Which pest am I?

Which pest am I?

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Marking Student Responses
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This task is about animal pests.
Here are some animals which are pests in New Zealand.

Stoat Cat Possum Rat Rabbit
 
Write the animal name next to the notes on this pest. One set of notes on pests is not needed.
  Name of animal pest Notes on this animal pest
a)   People brought a few of us from Australia. Now there are 70 million of us. We eat leaves, berries, fruit, and some small animals. Some of us carry a disease called TB.
b)   We eat lots of grass right down to the ground. Farmers in some areas find us a real nuisance. Lots of us have died from a disease called RCD.
c)   We are furry, long-tailed bird hunting animals. We also eat mice, rats, and lizards. It's hard to get rid of us because our young sometimes become wild.
d)   We can weigh 70 kg and were first introduced to New Zealand by Captain Cook. Our ability to eat all kinds of plants has caused erosion of the land.
e)   We have long bodies and short legs. We are fierce hunters. We were brought to New Zealand to hunt rabbits, but we eat birds and their eggs as well.
f)   We are widespread throughout New Zealand and eat many eggs of native birds.
Level:
3
Curriculum info: 
Description of task: 
Students match the names of five animal pests to notes on each of these pests.
Answers/responses: 
 

Y6 (10/1999)

a) possum moderate
b) rabbit very easy
c) cat very easy
d) -  
e) stoat easy
f) rat moderate

 

 

Diagnostic and formative information: 
  Common error
a) Rat – 18% of students.
Stoat – 8% of students.
Rabbit – 6% of students.
Cat – 0% of students.
Other answers – 2% of students.
No answer – 11% of students.
f) Possum – 9% of students.
Stoat – 7% of students.
Cat – 5% of students.
Rabbit – 1% of students.
Other answer – 3% of students.
No answer – 36% of students.