# Foundation / Prep Science · ten 25-minute scripts, Days 1–10

Before each lesson, follow the [local safe-source preflight](MATERIALS.md). Each script has 3 + 4 + 5 + 7 + 4 + 2 minutes, with one [same-target learner route](LEARNER-CARDS.md) chosen flexibly. Save date, actual object/source, method, child's first response and support. When no approved actual object is present, run the original paper model to practise questioning/representation but write **REAL OBSERVATION NOT AVAILABLE**; do not credit local material or safe-investigation evidence from a drawing. The child may watch, point, sign, use AAC, speak privately, draw or direct an adult; direct sensory observation and an adult-reported description are recorded differently. [Days 5/10 checks](ASSESSMENT.md) and [key](TEACHER-KEY.md) stay unseen until first independent response.

## Week 1 · Day 1 — What can we actually notice here?

**Goal:** ask one question about a safe local object and separate an actual noticed feature from a guess. **Proposed codes:** AC9SFH01, AC9SFI01, AC9SFI02. **Prepare:** one preflighted broad local object, date/source card, safe-notice poster, Card 1.

1. **Welcome/safety · 3 min.** Read LOOK/ASK/TRY SAFELY. Identify the approved table boundary and no-touch option; do not require tasting, smelling or handling.
2. **Source · 4 min.** Name the actual object and local date, then let the child access it directly if possible or hear an exact adult report, with access route logged. If none available, use C as MODEL ONLY.
3. **Model · 5 min.** Teacher says, “I see this edge is straight” only if actually observed; then “I wonder whether it will bend” as a question, not a result. Point to two record fields.
4. **Child try · 7 min.** Child chooses desk-tray, book area or making-table route on Card 1; gives one actual feature and one question, with source/date and mode recorded. An adult description is attributed as reported information.
5. **Check · 4 min.** Offer “It must be soft because it looks pale.” Child identifies that colour alone has not tested softness; choose a safe way or leave UNKNOWN.
6. **Exit · 2 min.** Ask what would be needed before saying a different real object has the same feature. Keep one observation for later, not a class-wide claim.

## Week 1 · Day 2 — How can we investigate safely with different senses?

**Goal:** describe an actually observed property of two approved broad objects and name the access/safety route. **Proposed codes:** AC9SFU03, AC9SFI02, AC9SFI05. **Prepare:** preflighted paper sheet and fabric square or local equivalents, source/date log, Card 2.

1. **Safety choice · 3 min.** Offer look, agreed touch of a clean broad object, adult movement demonstration or pass; no unknown smell/taste.
2. **Source · 4 min.** Record actual item identity and teacher-verified material label or UNKNOWN. Show both objects separately, without assuming surface feel from a picture.
3. **Model · 5 min.** Teacher describes one feature they actually access (“this sheet has a straight edge”) and records whether that was sight/touch/report. Avoid “all fabric feels…” generalisation.
4. **Child try · 7 min.** Child chooses art-table, book-cover or quiet-table route on Card 2 and compares one feature of two real objects under safe conditions. Adult scribes exact observation and child access route.
5. **Check · 4 min.** Present “The fabric square must always bend more than paper.” Child says the claim requires a specific gentle try; if a try happened, name its conditions and result only for these items.
6. **Exit · 2 min.** Share one question/observation with a consenting adult or privately record it; public peer sharing is optional.

## Week 1 · Day 3 — Predict, then look at what this object does

**Goal:** make a prediction and compare it with one actual gentle object test. **Proposed codes:** AC9SFI01, AC9SFI02, AC9SFI04. **Prepare:** approved broad sheet/card, marked mat, [prediction/check mat](prediction-check.svg), Card 3.

1. **Preflight · 3 min.** Adult shows the broad clean object and explains that only an adult or consenting child will lift one short edge gently; no forced crease or small part.
2. **Question · 4 min.** Ask “What might happen when one short edge is lifted and released?” Record child's prediction before moving it and the object/date/source.
3. **Model · 5 min.** With a different already seen object or a paper-only teacher simulation clearly labelled MODEL, demonstrate how to leave ACTUAL RESULT blank until an actual try occurs.
4. **Child try · 7 min.** Child selects toy-workshop, drawing desk or library-folder context on Card 3; observe an approved actual gentle try, or direct an adult. Record exactly what moved/bent/stayed and who did it. If not possible, stay with prediction/model and mark no actual result.
5. **Compare · 4 min.** Child marks prediction SAME / DIFFERENT / NOT TESTED against what actually happened, with guidance; no “wrong prediction” penalty.
6. **Exit · 2 min.** Ask what changed between tries, if any, and why one result does not prove a rule for every object of that material.

## Week 1 · Day 4 — Can one object show more than one material?

**Goal:** describe verified parts and observed properties of a safe actual composite object, or identify evidence still needed. **Proposed codes:** AC9SFU03, AC9SFI02, AC9SFI03. **Prepare:** approved broad cardboard backing with broad fabric panel attached by adult or another verified composite object, source log, Card 4.

1. **Safety/source · 3 min.** Name actual date, source, verified material parts and no-touch option. If the composite is not verified/safe, use C's diagram for question practice only.
2. **Observe · 4 min.** Child views/feels if agreed or hears attributed adult description of two large visible parts. Avoid guessing hidden composition.
3. **Model · 5 min.** Point to PART 1 / PART 2 on the blank log; teacher demonstrates “the backing is labelled cardboard by our preparation record; the panel is labelled fabric; this edge I can see is straight.” Keep material label source apart from sensory feature.
4. **Child try · 7 min.** Child chooses book-cover, puppet prop or classroom sign-base route on Card 4 to describe each part and one actually observed feature; may direct adult to point. Mark UNKNOWN for unverified material.
5. **Check · 4 min.** Offer “The picture proves the back is plastic.” Child replies a drawing does not verify hidden material; identify what source or real observation is needed.
6. **Exit · 2 min.** Record one shared/specific feature without claiming all composite objects behave alike.

## Week 1 · Day 5 — Fresh safe observation check

**Goal:** use a new approved real object to ask, notice and record a feature, or distinguish a fresh paper representation from actual observation. **Proposed codes:** AC9SFU03, AC9SFI01, AC9SFI02, AC9SFI03. **Prepare:** [teacher-held Day 5 check](ASSESSMENT.md), blank log; after-check Card 5 only.

1. **Welcome · 3 min.** State that the check will choose next teaching, not rank children. Offer direct accessible observation, adult report with attribution, or paper model when local object is unavailable.
2. **Warm retrieval · 4 min.** Revisit Day 1's known object only; do not preview the fresh object/model or question.
3. **Fresh source · 5 min.** Adult introduces the new preflighted object with date/verified material label or the explicitly fictional fallback; child gets time to inspect/request description without a cue to answer.
4. **First independent response · 7 min.** Child asks one source-bounded question, identifies one actually noticed feature (or only drawn feature in fallback), and places source/date/unknown in the log. Save exact response and prompt before teaching.
5. **Reason/source · 4 min.** Child says whether their evidence came from direct sense, adult report or paper model and what cannot yet be claimed; no surprise contact.
6. **Close · 2 min.** Key selects next move. After the first record, release Card 5 practice with a different case.

## Week 2 · Day 6 — A picture is a representation, not the object

**Goal:** describe exactly what invented model C shows and name a real-object property it cannot settle. **Proposed codes:** AC9SFI03, AC9SFI05. **Prepare:** C [model diagram](model-not-object.svg), exact linear/tactile description, actual approved local object if comparing, Card 6.

1. **Model label · 3 min.** Say MODEL CARD aloud and show its label. Explain that it was drawn by the author, not photographed/observed in this room.
2. **See/hear · 4 min.** Present C's rectangle, oval and short line in exact order. Adult describes without adding “hole” or material.
3. **Model · 5 min.** Teacher states “The drawing shows an oval outline.” Put “cardboard”, “smooth” and “bends” under NOT SHOWN until a real source is checked.
4. **Child try · 7 min.** Child chooses library label, paper museum or toy-workshop route on Card 6; names two marks and one unknown using point/AAC/tactile/spoken route. If a real object is offered, log its source/date separately.
5. **Check · 4 min.** Offer “The oval is a hole.” Child notes the line could be a printed oval, a cutout or a symbol; C alone cannot tell.
6. **Exit · 2 min.** Child asks one question they would check on an approved real object; no need to obtain it today.

## Week 2 · Day 7 — Make a key for what was actually seen

**Goal:** link a mark/word to a dated visible feature on an approved local object, distinguishing DIRECT, ADULT REPORT and DRAWING SHOWS. **Proposed codes:** AC9SFI02, AC9SFI03, AC9SFI05. **Prepare:** approved real broad object, D key, [representation record](representation-record.svg), Card 7.

1. **Source · 3 min.** Record date/object/source and access. If no safe real source, use C and mark DRAWING SHOWS only.
2. **Inspect · 4 min.** Child notices a straight or curved edge in real source using direct accessible route, or hears a report labelled adult description.
3. **Model · 5 min.** Put the chosen straight/curve mark with DIRECT only after the child actually accesses that real feature; attribute adult description as ADULT REPORT. Explain `?` means not checked, not false. This key is not an official safety symbol.
4. **Child try · 7 min.** Child chooses book display, art tray or paper travel sign route on Card 7; draws/selects one mark and gives exact real feature/source/date or “drawing shows” for C.
5. **Check · 4 min.** Offer a curved mark beside an actual straight-only edge. Child compares source and fixes the mark or says which feature was not yet checked.
6. **Exit · 2 min.** Child tells a consenting adult or private record what their chosen symbol means and what it does not tell.

## Week 2 · Day 8 — Can our record show a small pattern?

**Goal:** use a provided template to compare at least two actual observed results and identify a local pattern with guidance, or mark insufficient evidence. **Proposed codes:** AC9SFI03, AC9SFI04. **Prepare:** dated logs from actual approved objects, blank representation record, Card 8.

1. **Source check · 3 min.** Count actual dated records, not fictional pictures. If fewer than two comparable actual results, write INSUFFICIENT REAL OBSERVATIONS and use model reasoning only.
2. **Read records · 4 min.** Adult reads each source/date/try condition exactly. Note if object size or adult action differed.
3. **Model · 5 min.** Show how two actual results can be same/different **in these tries** without generalising to all paper or all fabric. A prediction is separate from the result.
4. **Child try · 7 min.** Child chooses pretend parcel desk, paper art wall or library book cart route on Card 8; groups two or three actual records by one observed feature, cites each, and writes a cautious sentence or marks insufficient evidence.
5. **Check · 4 min.** Offer “All cardboard bends because our one card did.” Child repairs to the exact local item and condition, or says one record is not a pattern.
6. **Exit · 2 min.** Child names one new observation needed to test whether the apparent local pattern holds.

## Week 2 · Day 9 — Share an observation and its limits

**Goal:** communicate one actual dated question/prediction/observation and what the picture or symbol omits. **Proposed codes:** AC9SFH01, AC9SFI03, AC9SFI05. **Prepare:** actual Week 1/2 log if available, C/D, blank representation record, Card 9.

1. **Source gate · 3 min.** Choose one actual school-approved dated log; if none, use C and label the task MODEL EXPLANATION ONLY.
2. **Review · 4 min.** Read source, actual observation and child question; distinguish any adult-reported detail from child's own sense route.
3. **Model · 5 min.** Teacher shares a paper model statement “This drawing has an oval; I do not know the real card material” and labels MODEL. Show a real observation needs object/date/method.
4. **Child try · 7 min.** Child chooses classroom sign, library display or paper science notebook route on Card 9; gives question, actual observation (if present), chosen mark/diagram and one unknown to a consenting listener or private record.
5. **Listener/check · 4 min.** If an actual listener asks a question, record exact words and child answer; otherwise say NO ACTUAL LISTENER RESPONSE. A hypothetical question is MODEL, not feedback evidence.
6. **Exit · 2 min.** Keep one next investigable question for a teacher-approved later lesson, not an invented result.

## Week 2 · Day 10 — Fresh representation and evidence check

**Goal:** interpret a new diagram, compare with a separate real safe observation only if available, and state a next check. **Proposed codes:** AC9SFI01, AC9SFI02, AC9SFI03, AC9SFI05. **Prepare:** [teacher-held Day 10 check](ASSESSMENT.md), unseen approved object if possible, blank representation record; after-check Card 10 only.

1. **Welcome · 3 min.** Explain the check informs what to teach next; offer private direct/description/model routes and record the source type.
2. **Warm retrieval · 4 min.** Revisit C's known rectangle/oval diagram only, without revealing the held new mark arrangement.
3. **Fresh source · 5 min.** Present the teacher-held new diagram and, if available, a distinct preflighted broad real object with its own date/source. Do not suggest that the diagram depicts that object.
4. **First independent response · 7 min.** Child describes what the diagram shows, one thing it cannot prove, one actual real-object feature if directly observed, and a question for next check. Save exact first response/mode/help.
5. **Record · 4 min.** Child or adult scribe puts DRAWING SHOWS on the model line and real feature as DIRECT/ADULT REPORT/NOT AVAILABLE in its separate field; a fictional mark never becomes local data.
6. **Close · 2 min.** Use key for next teaching. Add only genuinely dated observations to Science work samples; Day 10 does not certify a whole standard.

**Boundary:** A room sign or picture can help explain a record but cannot establish material, movement or a local event without an actual source. This pack does not claim plants/animals, rolling or First Nations knowledge from a theme. Original SubjectNest scripts © 2026 NeuroForgeIO Pty Ltd, [CC BY 4.0](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).