Tadpole Comprehension Questions

Name:

Date:

Year Level:

📖 Read This First!

Tadpoles are baby frogs. They hatch from eggs that a frog lays in water. At first, tadpoles look like tiny fish. They have tails and breathe through gills. Over time, they grow legs and their tails get smaller. Eventually, they become frogs and can live on land. This journey is called a life cycle. Frogs are important because they eat insects and are food for other animals in the ecosystem.

💡 Dyslexia-friendly tip: Ask your teacher to read this passage aloud, or use a ruler to follow each line as you read.

🐸 Part 1: Year 1 Questions — Key Facts

WALT: We Are Learning To find key facts from a text.
Success Criteria: I can answer questions using information from the passage. I can write or circle my answer.

1. What is a tadpole?

A baby fish

A baby frog

A baby bird

2. Where do tadpoles live?

In trees

In water

In the ground

3. Draw a tadpole in the box below.

4. Tick TWO things that tadpoles have when they first hatch.

A tail

Wings

Gills

Fur

⭐ Extension (Year 1): Can you draw a frog next to your tadpole and show how they are different?

🔬 Part 2: Year 2 Questions — Vocabulary & Life Cycle

WALT: We Are Learning To understand new vocabulary and sequence the life cycle of a frog.
Success Criteria: I can explain what key words mean. I can put the life cycle stages in the correct order.

5. What does the word "life cycle" mean? Circle the best answer.

A type of bicycle

The journey of how a living thing grows and changes

A circle drawn in science class

6. Number these life cycle stages in the correct order (1 = first, 4 = last).

_____ Tadpole grows legs

_____ Frog lays eggs

_____ Tadpole hatches from egg

_____ Tadpole becomes a frog

7. What do tadpoles use to breathe?

8. Find a word in the passage that means the same as "slowly changes into something else." Write it here:

The word is: _______________________

⭐ Extension (Year 2): Write one sentence explaining why water is important for tadpoles.

🌿 Part 3: Year 3 Questions — Life Cycle, Ecosystems & Inference

WALT: We Are Learning To analyse a text, identify an animal's role in an ecosystem, and make inferences using evidence.
Success Criteria: I can explain the full frog life cycle. I can describe why frogs matter in an ecosystem. I can use clues from the text to support my thinking.

9. Explain the full life cycle of a frog in your own words. Use the words: egg, tadpole, legs, frog.

10. What is the role of frogs in an ecosystem? Give TWO reasons from the passage.

Reason 1: _______________________________________________________

Reason 2: _______________________________________________________

11. Inference question: If a pond dried up, what do you think would happen to the tadpoles? Use evidence from the text to explain your thinking.

12. Why do you think it is important to protect ponds and wetlands in New Zealand? Use what you have learned about tadpoles and frogs.

⭐ Extension (Year 3): Research one New Zealand native frog (such as the Hochstetter's frog). Write three interesting facts and explain how its life cycle is similar to or different from what you read above.

🌈 Differentiation Notes for Teachers:

• For learners who need support: Provide a word bank, allow verbal responses, or pair with a reading buddy. Offer the passage printed in a larger font (size 14+) on cream-coloured paper for dyslexia-friendly access.

• For learners who need extension: See the starred extension tasks above, or challenge students to create their own life cycle diagram with labels and captions.