Lizard
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Approach:  Station ACCESS
Level: Year 8
Focus: Interpreting and analysing similar information  
Resources:
Photo [simulated resource shown below], 2 information cards, answer booklet
251Kb
Questions/instructions:


Look at the photo of a lizard.

A family saw it when they were on holiday in the South Island.
They looked through lots of books to see if they could find out what kind of lizard it was. They worked out that it had to be one of two lizards.

Read the information on the two cards to work out which lizard is shown in the photograph.

lizard

% responses
2009 ('05)
y8
Common Green Gecko
The common green gecko has no pattern on its body. It is a very bright green, with lighter green or yellow sides.
Common green geckos have a vivid blue mouth and tongue. Their tails help them to climb because they can wrap them around twigs. They sometimes lose their tails, but not often.
The common green gecko is found throughout the North Island except for Northland.

Jewelled Gecko
As its name suggests, the jewelled gecko is a very striking gecko. It has very bright background colour that has yellow or white stripes on it.
Jewelled geckos have a blue/purple mouth and tongue. They have a long slender tail that can grip well and is hardly ever lost.
Jewelled geckos live in forests, shrublands and the tussock grasslands of the South Island.
1. What kind of lizard do you think they saw?
 
tick Jewelled Gecko
84 (89)
Common Green Gecko
9 (6)
2. Write down two reasons why you think it was that lizard.
mentions white (and yellow) stripes
61 (69)
mentions lives in South Island
45 (59)
   
Total score:
3
32 (41)
2
41 (44)
1
12 (7)
0
15 (8)
Subgroup Analysis [Click on charts to enlarge] :
Year 8


 
Commentary:
Students did well on this task that asked them to use information to determine which of two possible geckos a family had encountered. However, performance was markedly lower in 2009 than in 2005.