Science safe source gate… | Foundation Science · T2 W13–14 · Materials

Genuine local observation protocol

The teacher first confirms a school-approved known safe plant, permitted location, unobstructed stable viewing place, supervision, weather/sun/heat, allergy and access needs. No one touches, smells, tastes, collects, approaches an unknown plant, moves a pot for a result, or identifies a species by a drawing. A second school-approved plant may be viewed from its own stable place for a tentative external-feature grouping; absence of a second source is NOT OBSERVED, not failure. A neutral live adult description, magnification if locally approved, AAC, signing, pointing, a child-directed scribe, high contrast frame and no-touch/quiet route can all support participation. Attribute a neutral ADULT REPORT; it is not the child's direct sense. A tactile paper diagram is a model, not a tactile observation of the real plant.

Every actual record needs private plant/source identifier, local date and time, stable viewpoint/height/distance or a note of what changed, exact visible feature (e.g. “one leaf edge curls upward in this view” only if genuinely seen), direct/attributed access, adult prompt, and UNKNOWN. A second record needs its own date/time. Retrieve an earlier Week 5 record only if identity/view/date are reliable; otherwise Day 61 is a NEW EVIDENCE baseline. Record a prediction before a later view or NOT RECORDED; do not reconstruct it. An unchanged appearance is a valid result. A drawing with larger leaves may reflect drawing scale, camera/view or description, so do not announce growth from unlike representations. Same/different/unclear requires comparing the same specified visible feature of the same plant under sufficiently comparable views; if not, mark INCOMPARABLE. A feature hidden in a view is not known absent from the plant. For grouping, identify two approved real plants, their actual views/dates, a visible external feature and child-stated rule; with two sources it is a first grouping attempt, not a species or universal classification. This plant-only work is partial alignment to a row that also mentions animals.

If the source cannot be safely or genuinely viewed, record REAL OBSERVATION NOT AVAILABLE. The paper models below remain MODEL / NOT OBSERVED and can teach source reasoning but cannot establish local plant features, change, growth, pattern or a safe sensory investigation. Actual named child/plant details stay in school-approved private storage; public examples remain blank. No identifiable child photos or family-supplied data are required.

Complete original fictional teaching sources

Model F · two views of one invented plant-like drawing. Full text: “FICTIONAL PAPER MODEL F. View FRONT shows a vertical stem-like line and three large oval leaf-like outlines: one left, one right and one at the top. View SIDE shows the same invented stem-like line, one oval left and one oval at the top. A grey paper panel covers the place where the right oval would appear in the side drawing. The author wrote SAME DRAWING OBJECT beside both views. The right oval is not visible in SIDE; the paper does not show it disappeared or grew. No real plant, local date, species or biological change is supplied.” The grey panel is a drawn obstruction, not a leaf property. Exact nonvisual/tactile route: read every sentence; use two broad fixed FRONT/SIDE cards, raised large stem and oval outlines, a removable adult-controlled broad screen over the right mark, and MODEL / NOT REAL PLANT. A child may direct the adult; no small pieces.

Model G · invented repeat notebook, not a plant record. Full text: “FICTIONAL NOTEBOOK G. Page 1 says MONDAY, FRONT VIEW, TWO OVAL MARKS NEAR TOP. Page 2 says THURSDAY, SIDE VIEW, ONE OVAL MARK NEAR TOP. The author has not supplied a real plant identity, actual dates, matched viewpoint or scale. We can compare the notebook's words; we cannot infer a real leaf vanished or a real plant changed.” The day names are story labels, not a local date. Exact nonvisual/tactile: adult reads all sentences; two broad fixed page panels with their source/view labels and UNKNOWN strip.

Model H · two invented plant-like drawings. Full text: “FICTIONAL MODEL H. Drawing A has one stem-like line and three smooth oval outlines. Drawing B has one stem-like line and three jagged-edged outlines. Both are invented shapes. A paper rule could place smooth drawings in one group and jagged drawings in another; it does not establish the external features of any real plant.” Exact nonvisual/tactile: read text; broad secured smooth-edge and zigzag-edge outlines labelled DRAWING A/B and MODEL ONLY. No species, locality or plant behaviour is supplied.

Source/response cards: REAL APPROVED PLANT, LOCAL DATE, VIEWPOINT, DIRECT, ADULT REPORT, MODEL, VISIBLE HERE, HIDDEN/NOT VISIBLE HERE, UNKNOWN, SAME FEATURE, DIFFERENT FEATURE, UNCLEAR, INCOMPARABLE, NOT OBSERVED, PRIOR PREDICTION, NEXT SAFE VIEW. Keep these large and fixed. Read all words aloud where print decoding is not the target.

Six A4 aids: exact linear text and tactile equivalents

Each linked SVG/PDF in the pack guide contains selectable text and SVG title/description. Use the exact order below for plain text, read-aloud, AAC or six/five broad fixed tactile panels. Any raised plant-like outline remains MODEL, never direct real-plant evidence.

safe-view: title “Look safely; name the source”; subtitle “Adult approves the real place and plant first.” Six panels: “1 APPROVED KNOWN SAFE PLANT”; “2 STABLE REACHABLE VIEW”; “3 NO TOUCH / SMELL / TASTE / COLLECT”; “4 LOCAL DATE + TIME”; “5 DIRECT / ADULT REPORT / MODEL”; “6 STOP OR USE MODEL ONLY”. Tactile: six fixed numbered cards, same order.
viewpoint-model: title “A hidden mark is not an absent leaf”; subtitle “FICTIONAL MODEL F · no real plant shown.” Five rows: “FRONT · three oval leaf-like marks”; “SIDE · two oval marks visible”; “GREY PANEL · hides the right mark”; “SAME DRAWING OBJECT · view changed”; “LIMIT · no real growth or loss observed”. A small schematic FRONT/SIDE pair shows the hidden mark behind a shaded panel, not to scale. Tactile/read-aloud: full Model F above, with five large fixed rows and adult-controlled broad screen.
first-observation: title “First real view, if approved”; subtitle “Write MODEL / NOT OBSERVED if no genuine view.” Six blank panels: “PLANT SOURCE + LOCAL DATE/TIME”; “STABLE VIEWPOINT + ACCESS”; “QUESTION”; “EXACT FEATURE VISIBLE HERE”; “DRAW / DICTATE / AAC”; “UNKNOWN / NOT VISIBLE HERE”. Tactile: six fixed labels, adult records exact words.
repeat-observation: title “Look again, same feature”; subtitle “A second dated view may be same, different or unclear.” Six blank panels: “FIRST SOURCE + DATE + VIEW”; “SECOND SOURCE + DATE + VIEW”; “SAME PLANT + FEATURE?”; “PRIOR PREDICTION / NOT RECORDED”; “SAME / DIFFERENT / UNCLEAR”; “EVIDENCE + LIMIT / INCOMPARABLE”. Tactile: six fixed labels in that order.
two-plant: title “Group by a visible feature”; subtitle “Two actual approved plants, or MODEL ONLY.” Six blank panels: “PLANT A SOURCE + DATE + VIEW”; “PLANT B SOURCE + DATE + VIEW”; “ONE VISIBLE FEATURE RULE”; “A FEATURE SEEN / UNKNOWN”; “B FEATURE SEEN / UNKNOWN”; “GROUP + WHAT WE CANNOT CLAIM”. Tactile: two fixed A/B strips and six ordered prompts.
share-next: title “Say what the source supports”; subtitle “A private teacher audience is enough.” Five blank panels: “SOURCE + DATE / MODEL”; “MY QUESTION + PRIOR PREDICTION”; “EXACT VISIBLE FEATURE OR DRAWING”; “MY CLAIM + ACCESS + PROMPT”; “UNKNOWN + NEXT SAFE VIEW”. Tactile: five fixed large labels; adult scribe, no name or score prefilled.