Thinking resources

This practical task requires students to carry out three tests to find out if each element is a metal or non-metal.

Students outline a test they could do to show if a substance is a metal or not.

Task: Students play a tag game that simulates the relationships between elements within a waterway and discuss how different scenarios impact on the populations living there. Assessment focus: changes within a habitat affect everything living there.

Pictures are given of the life cycles of three different animals (hawk, turtle and deer). Students identify which stage the animal's survival is most in danger and give explanation of why it is not safe. Students also give one special feature that helps this animal survive at this time.

Students identify the variables to be kept constant, and the variable to be different, when they plan a fair test to show if green plants need light to grow.

Task: Make careful observations of a picture to decide what you can see and what you might know but can't see.

Students are provided with drawings of three methods to collect gases and the characteristics of four gases. Students match the gases with the method of collection that would need to be used.

Students are provided with four diagrams of different types of fossils. Students are asked to explain the type of information each of these fossils could provide.

Task: Identify how features/adaptations of a starfish help it survive, and decide whether the amount of evidence from scientists' observations supports or does not support their theory/inference. Assessment focus: using observations as evidence to inform theories.

In this task students compare two photographs of a river with normal flow and a river in flood. They make inferences based on their observations.

Task: Answer questions about frog's skin adaptations, and use this information to think about consequences of chytrid fungus for Archey's frogs. Assessment focus: using information to think about management of native endangered species.

Task: Identify how the kererū's adaptations contribute to its interactions with its ecosystem, and how knowing about kererū's' adaptations can benefit both it and people. Assessment focus: using understandings about adaptations to consider actions affecting the kererū.

Task: Sort cards to identify how four items of rubbish will impact on the beach, plants and animals that are found there, and humans. They then select items to remove and leave, and justify their decisions. Assessment focus: impact of materials on the environment.

Task: Make observations from a photograph, identify potential environmental problems giving reasons, decide which problem is the most important, and give reasons for the choice. Assessment focus: (1) observation, and (2) identifying and prioritising cause and effect relationships.

In this activity students progressively build up evidence for and against a new idea in pest control: using bumblebees to transmit a fungicide. Students practise argumentation skills and reflect on how they formulate opinions on environmental issues.

Students look closely at a photograph taken on the beach and record their observations. They think and write about the consequences of the things they see.

Students combine their observations with some information provided to complete a story about what might have happened in the photograph.

This comprehension task involves progressively disclosing a poem to students. It assesses their ability to infer.

A poem is disclosed in stages to students. The task assesses their ability to make inferences using evidence from text and prior knowledge to work out what it could be describing.

Students read an extract about selecting suitable trees to build a waka then answer retrieval and inferential questions.

Students read a short narrative recount and indicate each place in which a paragraph break is needed.

Students write an argument either for or against daily physical education in schools. Support materials and links to exemplars for writing an argument are given under the "Working with Students" tab.

Task: Look for the similarities and differences in leaf patterns to answer questions about observations and evidence.

Students are assessed on their ability to use the modelled features of a thesaurus to create their own thesaurus page.

Students use evidence in a text to make inferences about a character's feelings. They analyse these within scaffolding activities, synthesising their thinking to suggest the author's message.