Gather and interpret data resources

This practical task assesses students' ability to design and carry out a fair test on the relationship between slope and rates of erosion.

For this task students explain the causes to the difference in height of water levels in a lake during spring, summer, and winter.

This task requires students to determine the best way to dissolve Milo the quickest. Students are given the opportunity to determine this by trial and error, then they are asked to write up their result and a conclusion.

For this practical task students determine the viscosity of different household susbstances such as golden syrup, cooking oil, fruit juice etc. Students complete the experiment and construct a chart showing their results and observations.

This practical assessment requires students to design and carry out tests on three properties of four different fabrics in order to find the most suitable fabric for the stated purpose.

This practical task has students investigate the surface area of three objects and whether this influences the rate of evaporation. Students fill in a table, and calculate the water loss and answer questions to show their understanding.

Students answer short questions to demonstrate their understanding that candles need oxygen to burn.

Task: Describe how features of the New Zealand long-tailed bat help it to survive. Assessment focus: identifying features for survival.

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

For this practical task the entire class is involved in an outside activity that looks at camouflage and warning colouration. Students then share their results and answer a number of questions.

Task: Process and interpret data in a table to identify the best paper to use for a game. Evaluate the reliability of the collected data. Assessment focus: using evidence to answer a question.

In this NEMP task students discuss observations of six unknown common household powders. They design a chart for results, find properties for each, and identify what each powder is. Assessment focus: identifying substances; teamwork.

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

Task: Sequence drawings of a bean seedling to show order of events during germination. Assessment focus: germination.

Task: students investigate the rolling distance of marbles on different surfaces. Assessment focus: processing information to answer a question.

This practical task requires students to plan a method to determine which magnet is the strongest. Students carry out their plan, record results and write a conclusion.

For this practical task students make observations about the effect of coloured lights on different coloured objects. Students then draw some conclusions about their findings.

Task: Predict which of three balls dropped from different heights will squash most, explain why, and design an investigation to test prediction. Assessment focus: acceleration and fair testing.

Task: Predict, observe, and explain where a piece of wood floats in a container of water and oil. Assessment focus: flotation related to density; explaining predictions.

For this practical task students make a prediction about which lot of ice will melt first. Then students record their observations and explain why one lot of ice melted faster than the other.

Students explain the terms physical and chemical change. Then they read a passage of text and identify the six changes that have occurred and state if each change is a physical or a chemical change.

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.

Students categorise statements according to whether they are evidence or inferences. They make inferences about moa, supporting them with evidence. Assessment focus: thinking in scientific ways.

Students are given a diagram and information on the ratios of black- to grey-coated possums. Students answer questions relating to this information as well as identifying a method that could be used to determine the percentage of each coat colour.