Science resources

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

Students use the Beaufort Scale of wind speed to categorise diary entries about the wind in Auckland.

This resource assesses students' understanding of erosion. Students order a set of diagrams showing the process of erosion in a river and write an explanation of how cliff erosion occurs by the sea.

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

For this task students are provided with a table of weather observations for a day in September. Students are required to write a weather report using headings that have been provided.

Students are provided with data showing the temperature and the cloud cover over a one week period. Students use this information to identify the two nights that would be the best to protect plants outside from possible frost damage and also to identify why protection is needed on such nights.

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.

This practical task has students investigate the surface area of three objects and whether this influences the rate of evaporation. Students fill in a table, and calculate the water loss and answer questions to show their understanding.

Students use a table about properties of different materials to answer questions about this, and to group the materials listed into two groups.

Students answer short questions to demonstrate their understanding that candles need oxygen to burn.

Students read a passage about a genetic characteristic found in a family. They use this information to complete a representation of an inheritance diagram by shading in and naming the persons of this family. Lastly a question about dominance and recessiveness is asked.

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.

Students draw a line from each of six invertebrate animals to its correct description. They are also required to name each animal.

Data from a test of comparative strengths of different magnets is provided. Students graph the data and make a conclusion.

Decide if a described investigation is a fair test, and explain the decision. Assessment focus: identifying fair testing.

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.

In this NEMP task students discuss observations of six unknown common household powders. They design a chart for results, find properties for each, and identify what each powder is. Assessment focus: identifying substances; teamwork.

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: Sequence drawings of a bean seedling to show order of events during germination. Assessment focus: germination.

Task: Place in order six statements about a series of food chain related events in a beech forest, and justify decisions. Assessment focus: interdependence.

Task: Name the parts of a bike and describe how some of them work. Assessment focus; knowledge of the working systems of a bicycle.

Task: describe how different features of a racing car help it go fast. Assessment focus: technological responses to forces.