Using language, symbols, and texts resources

Task: Explain the science messages communicated in a cartoon. Assessment focus: decomposition and photosynthesis.

Task: Students answer questions about a Southern Ocean food web. Assessment focus: interpreting food webs.

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.

Task: Look at the arrangement of fibres for four different paper towels, arrange an appropriate sequence of instructions, carry out the instructions and then communicate the data in an appropriate graph that will help answer the question. Different elements of the nature of science are embedded throughout the tasks. Assessment focus: planning and carrying out a fair test, using evidence to answer a question.

Task: Describe and compare some physical properties of plastic objects and identify the properties scientists might use for classifying materials. Assessment focus: classifying using physical properties.

For this NEMP task students fill in a postcard about a holiday. Students' writing is assessed on postcard conventions, content, and legibility.

Students make choices about which adjectives to use to create a poem about a school of fish. A video clip provides the stimulus for this task.

A letter without capitals is the context of this punctuation assessment. Students insert capitals for a number of different purposes.

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.

This resource assesses grammar knowledge. Students identify the adjectives in a short story about making breakfast.

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

Students read the poem 'Don't be Wet' and complete two tables to show their understanding of puns. SJ-3-3-1994. Text provided.

Students read a poem then make inferences using the written and the visual texts. SJ-4-2-1994. Text provided.

Students read a poem, retrieve information, and then use this information to make inferences. The text used is shown into the resource. It can also be located in School Journal, Part 2, No. 1, 1999. SJ-2-1-1999. Text provided.

Students identify the topic sentence, supporting sentences and summary sentence in a given paragraph. They then write their own paragraph, working to include these elements.

Students view an illustration and read a poem entitled 'The Dinosaur Climber's Kit' and then answer retrieval and inferential questions. An awareness of rhyme is explored. SJ-2-3-1994. Text provided.

Students choose the most appropriate topic sentence for a set of supporting sentences.

This task is about topic, supporting, and summary sentences in paragraphs of explanation.

This task is about topic, supporting, and summary sentences in paragraphs of persuasion.

This task is about identifying the topic sentence, supporting sentences, and summary sentence in a paragraph of description.

Students read an article on the marathon. They then answer a range of comprehension and vocabulary questions.

This task assesses students' understanding of the conventions surrounding the use of apostrophes to indicate ownership. Students are required to read a short story and insert apostrophes in the places they are needed.

This comprehension task involves progressively disclosing a poem to students. It assesses their ability to visualise and infer. SJ-3-3-1989. Text not provided.

Students identify common spelling errors and write the identified errors correctly. Students also identify lines of text without errors.