Comprehension resources

Students read the letters written by four different people and identify the main idea of each letter.

A newspaper article on the Wearable Art show is the context for this resource, with five short written response comprehension questions.

Students read a story 'The Gift' and answer questions about comprehension, point of view and inference.

Students read a narrative then complete three tasks that focus on one of the characters. Assessment focus: an evaluation of a character and the author's construction of that character. SJ-4-3-2004. Text provided.

Students are assessed on their ability to find details and identify the main idea of a narrative about a Cook Island tradition.

Students read a short story about swimming in summer and answer questions about comprehension and inference. SJ-2-1-1992. Text provided.

Students read an extract from Steinbeck's 'Of Mice and Men' to answer retrieval and inferential questions.

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

This task assesses student ability to find the text features of a science report about moa.

Students read through an article about a pending tidal wave. From their comprehension of the cloze passage, they fill in the gaps with their own words. SJ-2-2-1982. 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 recount about New Zealanders travelling in Africa, then answer retrieval and inference questions. The text is provided.

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 read an advertisement and retrieve information and make inferences from it.

Students read a poem titled 'The Sea' and explain the meanings of some of the language used.

Students read a narrative about how a character copes with changes in her family dynamics. Students then complete three tasks focusing on that character. Assessment focus: an evaluation of a character and the author's construction of her. (The text used for this resource is reproduced under the "Working with Students" tab.) Reading age 10-12. SJ-4-2-2000. Text not provided.

Students read an extract from the narrative 'The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn' and answer a combination of multiple-choice and short answer questions.

An anecdotal story about fever and the discovery of quinine provides the context for this assessment with its focus on information retrieval and making inferences. The text is provided with this resource.

A poem about fleas from a School Journal is the context for this resource. The assessment focus is on making inferences. SJ-3-1-1999. Text 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.

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.

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

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

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.

A story about getting rid of family junk is the context for this task. Students find evidence to make inferences about the characters. SJ-1-4-1998. Text not provided.