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Reading text to find information about how scientists work. Assessment focus: interpreting information about how scientists work.

Task: Decide the advantages for survival of both introduced and native frogs' life cycles, explain how climate change could impact on native frogs, and identify level of interest in survival of native frogs. Assessment focus: using information about adaptations.

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

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

Students are assessed on their ability to identify important information and the main idea of a recount about needing to take action. Junior Journal 29. Text provided.

This comprehension task involves progressively disclosing a poem. It assesses a student's ability to use evidence to predict what it could be describing. SJ-2-4-1994. Text provided.

Students are assessed on their ability to identify important information and the main idea of an article about plants. Junior Journal 27, reading age 7.5-8. Text provided.

Students are assessed on their ability to identify important information and the main idea of an article about a conservation project for an endangered species. Junior Journal 13. Text provided

Students show that given a fractional part they can show the whole shape or another fractional part.

Students find and show given fractions of shapes and sets of counters.

Students compare two fractions, find the larger fraction and show or explain their reasoning.

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.

The assessment focus is on the ability to make inferences about character and justify these with evidence from text.

The assessment focus is on the ability to make inferences about character and justify these with evidence from text.

Students are given an example of ordering adjectives in an advertisement. They use this example to develop a list of adjectives that they order as they create their own advertisement .

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: Answer questions about a table comparing the energy usage and lifespan of different sorts of lights, and use this information to complete a second table to describe advantages and disadvantages of each. Assessment focus: reading a technical table.

Students show or explain how two different fraction numbers can represent the same fraction.

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.

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.

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.

Task: Students decide whether four dinosaurs are meat-eaters or plant-eaters, and justify their answers. A list of features of each group is provided. It may be completed individually or as a group assessment. Assessment focus: using evidence.

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.

Task: Choose images to enhance a science text about an adaptation of kererū, compare the messages of images, and reflect on the role of illustrations in science texts. Assessment focus: using and interpreting images in science texts.