy’ and what was it trying to achieve?

5. When did the Government introduce anti-discrimination laws?

6. What happened to a group of Aboriginal girls at an Alice Springs hostel recently? 7. Why do the Aboriginal girls think they were asked to leave?

8. What did the hostel manager say happened? 9. Do you believe that they were discriminated against? Why or why not?

10. What do you think should happen next?

FOLLOW-UP TASK: Send a message or tell us what you think about this issue on the Behind the

News Guestbook

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Les Mis Kids

1. What is Les Miserables?

2. Where was Les Miserables set? 3. Where is the West End and why is it significant?

4. How long has the show been running in the West End?

5. What did the three young actors know about Les Miserables before they started rehearsing for the show?

6. What acting experience did they have before rehearsing for the show? 7. What do you think the producers of Les Miserables were looking for in the actors?

8. Describe the character Gavroche from Les Miserables. 9. How have the three actors described the experience of working on the musical Les

Miserables?

FOLLOW-UP TASK: Test your knowledge in the online quiz.

Formula 1

1. Why might Australia lose the Formula One Grand Prix? 2. How many people watch Formula One racing on television?

3. How does the number of people watching the race affect advertising dollars? 4. At what time were people in Europe watching the race?

5. Do you think Australia should change the time of the race to suit European viewers? Why or

why not. 6. What is the problem with lighting the track?

7. What other sporting event has a time zone problem? 8. What are the different points of view in the swimming finals issue?

9. Advertisers should be able to determine when sporting events are broadcast. Discuss.

FOLLOW-UP TASK: Find out more about Formula One car racing at the following website:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/cbbcnews/hi/newsid_1840000/newsid_1840400/1840461.stm

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BINGE DRINKING Curriculum Outcome Links: English, Health and Physical Education Report writing DATE 18/3/08

Student learning outcomes

Students will:

Develop an understanding of what binge drinking is and the risks associated with it. Develop a report about binge drinking.

Focus Discussion

1. Why do you think people drink alcohol? 2. What is binge drinking? 3. Why are some young people binge drinking? 4. Apart from the health risks, what are some of the dangers associated with binge

drinking? 5. What is peer pressure and how does it relate to binge drinking? 6. What is the Government doing about binge drinking? 7. How is the money going to be used to reduce binge drinking? 8. Do you think this will reduce the amount of young people binge drinking? Why or

why not? 9. What are some other ideas being put forward by people to reduce binge drinking? 10. How do you think the problem could be solved?

Reporting the facts about Binge Drinking Identify what students know Brainstorm key words and issues associated with binge drinking and record students’ comments using a concept map. This is a useful way of connecting ideas and identifying headings for their report. Students may need to research the issue in more detail. There are some web links at the end of this activity sheet. Develop a glossary Technical or scientific language is often used in reports. Ask students to develop a glossary of special language that they will need to write their report. Structure of a report Introduction The opening statement explains the subject of the report, and includes a definition or short description. Students need to define what binge drinking is in the introduction. Description The body of the report is a series of paragraphs giving information about the subject. Each paragraph describes a particular fact about the subject. For example the long and short term effects on the body, other dangers associated with binge drinking, what the Government is planning to do to reduce binge drinking and so on. The paragraph should begin with a topic sentence and is followed by facts that support it. Conclusion A summary of what has been said.

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Language features Reports are usually written in the third person. Present tense is often used. A formal, factual style is used. Suggested ways to publish their report include:

Powerpoint presentation Web page Oral presentation.

Follow-up Suggestions Knowing Make a true or false quiz. Write ten true or false questions about binge drinking. Ask a friend to do the quiz. Understanding Find out more about the affect of alcohol on the body. Play the `You make me sick’ game at the following website http://news.bbc.co.uk/cbbcnews/hi/static/games/you_make_me_sick/index.stm Applying Have a class discussion about why young people are binge drinking and some solutions to the problem. Analysing Analyse the marketing and advertising of alcohol to young people. The following website has some useful information (for teachers) http://www.playnowactnow.net.au/pdf/Fact_sheet_MarketingAlcohol.pdf Creating Create a poster or web page advertising the risks and dangers associated with binge drinking. Evaluating Have a class debate about whether the legal age for drinking alcohol should be raised to 21.

Related Research Links http://www.druginfo.adf.org.au/article.asp?ContentID=the_facts_about_binge_drinking http://www.abc.net.au/7.30/content/2007/s2185412.htm http://www.dassa.sa.gov.au/site/page.cfm?u=122 http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2008/03/03/2178171.htm http://www.abc.net.au/lateline/content/2007/s2172584.htm http://www.abc.net.au/pm/content/2008/s2185516.htm http://www.reachout.com.au/default.asp?ti=2113 http://news.bbc.co.uk/cbbcnews/hi/uk/newsid_3663000/3663833.stm http://www.think-b4u-drink.com/

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ISLAMIC SCHOOLS Curriculum Outcome Links: English, Society and Environment/HSIE DATE 18/3/08

Subject: Cultural Identity

Students will:

Develop a deeper understanding of their own cultural identity. Become more aware of cultural diversity in Australia.

Focus Discussion

1. Describe how some people in Camden are feeling about an Islamic School being built in their community.

2. How do you think an Islamic school might be similar to and different from the school you go to?

3. Do you think community members should be able to have a say in which schools are built?

4. Why don’t some residents of Camden want an Islamic school built there? 5. Discuss whether you think these are valid reasons? 6. Describe what you think an `Australian’ is. 7. How do you think it is possible for people with different beliefs and values to live in

harmony together? 8. How do events such as terrorist attacks and wars in Afghanistan and Iraq make

some people feel about Muslims living in Australia? 9. Some Muslims are upset because they say they are being unfairly targeted. Discuss. 10. How did you feel as you were watching the story?

Identity Brainstorm with students what their understanding of the following is:

Identity Multiculturalism Australian Culture

Ask students to write a paragraph describing who they are. They can include things such as the language they speak, cultural background, heritage, things they are good at and so on. Ask students not to put their name on the description and collect them. In groups of 4-5, ask students to read the description they have been given. Are they able work out who the person is? Discuss with the class what they chose to include and leave out. Does their identity change depending on who they are with? Make an identity map In pairs, ask students to trace the outline of their body on a large sheet of paper. Students then write words or phrases that describe who they are and what is important to them. Encourage students to include a range of descriptive words. Display the identity maps around the classroom. Discuss with the class the following: Do the students believe that diversity is reflected in their class? How does this relate to the wider Australian society? Does this activity influence their understanding of what it means to be Australian? Do we need to become a more tolerant and understanding nation? Discuss.

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Follow-up Suggestions NATURALISTIC Using a digital camera, take photographs of things that you believe reflect diversity in your school. Make a collage using the images and display in your school. VISUAL – SPATIAL Use the `comic creator’ to develop an electronic comic strip based on the theme of `Cultural Identity’. http://www.bbc.co.uk/cbbc/games/index.shtml#game=bluepetercomiccreator INTRAPERSONAL Write a personal response in the form of a journal entry, about how the Islamic school story made you feel. INTERPERSONAL Research the cultural festivals/celebrations in Australia. Describe the celebrations (what is being celebrated and how). LOGICAL AND MATHEMATICAL Go to the Racism No Way website and complete the discrimination crossword. http://www.racismnoway.com.au/gamesroom/puzzles/under14/u14xword_discrim_print.html VERBAL – LINGUISTIC Write a response to the following: `We have different religions, different languages, different coloured skin, but we all belong to one human race’ (Kofi Annan) BODILY – KINAESTHETIC Make up a role play about 3 people from different cultural backgrounds who are having difficulty communicating with each other.

Related Research Links http://www.abc.net.au/am/content/2007/s2082562.htm http://www.abc.net.au/am/content/2007/s2123570.htm http://www.abc.net.au/pm/content/2007/s2124550.htm http://www.abc.net.au/stateline/nsw/content/2006/s2183999.htm http://www.racismnoway.com.au/

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TRANSCRIPT 18/03/08

Episode 5. On this weeks Behind the News - why the government is targeting kids and alcohol. Has one of Australia's greatest mysteries been solved? And how to star in a hit stage show when you're still at school. Hi I’m Nathan Bazley. Welcome to BTN. Also on the show today, why these people don't want a new school in their town. We'll get to those later but first here's our top story. DISCRIMINATION? Sarah Larsen, Reporter INTRO: Have you ever been treated unfairly because of the way you look or your age? It can be pretty upsetting. A group of aboriginal people says that just happened to them when they were told to leave a hostel because of their skin colour. If that's true, it's broken special laws which are meant to protect us all. Sarah's been finding out what they are. KID 1: One ticket please. TICKET SELLER: Here you go. KID 2: One ticket please. TICKET SELLER: Sorry. KID 2: What? My Hair? KID 3: Ticket please. TICKET SELLER: Sorry. KID 3: But that's not fair. SARAH LARSEN, REPORTER: No, it's not. Those guys weren't allowed in just because their hair's a different colour and that's discrimination. KIDS: Shhh! Australia has laws against discrimination. You're not allowed to treat people differently because of how they look, their sex, what language they speak or what their religion is. REPORTER: It seems pretty obvious, right? We're all different; we should treat other people the way we'd like to be treated. But it hasn't always been that way. Lots of people have been treated badly in the past. For instance just over 100 years ago women weren't allowed to vote or stand for parliament in Australia and up until 1966, if they worked for the government - like teachers - they had to quit when they got married. Indigenous Australians also faced discrimination. They weren't counted as citizens until the 1960s. They weren't even allowed into some public places like restaurants and for a long time there was something called the White Australia policy which tried to stop Asian and African people entering the country. But in the 1960s more people began to realise that discrimination was wrong. There were big protests to get equal rights for women, Indigenous Australians and people from other cultures. In 1975 the Federal Government introduced anti-discrimination laws. You wouldn't expect to see a sign like this today, or this. But discrimination still happens. These girls say they experienced real racism for the first time in Alice Springs last week. They had come here to learn to be lifeguards for their community. The were specially chosen because they were leaders and high achievers but soon after checking into an Alice Springs hostel they say they were asked to leave.

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BETHANY LANGTON, YUENDUMU YOUNG LEADERS PROGRAM: I merely asked the manager why couldn't we stay. They said that it was because of the colour of our skin and they didn't like it. If we didn't leave, they would leave. SHARELLE YOUNG, YUENDUMU YOUNG LEADERS PROGRAM: Someone was complaining about us, just because we were black and the manager told us to leave. The hostel's manager says his staff weren't being racist. He said other guests had complained because the girls were aboriginal so they'd tried to find them other accommodation. The hostel now says they didn't ask the girls to leave at all. But the women are sticking to their story. SHARELLE YOUNG: They just should apologise to us face to face and just say sorry. And they shouldn't do that to others, too. They now could be turning to those anti-discrimination laws we told you about earlier. If the women can prove the hostel was racist it could face a big fine and in the meantime it's certainly got the rest of the country thinking about discrimination.

ISLAMIC SCHOOLS INTRO: Now this next story also has to do with how people judge each other and whether or not it's fair. In Sydney, thousands have turned out to protest against a plan to build a school in a small town. But what could anyone possibly have against a new school? Well there's much more to it than that. In Australia there is a whole range of different schools. We have public schools, private schools, catholic schools, lutheran schools, and grammar schools - just to name a few! Each type of school is slightly different. The students might get taught different things, play different sports, or learn about different religions. But there is one type of school sparking a lot of arguments at the moment in a place called Camden, near Sydney. Camden is like many other towns in Australia and it's usually very quiet. But something has got the people there very fired up. It's all got to do with a proposal to build a different type of school there - one for Islamic kids. Islamic schools are set up to teach Muslim students all the usual stuff, like maths and English, plus all about their religion - just like some church-run schools. NATHAN BAZLEY, REPORTER: At this stage, there are at least 20 Islamic schools all around the country, including this one in Adelaide. So what's the big deal about building a new one in Camden? Well, it seems many of the residents there are against the idea. They've organised protests telling the council to reject the plan and they have a few different reasons. MAN: Between three and four you won't be able to move in the streets of Camden for all the traffic it's going to cause. That's my objection to it. WOMAN: Muslims do not fit in in this town. We are Aussies, okay? KIDS: It's not just about race, if there was any school there people would be complaining about it, cos it's just taking away from the views - it's great views out there. WOMAN: Islamic faith, I'll be honest. That's it. I don't want them here. Simple as that. Forty per cent of Australian Muslims were born right here in this country, but according to quite a few in this crowd, being Australian and Muslim at the same time isn't possible. They feel Muslim people have different values which will mean they'll clash with other residents. This guy represents the people who want to build the school. JEREMY BINGHAM, SPOKESMAN FOR THE SCHOOL: Surely nobody is opposed to Australian citizens educating their Australian kids even if they are Muslims. Less than 50 kilometres away at a Sydney youth centre, Muslim kids were speaking at this special forum. They're all Australian-born; they're also frustrated because they feel they're not accepted.

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SCHOOLBOY 1: We're seen as, you know, wogs if you like. SCHOOLBOY 2: It's like you're from a different country, like you don't feel that you belong here, they don't make you feel like you belong here. And feeling like you don't belong in your own country has left some Muslim people just as unhappy as those in Camden. One of the things some of those protesters in Camden say they're worried about is terrorism. After September 11 and the Bali Bombing they reckon some Australian Muslims might become terrorists but that's making Muslims very upset. They say they're being unfairly targeted and that Muslims have been in Australia for ages and very few have caused any trouble. DR WALEED AL-KHAZRAJY: The community has nothing to fear from these schools. They are normal schools. The curriculum they teach is an Australia wide curriculum. Back in Camden the debate is still going on and you can expect to see a lot more about it. The council won't make a decision about the school till May. ONLINE POLL Now as you can see that's a really sensitive subject and people feel very strongly about it. We've only just touched on the story here so if you want to know more, go to our website or talk to your teacher. And we do want to know what you think, so here's our poll. Our question is "should the Islamic school go ahead in Camden?" If you want to vote go to our website at abc.net.au/btn

And we got another enormous vote last week. Almost 5 thousand of you voted on the question 'should mining be allowed around the Kokoda Track?' More than 70 per cent said no.

THE WIRE It was one of the biggest mysteries of the Australian high seas. For almost 70 years people have been wondering what happened to the HMAS Sydney? In World War two it had a fierce battle with a German ship and then just steamed over the horizon and disappeared. 645 crew were on board and none of them survived. Now after years of following clues searchers have found its remains on the bottom of the ocean. That will be fantastic news for the families of the people who were on board at the time. You might have noticed some big demos in Sydney on the weekend. That was about Tibet. It's a small country in Asia that was taken over by China more than 50 years ago. Some Tibetan people have never been happy about that and they've been protesting. That upset the Chinese and there was some serious violence and people have been killed Now Tibetan supporters here are really angry so they held protests at Chinese government offices. We'll explain more about that next week. ------------------ And two boys have been given special certificates for saving their mother’s life with a triple 0 emergency call.

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Liam and Patrick had been holidaying when their mother had a severe allergic reaction. The nine and seven year olds managed to get an ambulance helicopter to the scene in time to save their mum. They're now thinking of careers as doctors.

BINGE DRINKING Catherine Ellis, Reporter INTRO: Now to a story about a serious problem affecting young Aussies - binge drinking. Did you know one teenager dies and dozens are hospitalised every week because of alcohol? Well it has a lot of people worried and the government is going to spend millions of dollars educating teens about the danger. So how has it become such a problem? Catherine's been searching for answers. CATHERINE ELLIS, REPORTING: The popularity of alcohol varies all around the world. Some places have banned it altogether, some religions are against it, while in other countries like Australia, it's everywhere. People drink at sporting events, music festivals, parties, barbecues, christenings and Christmas time. And to celebrate just about anything. It seems everywhere you look it's being consumed, advertised and made to look fun. Now adults drinking responsibly isn't a problem, what's got people really worried is the fact that more and more young Aussies are binge drinking. By binge drinking, I mean, they're having a lot of alcohol in a short space of time - often just to get drunk. GIRL 1: I think it's just in our culture today for young people to go out on weekends with their friends and just get drunk. GIRL 2: Peer pressure. Just the fact that everyone else is doing it. BOY 1: I guess a lot of role models these days you see on the news getting in trouble all the time for drinking so I guess that plays a large part as well. But hang on, how can something so dangerous be seen as normal? Many people don't even realise that alcohol is actually a drug and for people aged under 18, there is no recommended safe level of drinking. That's because it can damage young developing brains. If you thought illegal drugs were bad, alcohol kills three times as many people. And binge drinking, which is pretty much a poison, is not only very bad for your health, when people are intoxicated they're at risk of getting into all sorts of danger. You would have heard stories of drunk people in car accidents, fights and lots of other things they otherwise wouldn't do normally. The young driver of this car had been a normal, happy Uni kid, until he got behind the wheel after a night out drinking and crashed. He was okay, but he killed his best friend and now he has to live with that for the rest of his life. So if people know the dangers and health risks, why do they do it?

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GIRL 2: They're like it's not going to happen to me cos I can control it, I'm sensible. BOY 1: When they drink they think they're invisible sort of thing. GIRL 3: They don't really look at the ugly side effects, like they just see the fun aspect of it. They don't know what it's going to do to them. CATHERINE ELLIS, REPORTER: What ever the reason many experts agree that Australia needs to lose its binge drinking culture. The Government has agreed to spend more than $50 million dollars educating young people. Part of the plan involves sports clubs and getting them to improve their image and the way their players and members behave. KEVIN RUDD, PRIME MINISTER: Frankly I think it has gotten out of control. Other suggestions to fix the problem include: better labelling on alcohol bottles, tougher rules for people advertising alcohol products, shutting pubs and clubs earlier and making the drinks more expensive. GIRL 4: Education definitely would be the best way. BOY 1: Drinking age - they should maybe raise that a little. GIRL 1: I guess you could tell young girls that it's making them fat. While there are lots of people using alcohol in harmful ways, it's important to realise that the majority of school age kids don't. And for some the worry is not themselves but their mates, or people in their family who are drinking too much. Just remember there is always someone around you can talk to, like a teacher, school councillor, parent, or the kids help line. And if you want more info about what alcohol actually does to your body, Catherine has another story about it on our website. Just search for alcohol under archives. Right let's get those brain cells going! What holds the land speed record? A car or a motorbike? Answer: a car

FORMULA 1 Nathan Bazley, Reporter INTRO: A car has gone over 1,200 kilometres an hour. The fastest bike has gone just over 560. But those cars have special jet engines which are very different to the ones in your normal car. Alright let's talk Formula One . On the weekend the Australian Grand Prix was held in Melbourne but there's talk Australia might lose the race. Why - well a lot of it has to do with our place on the globe. Check this out.

If a car was designed for speed and speed alone, this is exactly what it would look like. Formula 1 is the pinnacle of motorsport. Everything about it is extreme, from the top speeds of more than 320kms/hr, to the 5 G's of force drivers feel as they take the tight turns. But enjoy it while it lasts, because there's a chance they won't be racing in Australia much longer. NATHAN BAZLEY, REPORTER: You see, Australia is a little bit of a problem for the Formula One organisers. Most of the fans of these awesome cars live up here, in Europe. So when the cars are racing all the way down here during the day, it's the middle of the night for European fans and a lot of them are in bed!

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That means a lot fewer people watching on TV and when we talk about the people watching F1, the numbers are mind boggling. Over a year, 6 billion fans tune in and to catch that, audience advertisers will pay a fortune. They will pay half a million dollars for just a small patch like this on a driver’s arm. Wow! But if a fair bit of your audience is snoring when the race is on, then advertisers start putting their wallets back in their pockets. So how do you fix the problem? Well Sunday's race used to start at 2 in the afternoon - which meant Europeans had to wake up at 4 in the morning if they wanted to see it. The big boss of the F1's told Melbourne they should invest lots of money in lighting the track, like this Motorbike race in Qatar. Then it could be run at night which means people in Europe could watch it in the day. But the lighting would cost 60 million dollars, so this year organisers came up with a compromise - start the race 90 minutes later. That means Europe only has to wake up at 5:30, which is far less painful! If that's a success getting more people tuning in, then next year it might be moved right back to 5 in the afternoon, meaning they'd only have to set the alarm for 7 in the morning! Organisers are confident this could add hundreds of millions of extra viewers - and millions in cash as well and possibly save the race from being canned in Oz. But F1 isn't the only sport to worry about this kind of thing. This year's Olympics in Beijing also have run into time zone difficulties. An American TV network asked for the finals of the swimming to be held in the morning, so that it would be on during prime time in their time zone. That way, many more people would watch and the station would make much more money. But that made some people angry. TV stations here and in Europe will now get the swimming at bad times and the athletes themselves were angry that a change in time would throw out all their preparation. So in September when you're forced to watch the swimming finals at really annoying times or if you get upset because you might lose your favourite car race, remember that sport isn't just playing games, it's big business!

THE SCORE Alright we'll let you know what happens with that. Now here's Sarah with some more sports news. Some people are saying it's the most exciting final series in the history of the NBL. In front of a packed crowd Melbourne rolled Sydney in game five to win the championship. It was their fourth title and didn't they love it. ****** In footy Queensland recorded the biggest turn-around in super rugby history. The red's beat the bulls by 32-points after the bulls beat them by 89 last year. Must have learnt some new tricks! **** And the country's top working dogs showed off their skills in the finals of the 65th National Sheepdog Trials near Canberra. The teams have 15 minutes to herd three sheep through a course and into a pen. About 220 dogs and their owners took part. Thanks Sarah - alright I feel like another quiz. What state used to be called Van Diemen's Land? Victoria Tasmania South Australia Answer: Tasmania

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LES MIS KIDS Catherine Ellis, Reporter INTRO: imagine what it'd be like to get a part in a proper professional musical while you were still at school! It'd be awesome, but when you really think about it, it would also be really hard work and hours of rehearsal. So how do you get there and how do you fit it all in? Catherine's found a group of kids who can tell us! CATHERINE ELLIS, REPORTING: For lots of kids it would be a dream come true, centre stage in a Broadway-style musical. And for these kids that dream has become reality. Producers in Tasmania searched high and low, scouring drama and singing schools before picking these guys to play the young roles in a production of Les Miserables. Les Mis is a famous book and musical. The story is set during the French revolution which was back in the 1800s. CATHERINE ELLIS, REPORTING: The story is so popular it has been running for 22 years in London's West End. The West End is like the English Hollywood of stage shows and Les Mis is the longest running musical there ever. But to these three the show isn't so familiar. JOE, PERFORMER: I had heard of it but I had no idea what it was about, but yeah it was great learning what it was about. AYRTON, PERFORMER: I had heard of it but I had no idea what it was about, but I thought oh yeah, I could have a go at this. BAILEY, PERFORMER: I looked it up on the internet and I found this little bit of information. The boys are sharing the role of a grubby street urchin, Gavroche. Ten year old Ayrton has been singing and dancing for a few years and he's a bit of a pro. He's even been short listed to play in another show - Billy Elliot. But the whole thing is pretty new for 10-year-old Joe and 11-year-old Bailey. CRAIG, PRODUCER: They literally had done three or four drama lessons. They said well we'll give it a crack and their parents said they want to do it and it will be good for them to experience an audition so in they came and they were cast. And the guys seem to be coping well with all the rehearsals despite having school, sport and lots of other commitments. AYRTON: The good thing is I get a couple of days off school like a couple of mornings and I only have a little bit of homework cos my teacher knows my rehearsal times. BAILEY: Rehearsals have been the best experience. Their character, Gavroche, is a cheeky guy so they love playing him and he has a pretty dramatic exit. BAILEY: He gets shot four times; one in the arm, one in the leg, one in the back and then the head. AYRTON: It's really hard to not breath but and just had to die kind of thing cos you don't really know. They hope this will be the start of big careers.

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JOE: This is such a big production and I've learnt so much from it. I've learnt how to get on a cockney accent, how to sing really well. AYRTON: My dream is to be in music theatre with dance singing and acting just that's my dream. BAILEY: I've always wanted to be in movies and stuff but this is wicked, this is awesome.

I wouldn't be surprised if we saw all those guys on the big screen very soon. Now don't forget if you want a daily dose of kids news catch BtN daily every Monday to Friday at 5 to 6. And you might have noticed a few green people about this week. That's because it was St Patrick's Day on Monday. St Patrick is the patron saint of Ireland which means he's very special to them... And of course their favourite colour is green! See ya next week!