Sleepy Koalas

Sleepy Koalas

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Overview
Using this Resource
Connecting to the Curriculum
Marking Student Responses
Working with Students
Further Resources
This task is about adding words to a text so it makes sense.
 
The following piece of writing has some spaces where words are missing.
 
First, read the whole piece of writing through to get an idea of what it is about. Then fill each space with ONE word so that the whole piece of writing makes sense. You are able to change answers as you go.
When you have filled in all the spaces, re-read the text to check that the whole piece of writing makes sense.
 
sleepy koala in a tree

Question 1Change answer

Sleepy Koalas
 
Whenever I saw Koalas on my holiday in Australia, most of them seemed to be asleep. And when they weren't sleeping, they were busy 1  gum leaves. I found out that Koalas eat 2  about four hours a day and spend nearly 3  the other twenty hours sleeping. The name "Koala" 4  from an Aboriginal word that means "no drink." Koalas 5 drink much water because they get as 6 liquid as they need from eucalyptus (gum) leaves. 7 there were millions of Koalas in Australia, but 8 of them were killed for their meat or fur. 9 forests that they lived in were destroyed, 10 the Koalas were hunted so much that they 11 became extinct. Many also died from disease. These 12, Koalas are protected. People are not allowed to 13 them or keep them as pets. I visited a 14 where Koalas are cared for. Some of the 15 from sanctuaries are released into the wild or 16 to zoos. When a Koala is born, it 17 about the size of a bee. It crawls 18 into its mother's pouch and stays there, drinking 19 milk, for about twenty-eight weeks. Once it 20 big enough to leave the pouch, the baby 21 rides on its mother's back, clinging to her 22. And then it snuggles up close for yet 23 sleep!
Task administration: 
This task can be completed with pencil and paper or online (without auto-marking).
Copyright: 
Sleepy Koalas – Text was published by Learning Media Limited for the Ministry of Education. Copyright Jan Maguiness, 1999. Used with permission.
sleepy koala in a tree
Image: copyright J.Fisher (permission for educational use in Aotearoa classrooms)
Level:
2
Curriculum info: 
English, Making meaning, Reading
Key Competencies: 
Using language, symbols, and texts
Keywords: 
cloze, comprehension, School Journal, vocabulary, text features
Description of task: 
Students complete a cloze passage about koalas using their vocabulary and knowledge of grammar to create well-formed sentences.
Curriculum Links: 
Links to the Literacy Learning Progressions for Reading:
This resource helps to identify students’ ability to:
  • use comprehension strategies
  • monitor their reading for accuracy and sense
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
Making sense of text: processing system, set 3
Making sense of text: vocabulary knowledge, sets 3-4
within the Reading Learning Progressions Frameworks.
Read more about the Learning Progressions Frameworks.
Answers/responses: 
 

Y5 (03/2003)
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23.  		 eating/chewing
for
all
comes/is
don't
much
Once
most/many/lots
The
and
nearly/almost
days
kill/hunt
sanctuary/zoo/place/reserve/forest
Koalas
given/moved/go/taken/sent/go
is
straight/up/right/slowly
her/its
is/gets/grows
Koala
fur
another/more

very easy
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easy
easy
moderate
very difficult
difficult
difficult
difficult
difficult
very difficult
moderate
easy
easy
difficult
easy
difficult
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easy
very difficult
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difficult
Next steps: 

Click here for more information on Interpreting Cloze Results.