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Students read an article and are assessed on their ability to retrieve information and to make inferences in response to two questions about geologists.

Task: Students make predictions about evaporation rates of instances where surface areas are a factor, select which variable is being investigated in both examples and explain their answer. Assessment focus: Using knowledge of surface area to make predictions.

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.

Task: Interpret the information on a chart to provide evidence of the likely cause of oxygen deficiency. Assessment focus: interpreting data.

This comprehension task assesses student ability to identify important information and establish the main idea of a text. SJ-2-2-2006. Text provided.

Students read about a flu immunisation program and answer five questions to show their understanding of the text.

Students sort different shapes into tessellating and not tessellating categories and explain their reasoning.

Plan an investigation to find out which of two students' predictions is correct, and identify how to recognise what a result would look like. Assessment focus: identifying what to measure or compare to answer a science question.

Task: Identify from an experiment the preferred living conditions of slaters, and use a fact file to suggest reasons why. Assessment focus: interpreting results of an investigation.

Task: Complete a diagram of part of the water cycle and answer a question about rain. Assessment focus: Question a) – the water cycle and conventions of diagrams; question b) – evaporation of a solution.

Task: Look for similarities and differences in fruit to answer questions about observation and evidence.

This comprehension task assesses a student's ability to use evidence in a text to work out what a poem could be about as it is disclosed in stages.

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: 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.

Students interpret two cartoon-style drawings of the enhanced greenhouse effect and write a short description of the artist’s message, as they see this.

Students read a narrative that is about being different and about group dynamics. Assessment focus: an evaluation of characters and the author's construction of them. (A link to the text is provided. Reading age <8.) SJ-1-4-2005. Text provided.

Task: Match the parts of a water cycle to the parts represented in a model of the water cycle and compare how they are the same and different. Assessment focus: interpreting a model.

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.

Task: Select which state of water applies to a list of places where water can be found. Assessment focus: states of water.

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.