Acquiring and using information and ideas in informational texts resources

Students read an article and are assessed on their ability to retrieve information and to make inferences in response to two questions about geologists.

This resource assesses students dictionary skills through a range of short answer questions. These are given in relation to a provided dictionary page, although another dictionary page could be used.

Students read an advertisement for a website. Comprehension questions then require the student to explore the writers' use of metaphor and superlatives.

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.) Reading age 9.5-10.5. SJ-2-2006. Text provided.

Students are assessed on their ability to find details that support them to identify the main idea in a text about an endangered species of New Zealand. Reading age 8.5-9.5. SJ-1-4-2005. Text provided.

Students read a visual and written text about native plants and animals to answer retrieval and inferential questions.

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-2-1-2006. Text provided.

From a school newspaper interview about a school production, students complete a retrieval chart for a press release. The assessment focus is on identifying key information.

For this task students read the article, 'Chunky Chalks', and identify the ingredients and equipment used to write a set of 10 instructions for making chunky chalk. Students then identify the verb in each instruction. SJ-2-4-2000. Text not provided.

Students read a newspaper article and answer comprehension and vocabulary questions.

Students read acknowledgement text from a journal and answer questions about acknowledgements.

Students read an article about shoeing a horse and find information from it to complete a retrieval chart.

Students are assessed on their ability to find details to identify the main idea of a text about conservation projects for endangered species.

Assessment focus: finding details to support the main idea of an informational text, and justifying why they agree or disagree with the main idea presented. The text used is about environmental issues to do with endangered native species.

Students read an article on a town hall pipe organ and answer related questions. SJ-3-2-1985. Text provided.

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

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

Students read about cooking food in hot pools to answer inference questions. SJ-1-5-1992. Text provided.

This task assesses student ability to find the text features of an explanation of a scientific idea.

Students read an advertisement then identify and explain some of its language features.

Students read a newspaper article about outdoor activities then answer some comprehension questions.

This task assesses student ability to find the text features of a science report about one of our native birds. The task is essentially a literacy task in the context of scientific writing, and can also be accessed from the English Bank.

An extract about Sāmoan life provides the context for this assessment with its focus on retrieving information and making inferences. Text available.

Students read an article about the Moa then answer retrieval and inferential questions. SJ-2-3-1982. Text not provided.

This resource has students comparing four advertisements on holiday camps and identifying the meaning of a slogan.