Gather and interpret data resources

For this practical task students are given a variety of objects which they are required to make observations on by using their senses.

Students give two reasons why it is an advantage for a porcupine fish to inflate its body and have its spines stick out when it is in danger.

Task: Complete chart to show how birds' feet and beaks are suitably adapted for their particular food and environment. Assessment focus: inference.

Task: View photograph to explain how a chiton protects itself in its environment. Assessment focus: identifying features that help to protect an animal in its particular environment.

Task: Use features of velociraptors to make inferences about their life style. Assessment focus: using evidence to make inferences.

Task: Match cards to show the relationship of birds' beaks and feet to the food they eat. Assessment focus: adaptations.

Students use pictures of different types of parakeets to identify distinguishing features. NOTE: This resource needs to be used in colour.

For this practical task students investigate some features of craters, complete a table, and explain what they found out. Students then use a diagram showing some craters on the Moon to write as much information as they can about these craters.

This practical task assesses students' ability to design and carry out a fair test on the relationship between slope and rates of erosion.

For this task students explain the causes to the difference in height of water levels in a lake during spring, summer, and winter.

This task requires students to determine the best way to dissolve Milo the quickest. Students are given the opportunity to determine this by trial and error, then they are asked to write up their result and a conclusion.

For this practical task students determine the viscosity of different household susbstances such as golden syrup, cooking oil, fruit juice etc. Students complete the experiment and construct a chart showing their results and observations.

Task: Describe how features of the New Zealand long-tailed bat help it to survive. Assessment focus: identifying features for survival.

Task: Show the relationship of birds' beaks and feet to the food they eat. Assessment focus: adaptations.

For this practical task the entire class is involved in an outside activity that looks at camouflage and warning colouration. Students then share their results and answer a number of questions.

Task: Process and interpret data in a table to identify the best paper to use for a game. Evaluate the reliability of the collected data. Assessment focus: using evidence to answer a question.

Task: Look at the arrangement of fibres for four different paper towels, arrange an appropriate sequence of instructions, carry out the instructions and then communicate the data in an appropriate graph that will help answer the question. Different elements of the nature of science are embedded throughout the tasks. Assessment focus: planning and carrying out a fair test, using evidence to answer a question.

Task: students investigate the rolling distance of marbles on different surfaces. Assessment focus: processing information to answer a question.

Task: Describe and compare some physical properties of plastic objects and identify the properties scientists might use for classifying materials. Assessment focus: classifying using physical properties.

Task: Look for the similarities and differences in leaf patterns to answer questions about observations and evidence.

For this practical task students make a prediction about which lot of ice will melt first. Then students record their observations and explain why one lot of ice melted faster than the other.

Task: use features to group small animals, identify differences between 3 animals, and identify the insects. Assessment focus: using features to group small animals.

Students are provided with a situation where the bank on the school field is eroding. They are asked to write a plan for a tree-planting programme that would help to slow down the erosion.

Students are provided with two photographs of an area, one before a tree planting programme and one five years later. Students are asked to write an article on how tree-planting helps the environment.

Reading text to find information about how scientists work. Assessment focus: interpreting information about how scientists work.