Birds resources

Task: Match descriptions of kingfishers to their likely diet, and answer questions about food chains. Assessment focus: interpretation of text and pie graphs; conventions of food chains.

Students give two pieces of information a scientist could learn from placing bands on the legs of birds.

Students explain three ways native birds could be affected if a stand of native bush found on farmland was removed.

Students explain what the effects of draining a pond would have on the ducks and reeds that live there.

Students are provided with a picture of a New Zealand native bird. Students select a word from a given list to name each of these bird parts. Students are then required to explain why the bird needs each of these named parts.

Task: Read a short piece of narrative. Identify and explain the behavioural adaptations of oystercatchers. Assessment focus: interpreting text to identify behavioural adaptations and their purposes.

Students answer one question about diet given the type of beak that birds have. Students are also asked about how scientists might investigate information about moa.

Students use a chart that identifies some birds' eggs to answer short response questions.

Task: circle the animals that are birds, then write two ways to tell they are birds. Assessment focus: classification.

Students are given four pictures, and are asked to draw a circle around the picture that is not a bird, and then give a reason for their choice. Similarly, they circle animals that are not mammals, fish, and molluscs.

Task: Identify the features of three animals, name their classification group, and answer two questions comparing features of the groups. Assessment focus: classification of animals.

Task: group pictures of animals under headings. Assessment focus: classification of mammals, birds, and insects.

Students classify a range of animals as mammals, birds, or fish.

Task: sort cards into groups. Assessment focus: classification

Task: sort cards and answer questions orally. Assessment focus: classification of animals.

Students are provided with a diagram of a moa and asked if each of seven sentences about moa is correct or incorrect.

Task: Describe on a chart how a duck's features help it to survive, then infer what might happen if these features were changed in some way. Assessment focus: how adaptations aid survival.

Students use a diagram showing similar and dissimilar characteristics of reptiles, birds, and mammals, to answer questions regarding these features.

Task: Match birds and nests, and explain why the choice was made. Assessment focus: using environmental cues to make inferences.

Students are provided with pictures of birds and fish and then asked to describe how fish and birds look different and how they look similar.

This practical task assesses students' understanding of the different features of the vertebrate groups. Students need to identify the larger group that their animal card belongs too, then work with other students with the same group to write down all the features of that group.

This practical task assesses students' ability to identify the larger animal group that four vertebrate animals belong to and then identify the features that those groups have using labels.

Task: Show the relationship of birds' beaks and feet to the food they eat. Assessment focus: adaptations.

Name the group various animals belong to. Assessment focus: classification.

Task: students explain links between a bird's feet and its lifestyle.