Using language, symbols, and texts resources

Students read an essay on school uniforms then mark where the paragraph breaks should occur. The assessment focus is on organisation.

This resource is about types of books and tests the understanding of the differences between fiction - non-fiction, and assesses biography and autobiography.

Students deliver an impromptu speech from a range of topics. Assessment guides A and B are suitable for this task.

Students add commas to enclose words or phrases within sentences to show where extra information has been added.

Students are assessed on their ability to find details to identify the main idea of a text about conservation projects for endangered species.

Students use an index page to identify the pages they should go to, in order to find specific information.

Students read a poem, written from the point of view of an immigrant, then answer retrieval and inferential questions.

Students show how to solve some subtraction problems.

This task requires students to describe and compare line graphs of three different sets of data.

This task assesses students' ability to give a book review to a small group.

This resource is for the assessment of team debating at intermediate school. A selection of topics are provided. Oral Language Assessment Guides - Speaking E and G are suitable for this task.

Students retell a myth or legend to another student. Suggestions for the speech content and scoring guides are included.

Students present an instructive speech to the class or small group. Some topics are provided as examples and scoring guides for teachers are attached.

Students use tables, graphs, and equations to find the break-even point for two companies who charge for postage according to different rules.

Students decide which children are estimating and which are not, and explain their reasoning.

Students compare the costs of printing a school magazine at two different companies.

Assessment focus: ability to use contextual clues to infer meaning of a word. (There is a link to the text used for this resource in the Using this Resource section.) SJ-4-3-2004. Text provided.

Students read an article on Mother Teresa and then answer short comprehension questions.

Students study a recipe then answer questions showing their understanding of written instructions.

A poem about trying to fly is the basis of this resource. Students read the poem then answer questions on its illustrations, rhyme, content and vocabulary. SJ-3-1-1994.

Students read a narrative about relationships and wanting to impress others. Assessment focus: the author’s construction of a character and an evaluation of this character.

Students use an index page from a book on New Zealand to answer six questions.

This task is about using evidence to find the main idea of a text. Students read a narrative text with a Māori context, find two groups of details, then select the main idea from four choices. Note that the text deals with the hunting and slaughter of pigs, which may be a challenging concept for some of your students. SJ-4-2-2004. Text provided.

Assessment focus: student ability to use contextual clues in order to infer the meaning of a word. (There is a link to the text used for this resource in the Using this Resource section.)

After reading a narrative that explores family dynamics, students identify evidence in the text that supports their thinking. Assessment focus: analysing and evaluating a character and the author's construction of him. (There is a link to the text used for this resource in the Task administration section of the Teacher information pages.) Reading age 8-9. SJ-3-3-2003.