Tuatara and Weta
Loading Images
Approach:  Station
ACCESS
Level: Year 4 and year 8
Focus: Comprehension; analysing and interpreting  
Resources:
Tuatara model and card, Weta model and card
FRAME 224Kb
Questions/instructions:  
Use the information cards to answer the questions.  
 
% responses
2008 ('04)
y4
y8
1. Name three things a Tuatara feeds on.
[Click on graphic to enlarge.]		    
[insects, snails, lizards, small sea birds or sea birds]
3 or 4 valid answers
89 (89)
97 (93)
2 valid answers
3 (5)
0 (3)
1 valid answer
2 (1)
0 (1)
2. What does the word ‘tuatara’ mean in Mäori?
 
spiny-back (both words needed, misspelling is okay)
87 (89)
95 (94)
3. What size can Giant Wetas
grow to?
[Click on graphic to enlarge.]
Length:
(over) 50 mm
87 (85)
96 (92)
50 (without units)
0 (3)
0 (0)
Mass:
25g
13 (10)
25 (27)
25 (without units)
0 (1)
0 (0)
4. When does the Giant Weta mainly move about?
 
at night/in the dark
47 (41)
68 (56)
nocturna
l 5 (8)
8 (16)
5. What is the same about where the creatures live?
Mentioned:
– offshore islands or offshore;
– New Zealand
both places
21 (21)
43 (37)
offshore islands only
23 (20)
27 (30)
New Zealand only
21 (20)
14 (12)
6. What is different about what the creatures eat?
Mentioned:
[Tuatara is a carnivore (eats animals/meat) AND
Weta is a herbivore (eats plants)]
difference is captured
(both creatures mentioned)
43 (48)
72 (74)

Total score:
11–13
11 (9)
37 (39)
9–10
32 (35)
43 (40)
7–8
34 (31)
15 (21)
5–6
14 (17)
3 (8)
0–4
9 (8)
2 (2)
Subgroup Analysis [Click on charts to enlarge] :
Year 4
Year 8
Commentary:
Forty-three percent of year 4 students and 80% of year 8 students scored well (nine or more) on this task. More students directly extracted information correctly from the individual passages than identified similarities or differences from the two passages. Performance was very similar in 2004 and 2008.