Thinking resources

Students colour and cut out 4 shapes and fit them together to make tessellating patterns.

In this practical task students design a net for a lidded cardboard box to hold 3 "chocolate bars" represented by hundreds blocks. They then cut out and construct the box.

Students cut out tangram shapes and arrange them to fit two different ways into rectangle outlines and once into a triangle outline.

Students draw lines on shapes to show how they have been constructed from four smaller shapes.

Students draw lines on shapes to show how they have been constructed from four smaller shapes.

Students use the ideas from a brainstorm to write six sentences about caring for pets.

Students identify the error in three statements made about the perimeter and area of given objects.

Students cut out tangram shapes and arrange them to fit into the outline of three different drawings of everyday items.

Student select shapes that are similar but not triangles and explain what makes them triangles or not.

Students exploit additive identity property to find missing numbers in addition and subtraction equations.

Students complete 3 multiplication arrays by selecting from given numbers.

Students are required to identify arguments for and against keeping animals in zoos and then use these to write a paragraph expressing their point of view about this issue.

The context of this task is a story about a power cut. Students identify the changing feelings of the children in the story and record these as a graph over time.

Students identify what type of people the characters in the story are and choose evidence from the text to justify their decisions; they also identify the main idea of the text. Suggestions for evaluating character and the author's style of characterisation are under the "Working with Students" tab.

Students read fifteen statements and identify the six statements of opinion.

Students answer questions about weight and number of packets of biscuits for a school fundraising project.

This comprehension task assesses a student's ability to use evidence in a text to work out what a poem could be about as it is disclosed in stages.

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 read a narrative about a girl who behaves like an overly enthusiastic parent and her father who behaves like a reluctantly involved adolescent. They use and evaluate evidence from the text, alongside their background knowledge, to complete the task. SJ-3-2-2010. Text not provided.

Students read an extract about gathering water in Sāmoa to find information to fill in a chart. SJ-3-3-1999. Text provided.

After reading a narrative about a shrewd boy, 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-2-4-2000. Text provided.

Students read a narrative about how a girl deals with her anxiety over Sports Day. They then use evidence from the text and their background knowledge to complete the task. Assessment focus: evaluating. SJ-2-3-2009. 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.

A poem and brief article about Japanese dolls is the context for this comprehension resource that has focus on comparisons and purpose. SJ-2-2-1983. Text provided.

This comprehension task assesses student ability to identify important information and establish the main idea of a text. SJ-2-2-2006. Text provided.