Innholdsfortegnelse for 312 i The Week Junior

Memorials have taken place in France and England to remember the people who died trying to cross the English Channel on 24 November. The Channel is a body of water that separates Britain from France. At least 27 people died and two people survived when their small boat deflated in the Channel. The group had been heading to the UK in the hope of finding a safe place to live and starting a better life. Why are people crossing the Channel? In recent years, thousands of people have tried to cross the Channel from France to England. Many of the people are refugees and migrants. A refugee is a person who has been forced to leave their home because of violence or because it is unsafe for them to live…

6 December 1978 Spain votes to become a democracy On 6 December 1978, millions of Spanish people voted to become a democracy in a referendum (a vote on a single question). A democracy is a political system in which voters choose who governs them through an election. King Juan Carlos and Queen Sofia both voted for Spain to become a democracy and for the king to lose his powers. The referendum came three years after the death of General Franco, who had ruled Spain since 1939.…

When he was 11, Nick Sheridan started a newspaper called The Daily Font. “If there were any missing pets in the local area, that would be front-page news for us,” Sheridan said, speaking to The Week Junior. Although he thinks that the readership was only around 10 or 12 people, Sheridan says, “It was an enormous amount of fun.” Now Sheridan works for the BBC, and has just released a book called Breaking News. In the book, Sheridan tells readers how to avoid being tricked by fake news. “I’m a journalist, I do this every day, and I’m still constantly getting fooled by fake news,” Sheridan says. “This book is about giving young people tools that they can use to figure out what’s true from what’s false. A lot of…

On 25 November, there was some good news for British beaches. The Marine Conservation Society (MCS) said that the amount of litter cluttering up the coast has fallen steadily over the past few years. The MCS is a charity that campaigns for clean seas and beaches, and better protection for sea life. Every year it organises a UK-wide event called the Great British Beach Clean. This year, from 17 to 26 September, more than 6,000 volunteers cleared rubbish from more than 34 miles of UK beaches (as well as streets and parks). They collected a total of 5,064.8 kilograms of litter, and the volunteers also recorded what type of rubbish each piece was. This year, an average of 385 pieces of rubbish were found for each 100 metres of beach,…

An aircraft built by aerospace company Rolls-Royce has become the world’s fastest electric vehicle, after reaching a top speed of 387.4 miles per hour in a test flight. Timed across a distance of 1.9 miles, the plane, called Spirit of Innovation, averaged a blistering 345 miles per hour – that’s 132 miles per hour faster than the previous record, set in 2017. Electric aircraft are seen as a possible way for the world to reduce the harmful pollution produced by air travel. At the moment passenger planes are powered by engines that burn fossil fuels, such as petrol. This releases pollution, including carbon dioxide (CO 2) which traps heat in Earth’s at mosphere and leads to rising global temperatures. Until recently, fossil fuel engines have been the only ones able…

Matt Weston The British skeleton athlete won his first World Cup gold medal. Skeleton is a sport that involves sliding head first down an ice track on a small sled. Ellen White White has now scored more goals for England Women than anyone in history. She reached 48 goals as England thrashed Latvia 20-0. England women’s netball team They beat Jamaica 55-45 to start a three-match series. The next two contests are in Nottingham. Scottish curling teams Both the women’s and men’s teams won gold at the European Curling Championships. In curling, a team slides stones towards a target on an ice track.…

Alfie, aged 10, goes to Bury Social Opportunities, a service run by Action for Children. The team there arranges festive trips and days out for all the young people who use the service. Alfie told The Week Junior, “This Christmas I am super-excited because we’re all going to get to ride on a steam train. We’re so lucky that we get to do activities like these, thanks to all of those people who are Secret Santas for Action for Children.”…

Variety magazine has revealed some of the places where Amazon Studios will film its new The Lord of the Rings TV series in the UK. Series one was filmed in New Zealand. Series two will be shot in the UK, including at Bray Studios, Berkshire, and Bovingdon Airfield, Hert ford shire, both in England. Filming is due to start between April and June 2022. Most of the show’s details have been kept secret, but not all. The story takes place thousands of years before the events in The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit, the original, world-famous books by J.R.R. Tolkien. Amazon Studios has spent £336.5 million filming the first series. The first series will show a new episode every week, starting on 2 September 2022. This will be…

Everything Under the Sun by Molly Oldfield (Puffin Books) Find the answers to 366 questions asked by young people in this fun illustrated book. Which was the biggest dinosaur? How much bamboo can a giant panda eat? Do aliens exist? Experts including famous, award-winning chefs and staff at the Natural History Museum provide the information. On This Day: A History of the World in 366 Days (Dorling Kindersley) This book takes you on a journey through history, one day at a time. You’ll learn about events that took place on each day of the year – whether they were important historical moments or bizarre happenings – and discover which historical characters share your birthday. Stuff by Maddie Moate. Illustrated by Paul Boston (Puffin Books) Explore the hidden stories behind everyday…

If you have been skiing before, and even if you haven’t but want an exciting time on the slopes, snowboarding is a fun activity to try. You can do it at lots of outdoor dry ski slopes and indoor snow centres in the UK all year round. In skiing, each boot is connected to a long, thin ski; in snowboarding, both of your boots are on one shorter and wider board. Unless you start snowboarding with someone who knows how to do it, it’s best to join a beginner session or have an individual lesson with an experienced instructor. It’s important that you know the basic techniques and tips to keep you safe and to get the most from your time on the board. The front of the snowboard is…

A cyclist has created a giant, record-breaking picture of a man with a moustache using his Global Positioning System (GPS) device. The GPS uses satellites to track a person’s location, and records the route. Anthony Hoyte, who is nicknamed the “Pedalling Picasso”, used the GPS to trace the image of a face. It took him 12 hours and he covered 66.48 miles across London. Hoyte did the drawing to raise money for charity, and at the time The Week Junior went to press he had raised more than £4,000.…

As we approach the end of the year, The Week Junior team has been busy looking back at 2021 to find the best stories we’ve covered in order to feature them in our Christmas bumper issue (which will be out on 25 December). I won’t give anything away, but it’s been really enjoyable diving back into some of the most inspiring, important and unbelievable stories of the year. It’s a year in which, despite continuing uncertainty about Covid, there has been amazing and remarkable progress made in all sorts of areas, including for animals and the environment and science and technology. This week’s issue is further proof of that – I was really heartened to read about the decrease in plastic pollution on British beaches on page 10, and the…

“Me and my friends Olivia, Edith S, Dylan, Summer, Imogen, Maya, Mariah and Freya, have set up our own small business at school selling bookmarks. It is called Bee Bookmarks. The money we get will go to the school library.”Edith “This was my dog, Barney, reading all about climate change in The Week Junior magazine. We both find it so important to protect our world.”Polly “At school, we have gardening club. I am one of the older children involved, and I enjoy helping the younger members. I love caring for plants at home and at school. At the moment we are propagating spider plants and I am very excited about taking my one home.”Tom…

Follow The Week Junior on PopJam@TheWeekJunior. You can download the PopJam app from the App Store or Google Play. Last week we asked you if dogs should be banned from sports pitches… “No, because dogs are very important to many people.” “I think they shouldn’t because they might be a guide dog or a service dog.” “No, but they do need to be trained and very calm because they might scare some kids.” “Only on big matches, like FIFA. They should be allowed otherwise!” Tell us what you think of this week’s issue and we’ll print some of the best comments here.…

The English Channel is a body of water that separates Great Britain from France. In French, it is known as La Manche (which means “the sleeve”). It is around 350 miles long and covers an area of around 29,000 square miles, ranging from 112 miles to 21 miles in width. The Dover Strait, between Dover in England and Calais in France, separates the Channel from the North Sea. It is the busiest shipping lane in the world and is used by more than 500 ships a day.…

Ohio, US Artist recycles rubbish into giant trolls Artist Thomas Dambo has been making giant trolls out of recycled rubbish to highlight how waste can be made into beautiful things. He has built three trolls at the Aullwood Audubon Center, a bird sanctuary. Its director, Alexis Faust, said, “I see the trolls as protectors of the birds, and they help remind us that we need to do the same.” Bridgetown, Barbados First president of Barbados Dame Sandra Mason has become the first president of Barbados, after the country became a republic on 29 November. In a republic, the head of state is a politician, rather than a monarch (king or queen). The country was once ruled by Britain but became independent in 1966. It kept the Queen as its head…

Pantomimes are such a British tradition and great for kids,” TV star and comedian Abdullah Afzal says, “so I wanted to create something Muslim families could enjoy.” Afzal, who stars in the TV comedy Citizen Khan, has done this by reworking the fairytale Cinderella into the story of a young Pakistani girl who has had to put up with her evil stepmum and sisters. In the show, which is called Cinder’Aliyah, the cast dress in traditional South Asian clothing. The story “bridges the gap between the two cultures”, according to Afzal, and people obviously love the idea – tickets for the show sold out in 48 hours.…

Writing a wish-list to Santa, opening presents, enjoying a second helping of dessert – Christmas is often about enjoying treats. Although that can be fun, it’s easy to overlook other people in all the excitement. Did you know that giving to others could actually make you happier? What does “giving” mean? Giving means to offer something freely to a family member, a friend, a stranger or an entire community. Choosing a thoughtful gift is one way to give at Christmas, but “giving” is about much more than presents. “Giving isn’t just about physical things; it can be something as simple as giving your time to people,” explains Georgina Bennett from the charity Action for Children. For example, helping family and friends with jobs around the house or popping a Christmas…

With 16 books in the series and more than 250 million copies sold worldwide, Diary of a Wimpy Kid has become a sensation since the first entry was published in 2007. The books, which are by Jeff Kinney, tell the story of Greg Heffley, a boy who keeps an illustrated diary of his life. There have been four live-action Wimpy Kid films but now an animated film based on the first book is out on Disney+. Speaking to The Week Junior, Kinney revealed that he was surprised the books have been so successful. “I truly never thought the books would get published,” he said. “I had gone through about three years of getting rejected trying to become a newspaper cartoonist, so I had every expectation that this idea would get…

The Colour Room Sky Cinema You might not recognise the name Clarice Cliff but her work in pottery and ceramics (things made from clay and then baked hard) still influences a lot of artists today. Cliff was born in 1899 and died in 1972, and she found ways of turning boring, everyday items into interesting and beautiful things with her bold designs. She even managed it at a time when there was a shortage of material to make pots. The Colour Room tells her story and shows how clever she was at publicising her work, which included using celebrities to make her designs famous. The film not only reveals the secrets of her brilliant ideas, it also shows how she helped to make working conditions better for women.…

(Bloomsbury Children’s) London, 1952. Late one night in her Uncle Frank’s post office, Penny Black makes an extraordinary disco – a small fluffy, peculiar creature who can talk. Introducing himself a “Wishyouwas”, her new friend soon shows Penny a fascinating secret world, hidden deep beneath the smoggy streets of the city. This is the world of the Sorters, guardians of lost mail who rescue letters that have gone astray and deliver them to their rightful owners. However, the Sorters are in danger; Stanley Scrawl – the sinister Royal Mail rat catcher – and his dog Ripper are on the prowl and determined to track them down. Can Penny save the Sorters? This delightful illustrated story is set at Christmas and is perfect for this time of year. Charming and heartwarming,…

What equipment do I need to snowboard? At most ski slopes and snow centres you can hire snowboards, boots and safety helmets as part of your session. You will need waterproof gloves and a waterproof jacket or layers and waterproof trousers – it can be chilly on the slopes. Go to tinyurl.com/TWJ-skiclub to find a centre near you. What snowboard styles are there? Riding down the slope is called freeriding. When riders perform tricks, jumps and slides at speed, it is called freestyle. There are others, such as big air (where you rise really high from a big jump). Snowboard cross is for racers.…

A bald eagle surprise danangler by swooping in to steal his catch. Chad Rissman and his wife Amanda had been fishing on a beach in Florida, US, all day with no luck when Chad caught a shark. He slowly began to reel in his catch and, as he prepared to cut the creature free from the line, a huge bald eagle swooped in and grabbed the shark. The eagle then ate the shark as the couple watched. Amanda filmed the whole episode and the video has gone viral on social media.…

“My dad is in the RAF, which makes me a military child. My mum saw that the charity Little Troopers was running a story competition about military life, so I decided to enter. My dad was working away at the time so I chose to write about a little girl called Evie who is missing her dad. Because it’s nearly Christmas I gave it a Christmas theme and called it Evie’s Christmas Surprise. My Grandad inspired part of the story by dressing up as Santa last year so I wanted to include that some wher I can’t believe I won. I’ve never won anything before.” Darcy’s story is now available to read on the Little Troopers Treasures story-recording app. The free tablet app is used by military families to help…

1 What is Marina Tabassum’s job? ◻ a) A doctor ◻ b) A builder ◻ c) An architect 2 True or false? The oldest mosaic in the world is around 350 years old. ◻ True ◻ False 3 In which country did the Great Carnival of Dakar take place? 4 What percentage of UK homes get a Christmas tree? ◻ a) Around 65% ◻ b) Around 85% ◻ c) Around 100% 5 True or false? Berrow’s Leicester Journal is thought to be the oldest British newspaper. ◻ True ◻ False 6 Who became the first person to swim around Britain’s coastline in 2018? 7 Who was the first person to climb all the “eight thousanders”? ◻ a) Maurice Wilson ◻ b) Reinhold Messner ◻ c) Alison Hargreaves 8 True or…

The charity Action for Children has launched its annual Secret Santa campaign to help children in the UK who are facing a difficult Christmas. The charity has carried out a survey to find out about the money problems that families are facing this year as Christmas gets nearer. The survey found that three quarters of working parents were worried about prices going up and being able to make Christmas a happy time for their children. The UK is currently facing rising inflation, which is the rate at which the price of things increases. This is caused by a shortage of goods and rising prices of gas and electricity. Kirsty Massie, who works for Action for Children, said, “Parents are worried about Christmas but more concerned about how they’re going to…

On 29 November, the UK Government advised that face coverings should be worn in communal areas in all secondary schools in England. In Wales, pupils should now wear masks at school, including in class. The rules were introduced because a new Covid-19 variant (version of the virus) has been found. What are the new rules? In England, students in Year 7 and above, staff and visitors are strongly advised to wear masks in the communal areas of their school, such as corridors, unless they are exempt from wearing one. Pupils should also keep wearing face coverings on public and school transport. Secondary school pupils in Wales have been asked to wear face coverings in classrooms and communal areas. In Scotland and Northern Ireland, pupils already had to wear masks in…

The Danish author Hans Christian Andersen wrote a story called The Fir Tree about a Christmas tree that is excited to be taken into a home and decked with candles, baubles and toys. Then the children come and strip it of its decorations. After Christmas, the tree is taken to the attic and left to wither until spring, when it is chopped into logs and burned on a fire. It’s a sad tale but these days, and away from the world of fiction, many people prefer fake Christmas trees, made from materials such as metal, plastic and wood. They are a reusable alternative whose green needles do not fade from year to year. Others say these don’t smell of the forest and don’t evoke the spirit of Christmas, but what…

With a height of 8,849 metres above sea level, Mount Everest is the world’s tallest mountain. These days, more than 500 people every year try to climb it, but the very first organised expedition to Everest happened a century ago this year, in 1921. Where is Mount Everest? The mountain straddles the border between Nepal and the Chinese region of Tibet. Its Tibetan name is Qomolangma, which means Holy Mother. Everest is part of the Himalayas, a 1,500-mile long mountain range that passes through five countries in Asia. Who went on the first expedition? For many years Nepal and Tibet did not allow foreigners to enter their territory. However, in 1920 Tibet let a team of British mountaineers in to explore the mountain. The team was led by Charles Howard-Bury…

A patient at Moorfields Eye Hospital in London has become the first person in the world to benefit from an ultra-realistic 3D-printed artificial eye. Around 60,000 people in the UK need at least one prosthetic (artificial replacement) eye, which has to be custom-made for each person. At the moment, patients need to go through a long and uncomfortable process to make a mould of their eye socket. The prosthetic based on this mould can take many days to put together, and another appointment is then needed for fitting. The entire process can take up to six weeks but even before that a patient can spend months on a waiting list for their first appointment. With the 3D-printed eye, a digital scan replaces the moulding process, creating a model of the…

I love superhero films, and if somebody labels me a hero then I’m all for it!” That’s what 31-year-old England rugby union player Shaunagh Brown said of her life as a firefighter, an engineer and a diver before she turned to a life of sport. Aged 12, Brown enjoyed discus and shot put but that was just the start of a life filled with variety. Before rugby became her job, Brown did other work to earn money. “My first proper job at 20 was a heating installation engineer,” Brown tells The Week Junior. At 21 she moved on from shot put and discus to take up hammer (where you throw a metal ball on a wire as far as possible). In 2014, she represented England in the hammer at the…

If you want to give at Christmas, Georgina Bennett from Action for Children has some tips. “Christmas can be a difficult time for vulnerable children. That’s why we encourage parents to become Secret Santas by giving money to provide children with food, warmth and love. Young people can help by organising a Christmas movie marathon or a long walk and asking family and friends to sponsor them. Or hold a bake sale and make our Rudolph Cupcakes.” For more ideas visit iamsanta.org.uk/fun…

School of Chocolate Available now on Netflix This new show features eight pastry chefs from around the world and challenges them to see what incredible edible creations they can craft. Presenter Amaury Guichon, a top French pastry chef, encourages the contestants to learn new skills. At the end, one of them will win enough money to start their own business. The Rescue Available on Disney+ from 3 December This tells the true story of a football team of 12 boys and their coach who were trapped inside a cave for two weeks in Thailand in 2018. The world watched as a team of British cave divers, with the support of army troops, eventually rescued them. A Boy Called Christmas In cinemas, on Sky Cinema and Now TV This story about…

When did you last send a letter or postcard? I love to write at least one letter or card every weekend with my daughter. There are lots of fun things you can do, like drawing pictures, writing in code or invisible ink, or making letters from unusual objects like leaves or flip-flops – as long as it has the correct postage, it will be sent. Where did you get the idea for your book? I spotted a plaque on a building in London, close to where the first “Penny Post” delivery service was founded, and remembered visiting the Post Office Railway when I was seven. I imagined a story about a girl getting lost in the post, and then Wishyouwas’s name popped into my head. The world of the Sorters…

Crossword Read the clues carefully and write the answers into the grid. ACROSS 1 Sleeveless T-shirt (4) 3 Instrument played with a bow (6) 8 Church tower (7) 9 High or low playing card (3) 10 Round object hit at Wimbledon (6,4) 13 Toy that floats in the bath (6,4) 17 Green shell containing peas (3) 18 Outside platform alongside a room (7) 19 Up-and-down playground ride (3-3) 20 Snow runners (4) DOWN 1 Ornamental jar (4) 2 Kitchen strainer (5) 4 Frozen water (3) 5 Animal related to the alpaca (5) 6 Sewing device (6) 7 Soft light cake (6) 11 Bicycle seat (6) 12 Small fruits sold in bunches (6) 14 Scout or Guide award (5) 15 Shepherd’s staff (5) 16 Sight organs (4) 18 ___ constrictor, snake…

Our annual Christmas cover design competition is open for entries until 7 December. If you haven’t yet submitted your design, get creative this weekend. The theme for entries is “happy holidays”. Judging the competition entries this year will be Olaf Falafel, Selom Sunu and Penny Neville-Lee – they’re beyond excited to see your creations. To get involved, head to theweekjunior.co.uk/christmas-cover GET INVOLVED Email your news, views and pictures to hello@theweekjunior.co.uk Please include your full name and address so that we can send you a Roving Reporter badge if your contribution makes it onto the page. We will only use the details you provide to arrange delivery of badges, and we will not share them with anyone else. By submitting your reports and pictures, you give consent to The Week Junior…

Teacher’s name: Mr Riley School: St Andrew’s CofE Primary, Hove, Sussex, England “We have nominated Mr Riley because he is such a hard-working, caring teacher. Even when he’s telling someone off, he does it kindly without making them feel embarrassed. He always tries his best to help us and always makes his lessons fun. He is so open and we feel that we can tell him anything. We really hope that he gets picked because he really deserves it.” Thank you from the whole of 6B If we pick your teacher as Teacher of the Week, we’ll send your school three free issues of The Week Junior. Send your nominations, along with a picture of your teacher and your school’s full name and address, to hello@theweekjunior.co.uk…