Rock Doc

Rock Doc

Pencil and paper
Overview
Using this Resource
Connecting to the Curriculum
Marking Student Responses
Working with Students
Further Resources
This task is about finding information in an article and using it make inferences.

Read the article 'Rock Doc' by K. E Anderson, Junior Journal 21, pages 8-13. Remember to look at the pictures too.

a) Use all the information in the article to answer the question "What do geologists do?" Write in notes, not in full sentences.

 

 

b) In the first row of boxes, suggest possible answers to the question, "What do you think geologists have to be good at?".

In the second row, explain where you got the answers from.

Task administration: 
This task can be completed with pencil and paper.
  • This resource could be part of a social studies or science study. Click on the "Further resources" tab for further information.
  • It could be used in conjunction with the writing of explanations (see https://arbs.nzcer.org.nz/writing-explanation-learning-intention-guide).
  • The student sheets could be enlarged for a co-operative brainstorming session following a guided or shared reading of the article. For the second question especially, teachers may need to model the reading strategy of making inferences. Click on the "Working with students" tab for further information.
Copyright:
Rock Doc - Text and images were first published by Learning Media Limited for the Ministry of Education. Copyright K. E. Andersom, 1999. Additional illustrations Copyright © PhotoDisc 1999, © Bruce Anderson 1999, © Institute of Geological and Nuclear Sciences 1999, and © Crown 1999.  
 
Source:
Junior Journal 21. Learning Media, 1999.
Level:
2
Curriculum info: 
English, Making meaning, Reading
Key Competencies: 
Thinking, Using language, symbols, and texts
Keywords: 
note taking, locate information, mind map, key ideas, comprehension, inference
Description of task: 
Students read an article and are assessed on their ability to retrieve information and to make inferences in response to two questions about geologists.
Curriculum Links: 
 
Links to the Literacy Learning Progressions for Reading:
This resource helps to identify students’ ability to:
  • use comprehension strategies
  • infer ideas and information that are not directly stated in the text
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
Acquiring and using information and ideas in informational texts, sets 2-3
Making sense of text: processing system, set 3
within the Reading Learning Progressions Frameworks.
Read more about the Learning Progressions Frameworks.
Answers/responses: 
    Y5 (05/2005)
a)
What do geologists do?
Any 10 of:
  • study/collect rocks
  • study ocean floor
  • study earthquakes
  • find oil
  • study rocks from the Moon and Mars
  • find/look/know where to look for minerals and fossils
  • find/know about precious minerals/gold/opals/amethysts
  • travel
  • work in laboratory/use special equipment
  • find out what rocks and soil are made of
 Number of different pieces of information:

7-10, very difficult

5-6, moderate

3-4, easy
b) i)
What do you think geologists have to be good at? 
Any 5 of:
  • studying things carefully/looking/seeing
  • writing/explaining/thinking/suggesting
  • working hard/persevering/being patient/trying
  • reading/ finding out about what others have discovered/researched
  • knowing about Earth’s history/earthquakes/other planets
  • knowing about rocks/rock secrets/telling differences
  • exploring/being curious
  • climbing/being fit
  • working by themselves/being safe
  • using special equipment
 Number of different suggestions:

4-5, very difficult

3, moderate

2, easy
b) ii) Student explains that their inferences above came from either: this text, e.g.,

  • on page 8 it says Roc Doc went to university (for a long time)/ Roc Doc is a doctor
  • the pictures show Roc Doc writing/carrying equipment/climbing
  • on page 10 it says that geologists use microscopes and other equipment
  • on page 11 it says that Roc Doc can tell where oil might be (because of the kinds of rocks he sees)

and/or their own knowledge/experience, e.g.,

  • I know this because my uncle is a geologist/scientist/Doctor
  • When I went tramping I had to be fit
  • I know that if you have a job like this you would have done lots of reading/study

and/or another text, e.g.,

  • I saw a TV programme about scientists and they had to study things for a long time before they knew about them
  • I’ve read a book about earthquakes and I learnt about geologists
 difficult
Diagnostic and formative information: 

An example from the trial of a student’s mind map for the second question is given below. It could be used to give students starter ideas and/or for teachers and students to discuss. Ideally, for a group modelling session, it would be enlarged.

 

Next steps: 

Inferring means using content in a text, together with existing knowledge, to come to a personal conclusion about something that is not stated explicitly in the text. When the author provides clues but not all the information we read "between the lines"…Effective Literacy Practice in Years 1 to 4, pg 132, Ministry of Education, 2003

Questions that could help students to make inferences are:

  • Are there any clues in the words and pictures?
  • What would you have to be good at to do the work that Roc Doc does?

Refer to information gathered for a).

"On the Job", Level 1 Social Studies exemplar, under Resources and Economic Activities strand, Ministry of Education, 2004. http://www.tki.org.nz/r/assessment/exemplars/socialstudies/ss_1f_e.php
Building Science Concepts, #41, Levels 2-4, Fossils; #52, Levels 1-4, The Land Changes, Ministry of Education.
ARB science resources on rocks, all at level 2: https://arbs.nzcer.org.nz/lookup/rocks/bank/science-3/level/2