Information about Moa
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Overview
Using this Resource
Connecting to the Curriculum
Marking Student Responses
Further Resources
This task is about finding the features of a science text.
A science report is a type of text that gives information about things and groups of things, such as birds. The following science report gives information about moa.
Read the science report about moa and think about the different text features used.
Moa
Moa lived very successfully in New Zealand for many hundreds of thousands of years, only becoming extinct some time after the arrival of people. Evidence that moa existed is provided by fossils. It is known from the fossilised bones that have been found that moa were large birds, with the largest reaching 1.8 meters at the highest point on their backs, and weighing up to 240 kilograms. Although they had a small head, they had a long neck, large body, and large, powerful legs. The breast bones of moa are similar to that of several living flightless birds. This, along with their size, means it is likely that moa could not fly. It is also likely that moa behaved in similar ways to some living flightless birds. Evidence that they, like kakapo, ate twigs, seeds, berries, and leaves, and browsed on shrubs (rather than ate grass as some flightless birds do) has been provided by preserved stomach contents that have been found.
Task administration:
This text can be completed with pencil and paper and online (without auto-marking).
- Explain to the students that they first need to read "Moa", then look for an example or examples of particular features in that text.
- Show the students where each text feature is explained.
- Show the students where examples of each text feature are given.
- Check the students understand that the examples they need to find are in "Moa".
- Explain that for most items they should quote from "Moa" when they write their answers; however, there will be times when they will probably prefer to use their own words. You might explain and model the meaning of "quote".
- Check students' understanding of referring words used in the text, such as they, that, their, and do For more information on referring words, see Thinking about how language works.
- Check students' understanding of embedded clauses like those in "Evidence that they, like kakapo, ate twigs, seeds, berries, and leaves, and browsed on shrubs (rather than ate grass as some flightless birds do) has been provided by preserved stomach contents that have been found". For more information on embedded clauses, see Thinking about how language works.
- Support students to support their answers with reference to the text.
- This task can be done individually or in groups.
- Responses can be discussed by teacher and student only, or within larger groups. Group discussion provides students with opportunities to consider and justify ideas.
Level:
4
Curriculum info:
Key Competencies:
Keywords:
Description of task:
This task assesses student ability to find the text features of a science report about moa.
Curriculum Links:
Links to the Literacy Learning Progressions for Reading:
This resource helps to identify students' ability to:
- recognise structural features
- recognise language features
as described in the Literacy Learning Progressions for Reading at: http://www.literacyprogressions.tki.org.nz/The-Structure-of-the-Progressions.
Learning Progression Frameworks
This resource can provide evidence of learning associated with within the Reading Learning Progressions Frameworks.
Read more about the Learning Progressions Frameworks.Answers/responses:
This resource was trialled by 100 students. The trial involved Y7 and Y8 students from 6 primary and intermediate schools.
Correct and incorrect answers from the trial are described below. Look for your students to justify their answers with evidence from the text.
a) Finding the opening statement. Almost all students were able to find the opening general statement.
Correct responses included:
- Moa lived very successfully in New Zealand for many hundreds of thousands of years, only becoming extinct some time after the arrival of people.
Incorrect responses included:
- Moa lived very successfully in New Zealand for many hundreds of thousands of years, only becoming extinct some time after the arrival of people. Evidence that moa existed is provided by fossils. Students who made this response probably did so because they were unable to distinguish between general and specific information (the statement about fossils is specific information that begins once the opening general statement has concluded). Some of this group may have written down the first two sentences simply because examples in the student task both contained two sentences.
b) Find two pieces of information that are given to build your understanding. Almost all students were able to find two examples of information that added to "Evidence that moa existed is provided by fossils."
Correct responses included:
- It is known from the fossilised bones that have been found that moa were large birds, with the largest reaching 1.8 meters; Moa weighed up to 240 kilograms. Students who made these two responses chose information that followed on directly from "evidence that moa existed is provided by fossils." A lot of students gave this answer.
- The breast bones of moa are similar to that of several living flightless birds. A small group of students chose information like this that was given later in the text. This demonstrates the finding and synethesizing of information about breast bones and fossils.
Incorrect responses included:
There were no incorrect responses – those who did not get this item correct did not attempt it.
c) Find two examples of language that is used to classify moa. All students were able to find two examples of language that classifies moa.
Correct responses included:
- Moa were native to NZ; Moa are extinct; flightless; Moa were herbivores; Moa were browsers; Moa had small heads; and they had large legs. Note that, for this age group, classification does not involve ranking species according to Kingdom, Phylum, Family, etc. However, at levels three and four of the science curriculum, students are expected to "begin to group plants, animals, and other living things into science-based classifications". For this reason, responses such as were NZ birds; Moa were vegetarians; Moa had small heads; and they had large legs, have been accepted but are more appropriate to levels one and two where students group according to observable features rather than science-based classification. In order to classify at levels one and two students simply have to establish that a group exists, e.g., birds with small heads, and that a contrasting group, i.e., birds with larger heads, also exists.
Note that describing moa as vegetarians is accepted here, but that describing them as herbivores is preferred because it is the correct scientific term.
d) Find four examples of technical language that is used to give information about moa. About half of the students were able to find four examples of technical language.
Correct responses included:
- moa; extinct; fossils; fossilised bones; breast bones; stomach contents.
Incorrect responses included:
- bones; small head; long neck; large body; large, powerful legs; contents; stomach. These are not specific to a particular topic, field, or academic discipline.
- provided; although; similar; evidence. These are not specific to a particular topic, field, or academic discipline, although students may have guessed that they were technical if they were unfamiliar with them. For more information on technical and academic vocabulary, see Language of science (Specialised language).
e) Find four examples of language that describe what moa looked like. About three quarters of the students were able to find four examples of language that describes what moa looked like or what they had.
Correct responses included:
- moa were large birds; 1.8 metres at the highest point on their backs; they were tall; weighed up to 240 kilograms; they were very big; they had a small head; they had a long neck; large body; large, powerful legs; breast bones similar to that of other flightless birds. Some students responded without using relational processes (also called linking verbs). For example, instead of responding with they had a large body, they wrote large body. While responses like this are correct, it is possible that these students are not aware how important relational processes such as had are to scientific description. (Note that reports are usually written in the present tense, e.g., Ostriches have large legs, but since moa are extinct, the past tense is appropriate.)
Incorrect responses included:
- moa could not fly; they ate twigs, seeds, berries, and leaves; browsed on shrubs. The purpose of language that describes what moa looked like or had is to give the reader the information needed to build a mental picture from scratch, or to supplement visual text already provided. These incorrect responses describe what moa did and did not do and do not describe appearance.
f) Find two examples of language that describe what moa did or did not do. All students were able to find two examples of language that describes what moa did (and did not do).
Correct responses included:
- moa lived in NZ; they behaved in similar ways to living flightless birds; ate twigs seeds, berries, and leaves; browsed on shrubs; did not fly; did not eat grass. Behaved, ate, browsed, fly, and eat are all material processes (action verbs). All students had at least an implicit understanding of how action and happenings are expressed through these types of words. Researchers noted that students in the trial demonstrated low knowledge of what was meant by "verbs".
g) Find the group that this report talks about. About three quarters of the students found the things being written about.
Correct response:
- moa
Incorrect responses included:
- people; birds. These are not the things being written about in "Moa". It is probable that when teachers talked these students through the practice task, "people" and "birds were given as examples of groups of things that are not individuals or characters – a small group of students then copied these as their answers.
h) Find examples of language that is used to compare groups. About a half of the students were able to find one example of language telling how groups of things are similar, and one example of language telling how groups of things are different.
Correct responses included:
- The breast bones are similar to living flightless birds; moa had the same breast bones; moa behaved in similar ways to some living flightless birds; they behaved like kakapo; they ate the same food as kakapo (similar)
- Moa browsed on shrubs rather than ate grass as some flightless birds do; they ate different food from some living flightless birds (different).These show that students understand the key words in the text indicating comparison or contrast, i.e., similar; like; and rather than.
Incorrect response included:
- flightless; extinct (similar). This may indicate that students were making connections to similar birds that are flightless and/or extinct, and are therefore drawing on prior knowledge and not what is written in "Moa".
- they ate twigs and browsed on shrubs (different). This may indicate that students were referring to the difference in what moa and some living flightless birds eat, without being clear on the use of words that indicate comparison or contrast.
i) Objective language. About three quarters of the students were able to find an example of objective language.
Any section of the text can be used as an example of objective language. Moa lived very successfully in New Zealand for many hundreds of thousands of years can be argued as being objective since it is a generally accepted fact that moa lived successfully prior to the arrival of humans. Therefore successfully is not considered subjective, i.e., based on, or influenced by, personal feelings, tastes, or opinions.
There were no incorrect responses – those who did not get this item correct did not attempt it. NOTE: Teachers who suspect a student may have guessed their response should edit the assessment resource should insert several items of subjective language into "Moa", then ask the students to identify the subjective language (i.e., the language that is not objective). For example, "It is known from the fossilised bones that have been found that moa were large, ugly birds" and "…has been provided by preserved stomach contents (yuck!) that have been found".
Resources for teachers
Derewianka, B. (1994). Exploring how texts work. Newtown, NSW: PETA.
Derewianka, B. (2006). A grammar companion. Newtown, NSW: PETA.
Halliday, M.A.K. and Martin, J.R. (1993). Writing science: Literacy and discursive power. London: The Falmer Press.
Schleppegrell, M. J. (2004). The language of schooling: A functional linguistics approach. Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum.