Everyday Detective
Loading Images
Approach:  One to one
ACCESS
Level: Year 4 and year 8
Focus: Identifying appropriate information sources  
Resources:
6 cards
348Kb
Questions/instructions:  


Some children want to find out about different things. Tell me your ideas about how they could find the information. There may be more than one way to find out the information, so tell me all the ways you can think of.

[Click on graphics below to enlarge.]


% responses
2009 ('05)
y4
y8
Hand card 1 to the student.
Mereana is at home. She wants to know whether the library has a book about turtles.
1. How could she find out?
detective 6 more than two ways that would work
2 (0)
11 (6)
more than two ways that would work, plus one or more that would not
1 (1)
2 (1)
two ways that would work
12 (11)
21 (23)
two ways that would work, plus one or more that would not
6 (4)
9 (6)
one way that would work
22 (20)
22 (16)
one way that would work, plus one or more that would not
18 (18)
17 (18)
Hand card 2 to the student.
Chris is not sure whether or not he should take his raincoat to school.
2. How could he find out?
detective 6 more than two ways that would work
9 (6)
28 (30)
more than two ways that would work, plus one or more that would not
1 (0)
3 (5)
two ways that would work
29 (26)
34 (27)
two ways that would work, plus one or more that would not
5 (7)
5 (9)
one way that would work
27 (35)
19 (15)
one way that would work, plus one or more that would not
12 (12)
8 (10)
Hand card 3 to the student.
Rata finds a spider with a white mark on its back.
3. How could he find out if it is poisonous?
detective 6 more than two ways that would work
12 (4)
29 (30)
more than two ways that would work, plus one or more that would not
3 (0)
4 (6)
two ways that would work
26 (27)
31 (30)
two ways that would work, plus one or more that would not
6 (8)
7 (3)
one way that would work
26 (28)
18 (12)
one way that would work, plus one or more that would not
11 (11)
7 (14)
Hand card 4 to the student.
Hazel’s family has moved to a new town. She wants to find out where the swimming pool is.
4. How could she find out?
detective 6 more than two ways that would work
13 (9)
29 (22)
more than two ways that would work, plus one or more that would not
2 (0)
3 (4)
two ways that would work
26 (25)
38 (40)
two ways that would work, plus one or more that would not
6 (5)
6 (6)
one way that would work
21 (29)
17 (16)
one way that would work, plus one or more that would not
15 (20)
4 (6)
Hand card 5 to the student.
Niusha wants to go and see the new Harry Potter movie. She wants to find out what time it is on.
5. How could she find out?
detective 6 more than two ways that would work
8 (7)
25 (31)
more than two ways that would work, plus one or more that would not
3 (0)
2 (1)
two ways that would work
25 (37)
41 (37)
two ways that would work, plus one or more that would not
6 (4)
6 (4)
one way that would work
32 (32)
19 (17)
one way that would work, plus one or more that would not
10 (11)
4 (4)
Hand card 6 to the student.
Hadyn wants to find out what the Mäori place name Waimaunga means.
6. How could he find out?
detective 6 more than two ways that would work
13 (10)
30 (22)
more than two ways that would work, plus one or more that would not
2 (2)
4 (4)
two ways that would work
27 (31)
35 (32)
two ways that would work, plus one or more that would not
6 (3)
4 (7)
one way that would work
32 (28)
18 (16)
one way that would work, plus one or more that would not
10 (11)
7 (12)

Total score:
 30–36
3 (1)
14 (13)
23–29
13 (8)
35 (30)
16–22
31 (30)
33 (34)
9–15
31 (37)
15 (15)
0–8
22 (24)
3 (8)
Subgroup Analysis [Click on charts to enlarge] :
Year 4
Year 8
Commentary:
This task asked students to come up with ways to find answers to basic informational tasks that people encounter in their everyday lives. The total scores reflect the ability to come up with multiple ways of solving the problem. Looking at the responses for individual sub-tasks, it is clear that most children, at both years, could come up with at least one successful approach to finding the needed information. Performance improved slightly from 2005, and clear growth is seen from year 4 to year 8. Differences by gender and ethnicity were small.