# Exact practice materials and safe comparison protocols

All counts and observations below are **invented picture-card data**. Make one large card per stated drawing, with a single obvious category for the named question; a teacher verifies every group before delivery. A picture's *absence* of a mark means only that no mark is drawn. It does not establish that a living thing lacks a biological feature. Use broad supervised pieces; never add small seeds, stones, clips or loose weights. Do not survey children or collect names/photos. Adult-assisted pointing, AAC, drawing, raised outlines and child-directed movement can preserve the target.

| Practice code/day | Exact preparation | Child-controlled mathematical evidence | Fault to prevent |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| P161 / 161 | Eleven **fictional plant-sketch** cards: 7 with one visibly **round leaf outline**, 4 with one visibly **pointed leaf outline**. Given question: “Which leaf outline appears more often **on these cards**?” | Sort by the shown outline, count 7/4 once, state round group has more and show counted/matched evidence. | No ambiguous card, leaf-name claim or real species label. |
| P162 / 162 | Nine fictional garden-page cards: 5 with a clearly drawn **flower symbol**, 4 with **no flower symbol drawn**. Given question: “How many cards show a flower symbol?” | Sort shown/not shown, count 5/4, compare the card groups. | Say “not drawn”, not “the plant has no flowers”. Do not infer season or habitat. |
| P163 / 163 | Twelve made-up leaf-outline cards: 8 with an unbroken **smooth edge**, 4 with a clear **jagged edge**. Given question: “Which edge type is shown more on these drawings?” | Choose the stated visible feature, sort, track/count each set, compare with a reason. | Keep every edge unambiguous and the same card size. |
| P164 / 164 | Ten original fictional cards with **two independent drawn features**: 2 oval/flower-symbol, 4 oval/no-symbol, 1 spear/flower-symbol, 3 spear/no-symbol. First given question: oval vs spear outline (6/4). Second: flower symbol shown vs not drawn (3/7). | Re-sort the **same ten cards** for each question, name the rule, count and compare; explain why changing the question changes the groups but not the total cards. | Do not treat “no symbol” as a biological absence. Do not misplace a card when resetting. |
| P165 / 165 | Use separate [fresh Check A](STUDENT-CHECKS.md) and teacher-held setup, never the routine card totals. | First child-controlled sort, counts, comparison and a limit on what card data can show. | Keep the teacher count sheet off the child's table. |
| P166 / 166 | Cut two broad **paper roof-strip models** 80 mm and 125 mm long from the A4 practice print or equivalent. Use the same width and align their left ends on the [mat](print/align-ends-mat.pdf). Adult dimensions are preparation checks only. | Identify **length**, align ends, show that the 125 mm practice strip extends further and say “longer” with evidence. | Do not compare from staggered starting points or call width “length”. |
| P167 / 167 | Pair 1: two 110 mm broad strips, one placed 25 mm farther right; realign to show **equal length**. Pair 2: 75 mm and 115 mm broad strips, initially staggered; align ends and compare. | Correct a misleading placement and explain equal/longer by end alignment, not by the farthest right tip before alignment. | Do not stretch a paper strip or change it between views. |
| P168 / 168 | Two large **unbreakable clear plastic cups** with different actual capacity, A smaller and B larger, a stable tray, absorbent cloth and adult-handled clean water. **Before the lesson**, adult fills A to its **full usable brim, not a partial level**, and pours into B to verify all water fits **with space still in B**. Repeat the direct transfer at the child's direction. | Name **capacity**, point to or receive a neutral description of the space left in B, and explain that B can hold more water than a full A. | If cups, spill or fill level make the result unclear, replace/retest; do not score a picture or cup height. No glass or child pouring requirement. |
| P169 / 169 | Two identical large sealed paper envelopes: L holds 2 A4 sheets; H holds 12 A4 sheets. Adult verifies **H tips down on either pan** of a stable school-approved two-pan balance, then resets. Keep sheets enclosed. | Name **mass**, direct the side-by-side balance comparison, observe/receive neutral report of which pan drops and reason H is heavier. | If the balance does not show a clear result on both pan positions, change materials; don't infer mass from parcel size or require a child to lift. |
| P170 / 170 | Use separate [fresh Check B](STUDENT-CHECKS.md) and teacher-preflight protocol with different strips, cups and parcels. | First comparison action and explanation for length, capacity and mass. | Don't show a worked relation or score any station whose physical preflight failed. |

## Full text alternative and handling

P161: 11 drawings = 7 round leaf outlines and 4 pointed; P162: 9 drawings = 5 with a flower symbol and 4 without one drawn; P163: 12 drawings = 8 smooth edges and 4 jagged; P164: 10 drawings, with the exact four-way combination 2/4/1/3 so both sorts retain ten cards. P166: when left ends are aligned, the 125 mm strip extends beyond the 80 mm strip. P167: the two 110 mm strips are equal despite their first stagger; after alignment 115 mm extends beyond 75 mm. P168: the teacher-tested B cup retains empty space after all of full A is transferred. P169: the teacher-tested H envelope tips its balance pan down. **This is staff preparation/answer text; do not hand it to a child before the first attempt.**

The child does not need to read millimetres, measure with a ruler, lift a parcel or pour. A child can direct an adult using speech, sign, AAC or large labels; record the child's **decision**, the actual observed relation and any adult content cue separately. Raised broad outlines and full-word category cards can make the sort tactile; for capacity, an adult can neutrally report the actual transfer result. If the physical direct comparison cannot be made accessible or safe, **defer that evidence** and use the diagram only to rehearse the language. Do not count a diagram as a completed direct comparison. The [print alternatives](print/TEXT-ALTERNATIVES.md) describe all six original A4 aids.