English resources

Students deliver an impromptu speech from topics that are suitable for secondary school. Assessment guides A, B, and C are suitable for this task.

The context for this oral assessment is an informative speech about a famous person or an historical event. ARB scoring guides A, B, and C are suitable for this task.

Students read two letters about personal viewpoints on graffiti and answer questions about the content and style of the letters.

Students are assessed on their ability to find and synthesise details to explain the main idea of a text. The text is focused on adjusting to life as a separated family. SJ-3-2-2006. Text provided.

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.

An article about a clown is read by students who then complete a retrieval chart about his job.

Students read an article on kiwi and answer multiple choice questions that focus on inference and information retrieval.

This is a grammar knowledge resource where students match nine parts of speech and their definitions.

Students read an article on Mother Teresa and then answer short comprehension questions.

For this NEMP task students listened to a set of directions, then followed instructions to show this information on a map.

Students read a poem and its visual text to answer inferential questions. SJ-1-2-1993.

Students study a recipe then answer questions showing their understanding of written instructions.

Students read a comic strip and answer questions about comprehension and inference. SJ-2-1-1991.

Students read a poem and identify how the visual and written texts work together to build comprehension.

Students use visual clues in a comic strip to answer inferential questions.

An extract from a long cartoon strip has students unpacking each frame for meaning and the visual language techniques of; speech bubbles, layout angles, and gestures. SJ-4-1-1997.

A brief picture story is presented about missed opportunities. Students interpret the actions of the figures in the story, and infer the subsequent consequences.

A poem about trying to fly is the basis of this resource. Students read the poem then answer questions on its illustrations, rhyme, content and vocabulary. SJ-3-1-1994.

Students read a narrative about relationships and wanting to impress others. Assessment focus: the author’s construction of a character and an evaluation of this character.

Students read a poem and explore how the poem expresses the storyteller's mood. SJ-2-1-1990. Text provided.

Students use an index page from a book on New Zealand to answer six questions.

Students use comprehension skills to answer a range of questions based on a newspaper story. Knowledge of adjectives and alliteration is also required.

This task is about using evidence to find the main idea of a text. Students read a narrative text with a Māori context, find two groups of details, then select the main idea from four choices. Note that the text deals with the hunting and slaughter of pigs, which may be a challenging concept for some of your students. SJ-4-2-2004. Text provided.

Assessment focus: student ability to use contextual clues in order to infer the meaning of a word. (There is a link to the text used for this resource in the Using this Resource section.)

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.