Ten small investigations · Days 151–160Foundation Science · T4 W31–32 · Lesson sequence

Read the actual setup and complete fictional notebook first. Use actual safe materials when accessible; otherwise use the labelled fictional route. Each session totals 25 minutes, with breaks and pacing adapted by the educator. Every child can choose a useful question or decline a sensory action. Evidence refers to the exact task accessed. These are Science sessions, not a requirement to teach every subject daily.

Week 31 · Day 151 · Build a window question

Goal: distinguish an object from its parts and notice an accessible material property. Proposed opportunities: AC9SFU03, AC9SFH01, AC9SFI02, AC9SFI05.

Prepare: adult-prepared frame/panel object; puppet; two broad sample pieces; window parts aid. If actual materials are unavailable, label the whole route FICTIONAL MODEL.

1. Meet Pip · 3 min. “Pip wants a little window. What could we find out?” A child chooses see-through, feel, bend gently or another approved property question.
2. Meet the object · 4 min. Show the whole window. Point to the frame and panel separately. Name material identities from reliable information, or mark unknown; do not ask children to guess a plastic type from looks.
3. Explore a part · 7 min. Offer one desired safe sensory action or child-directed adult action. Ask “What did you notice about this part?” Keep the child's words. Seeing a part and an adult's material report are different sources.
4. Make a question · 5 min. Choose a practical question: “Can we see Pip's circle through this panel?” or “Does this card bend with a gentle press?” The adult checks suitability before trying anything.
5. Tell a helper · 4 min. Child indicates object, part, source and question through their chosen mode. A two-word AAC answer plus pointing can be enough.
6. Keep and next · 2 min. Save one property/question with access type. With no actual access, mark REAL OBSERVATION NOT AVAILABLE. Tomorrow we keep one target steady.

Week 31 · Day 152 · Predict before peeking

Goal: make a prior prediction grounded in experience. Proposed opportunities: AC9SFH01, AC9SFI01, AC9SFI02, AC9SFI04.

Prepare: approved sample not yet viewed against the puppet; no-cover baseline; setup and prediction log. Model option: keep one supplied notebook result covered until after prediction.

1. Choose the job · 3 min. “Should this window show Pip's circle or hide it?” Child chooses. Check the uncovered target is available from the viewing place. If not, pause/adjust, change to an accessible property or use an attributed report; do not attribute nonvisibility to the cover without an available baseline.
2. Predict · 4 min. Ask “What do you think you will see through this sample, and what makes you think that?” Record exact words before the first view. “Not sure” is welcome.
3. Try one view · 7 min. Put the sample at the marked position. Child observes or receives a named adult report. In the model route reveal the specified row; do not present it as an experiment.
4. Compare · 5 min. Read the prior words beside the later observation. Ask “Same as you expected, different, or unclear?” Avoid turning a later guess into an earlier prediction.
5. Use the result · 4 min. Would this sample help the chosen show/hide job in this setup? Accept changing the choice after seeing the result.
6. Keep and next · 2 min. Save both records and any interruption. Tomorrow we compare samples from the same viewing place.

Week 31 · Day 153 · Three covers, one target

Goal: describe observed material properties and represent a guided comparison. Proposed opportunities: AC9SFU03, AC9SFI02, AC9SFI03, AC9SFI05.

Prepare: approved paper/card/clear sheet; puppet; fixed viewing marks; log. Keep the local identities distinct from the fictional P/C/T IDs.

1. Check the target · 3 min. Child confirms the uncovered circle is available, or chooses a nonvisual property question. Keep NO / UNCLEAR as baseline data, then pause/adjust, change property or use an attributed report. Do not say a cover hid a target that was unavailable before covering it.
2. Plan together · 4 min. Choose which sample to try first. Keep puppet, sample place, viewer place and room lighting steady; explain one thing to hold still in child-sized words.
3. Observe three samples · 7 min. Adult positions each in turn. Record each actual response without replacing it with the model's expected result. Pause after one sample if needed and finish later.
4. Make a record · 5 min. Child places YES / NO / UNCLEAR beside each sample ID and adds a word/drawing/AAC selection describing the view. The educator attributes scribed words.
5. Compare a pair · 4 min. Ask “Which two views were different here?” Do not equate clearer with better for every use; hiding can be the chosen purpose.
6. Keep and next · 2 min. Keep raw rows and accessible property evidence. Tomorrow: one sheet and two sheets of the same paper.

Week 31 · Day 154 · Add one more sheet

Goal: pose a question about a change, then compare prior prediction and actual observation. Proposed opportunities: AC9SFU03, AC9SFI01–AC9SFI04.

Prepare: two comparable sheets of the same paper, source recorded; identical view arrangement; layer pair aid. Do not give the child's predicted result in advance.

1. Recall yesterday · 3 min. Read the child's paper row. “That was one sheet in yesterday's setup.” It does not settle today's two-sheet view.
2. Predict the change · 4 min. Child says what adding a second sheet might do and why. Record first; permit “I don't know.”
3. View one and two · 7 min. Try one sheet, then two stacked sheets, at the marked place. Record both views, including unclear results or sample movement. No compulsory touch.
4. Compare · 5 min. Put prediction, one-sheet result and two-sheet result side by side. Ask what changed in the arrangement and what the child actually noticed.
5. Choose a smaller claim · 4 min. “With these sheets, from here, I saw ___.” If the result was unchanged, report that. Do not require the fictional notebook's answer.
6. Keep and next · 2 min. Keep sample origin and both rows. The fresh check tomorrow uses a new supplied notebook, not today's paper.

Week 31 · Day 155 · A new notebook

Goal: interpret a supplied comparison and separate recorded result from a wider guess. Proposed opportunities: AC9SFU03, AC9SFI03, AC9SFI04, AC9SFI05, limited to reasoning about the record.

Prepare: keep teacher-held Case AH and educator key unseen until first independent response. Offer an uncoached access mode.

1. Settle · 3 min. “You can point, tell, sign, use AAC or direct a scribe. This is an invented notebook.” Explain that it is a fresh case.
2. Meet the source · 4 min. Read the case exactly, without selecting answers or adding a prediction. Give the source ID and both rows.
3. First independent response · 7 min. Ask the three case prompts. Record words/choices and assistance. Allow more time or another short sitting; the clock is not a Science criterion.
4. Read it back · 5 min. Read the response back for the child to confirm; keep first response and later change distinct. Use the key only after it has been recorded.
5. Teaching afterwards · 4 min. Return to an already practised P/C/T model to teach the specific next step. Do not rehearse tomorrow's or Day 160's held case.
6. Keep and next · 2 min. Save interpretation evidence; mark REAL OBSERVATION NOT AVAILABLE for direct investigation claims based only on this case.

Week 32 · Day 156 · The helper has a question

Goal: explore how observation and a question help someone choose a material. Proposed opportunities: AC9SFH01, AC9SFI01, AC9SFI05.

Prepare: complete fictional notebook and helper message: “I want visitors to see Pip's circle. I can use P, C or T. What should I check?” Share aid.

1. Give the helper a job · 3 min. Read the message. This helper is invented; no real designer interview is claimed.
2. Choose a useful question · 4 min. Child asks about seeing the circle through a particular sample, rather than price, strongest material or tomorrow's weather, which the notebook cannot answer.
3. Find a relevant row · 7 min. Use P/C/T records. Child locates the view that helps the show-circle job and tells where the information came from.
4. Say what is missing · 5 min. Could we say this will work outdoors or with every kind of plastic? Identify one missing check. The notebook reports a particular view only.
5. Make a practical message · 4 min. “Try T for this model. The helper could see the circle's edge through T.” Choose spoken, signed, drawn or scribed delivery.
6. Keep and next · 2 min. Save question and record-based explanation. Tomorrow we use the actual frame/panel object if accessible.

Week 32 · Day 157 · Pick a window or a hiding cover

Goal: recognise materials in an object and describe properties relevant to a child-chosen purpose. Proposed opportunities: AC9SFU03, AC9SFI02, AC9SFI03, AC9SFI05.

Prepare: approved adult-made frame and secured panel; puppet; alternative broad hiding cover; actual prior sample log. Adult handles assembly and sample changes.

1. Choose the purpose · 3 min. “Would your puppet like a peek window or a hiding cover?” No particular choice is the right personality or preferred learner route.
2. Name the parts · 4 min. Show frame and panel. Use known material source information or unknown; child indicates which part gives the view/cover in the setup.
3. Try the chosen object · 7 min. Test from the marked place. Child observes or directs an adult; an attributed report does not become direct visual evidence. Allow an actual accessible tactile property question instead.
4. Record and change · 5 min. Child says whether the object helps this purpose, based on the actual property encountered. Adult swaps an approved cover if requested. Record a changed result separately.
5. Give it a story · 4 min. Child names the paper puppet or invents a tiny scene. Keep Science property evidence separate from creative storytelling and craft success.
6. Keep and next · 2 min. Save part/material/property/source and the practical choice. If no actual access happened, use the full fictional route and label it.

Week 32 · Day 158 · Check the view again

Goal: use another observation to check a bounded statement. Proposed opportunities: AC9SFH01, AC9SFI01–AC9SFI04.

Prepare: same actual sample and target, log, marked view; educator-approved repeat. Choose one question arising from earlier raw rows, not an imposed expected outcome.

1. Read the first claim · 3 min. “I saw ___ through this sample from here.” Ask whether a later view might match, differ or be unclear.
2. Predict a repeat · 4 min. Record the child's prior words. State what will be kept in the same place. A different actual light condition must be recorded, not hidden.
3. Make the second view · 7 min. Recheck the uncovered baseline, then repeat safely. Keep the second raw observation even if it disagrees; pause/change property or use an attributed report when access is unsuitable. No unavailable baseline is evidence that the cover hid the target.
4. Compare records · 5 min. Child indicates same/different/unclear and one possible setup change. A suggested explanation is a question to check, not proved cause.
5. Revise the helper message · 4 min. Include both dates/views when needed. “Both views showed ___” or “The views differed; we need another check” are useful outcomes.
6. Keep and next · 2 min. Keep prior words, two rows and interruptions. Model-only access gets record-reasoning evidence, not direct experiment evidence.

Week 32 · Day 159 · Leave a useful note

Goal: share a material question, observation and uncertainty with a willing listener. Proposed opportunities: AC9SFU03, AC9SFH01, AC9SFI05.

Prepare: child's own record and window/cover or the labelled fictional notebook; share aid; optional willing adult/peer. No public photo or recording needed.

1. Choose the message · 3 min. Child picks one useful discovery or unanswered question about their window. A private explanation to the educator is enough.
2. Choose the source · 4 min. Point to the actual row or model row. Include a short source phrase: “In my view today…” or “In Pip's pretend notebook…”.
3. Make the note · 7 min. Use picture, words, sign, AAC or child-directed scribing. Include material/part, what was noticed, purpose and one unknown. No handwriting speed criterion.
4. Try it with a listener · 5 min. If someone is willing, ask what the note says. Keep actual words or NONE. A supplied listener example is not feedback from a person.
5. Improve one thing · 4 min. Child chooses a bigger circle picture, clearer sample label or smaller claim. Let the note remain private.
6. Keep and next · 2 min. Save first note/change and optional response. Keep tomorrow's fresh two-material object case held.

Week 32 · Day 160 · A different little object

Goal: connect two material parts to recorded properties and identify a sensible next observation. Proposed opportunities: AC9SFU03, AC9SFH01, AC9SFI03, AC9SFI05, restricted to the source accessed.

Prepare: teacher-held Case AI; key unseen before response; accessible words or pointing without answer cues.

1. Settle · 3 min. “Here's another invented object. You can choose how to answer.” Name the source as a paper case.
2. Read the case · 4 min. Read its exact part/material table and observation. Do not add outdoor or strength facts.
3. First independent response · 7 min. Ask its three prompts and save response/support. Extend or split the sitting if needed; speed is not the target.
4. Confirm · 5 min. Child checks the scribed response. Preserve changes as later responses. Review the key afterwards.
5. Choose what comes next · 4 min. Teach the identified next step using the earlier window object, or ask a new safe question for another day. Do not convert this paper case into actual sensory evidence.
6. Keep and next · 2 min. Save bounded evidence and next teaching decision. Mark REAL OBSERVATION NOT AVAILABLE for any direct-investigation claim supported only by the case.