Comprehension resources

Students complete a cloze passage on how forests prevent erosion. They add words to create well-formed sentences.

Students complete a cloze passage about koalas using their vocabulary and knowledge of grammar to create well-formed sentences.

This comprehension task assesses student ability to use evidence in text to make inferences about characters' points of view, and to analyse and synthesise understandings of these characters.

The assessment focus is on student ability to make inferences about character and justify these with evidence from text.

Students read an article on dog grooming. They find information to complete a retrieval chart and answer comprehension questions. SJ-1-1-1997. Text not provided.

Students read an article on starfish and find factual information to complete a retrieval chart and answer comprehension questions. SJ-1-2-1999. Text not provided.

This comprehension task assesses student ability to identify and justify evidence used to visualise and make inferences about a character and setting.

This comprehension task assesses student ability to evaluate the ideas and information in a text about an environmental issue. Students are asked to read a text, then respond to four questions. SJ-4-3-2005. Text not provided.

Students use the information in an article to interpret the body language of cats in nine different pictures. This task assesses student ability to bring together written and visual texts to show their comprehension. The text is reproduced in the Teacher information pages. SJ-3-1-1990. Text not provided.

A joke about a parrot is the context for this resource that assesses understanding of idioms and the interpretation of humour.

Students read a poem, 'My Other Jandal', then answer inferential questions. The poem is provided with this resource. SJ-2-4-1994. Text not provided.

Students read an article about castles to complete a retrieval chart using information from the text. SJ-1-2-1995. Text provided.

To answer mainly multiple choice questions, students retrieve information and make inferences from a text about Socrates.

Students study a poster about being safe in an earthquake and then answer retrieval and inferential questions.

Students read a cartoon to answer retrieval and inferential questions about the story and the visual techniques used. SJ-1-1-1994.

Students interpret a series of road safety drawings with questions on visual cues, titles, emphasis and providing appropriate text.

Students unpack a picture, making inferences from its visual cues. SJ-1-2-1998. Text provided.

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

In Part 1, students interpret how the visual techniques used in the presentation of a Māori legend support the meaning of the written text. In Part 2, students are assessed on their ability to communicate and explain their use of visual techniques. Annotated student work samples using Part 2 are provided.

Students are required to read an article, answer questions and complete a retrieval chart.

Students read excerpts from a speech and identify six features of the language and describe their intended effect on an audience.

Students use evidence in a text to make inferences about a character's feelings. They analyse these within scaffolding activities, synthesising their thinking to suggest the author's message.

Students read a narrative that is about being different and about group dynamics. Assessment focus: an evaluation of characters and the author's construction of them. (A link to the text is provided. Reading age <8.) SJ-1-4-2005. Text provided.

Students read a poem and make links between its written and visual information. SJ-2-4-1993.

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.