Five-minute adult setup
Use a broad paper puppet card with one large circle on its body, one broad white paper sample, one broad opaque card sample and one broad school-approved, clean, flexible clear plastic sheet with intact rounded edges. For example, a suitable unprinted document sleeve can be opened by the adult. Name the actual material from reliable product information when known; otherwise say material identity not confirmed. Appearance alone does not identify a plastic type. No child needs to bring a household item.
The adult prepares a broad cardboard frame with a single opening and secures the plastic panel to it before the lesson. Cover all tape ends; do not give children scissors, staples, sharp edges, loose fasteners or plastic bags. Use a reachable desk and ordinary room lighting. No lamps, lasers, sun-gazing or covers against faces. A child may watch, direct an adult or stop. Do not require touching, sensory discomfort or a publicly performed explanation.
Lay the puppet upright against a broad support. Mark one reachable viewing place. Place each sample in turn at the same marked position between the viewer and puppet, covering the circle completely. Keep puppet, view, light and sample position the same for the first comparison. Check the target is visible with no cover. The adult pretests that each item and setup is suitable, not that a particular result must happen. Reflections, shadows, wrinkles, a moved sample or a changed viewing position may affect the result; keep any interruption in the record.
Ask: “Can I see the big circle through this sample, from here?” Record YES / NO / UNCLEAR and the child's description. “I see a blur” and “I can see the circle's edge” are useful observations. Do not rename either as a fully clear view. The materials may behave differently from the fictional record below.
Baseline first: if the uncovered circle is unavailable or unclear to the viewer, keep that baseline, then adjust the approved setup, pause, choose an accessible property or use an attributed adult report. Do not say the cover hid the circle when the circle was not available before the cover. Record a new successful baseline before drawing a see-through/hiding comparison from an actual view. Every repeat needs an available baseline too.
For the layer comparison, use two comparable sheets of the same actual white paper, with their origin recorded. Compare one sheet against two stacked sheets; hold everything else as steady as practical. Do not call this proof about all paper, opacity measured numerically, a general fair-test achievement or a universal rule. It is a small guided comparison of this sample in these conditions.
Start the actual log
Write a local date, sample IDs, known material/source, target and viewing position, ordinary lighting, child's prior words, actual access, later observation and any change/interruption. Do not collect names, photos or recordings for this public resource. Educators keep any learner records in their own approved system.
Use the following source labels honestly:
- ACTUAL VIEW: the child accessed this real setup and described what was available. Record which sample and property. A nonvisual sensory description of smoothness is valid for that property; it does not by itself establish a visual see-through result.
- ADULT REPORT: someone tells the child an observation. Attribute it. The child's interpretation is useful; it is not the child's direct sensory observation.
- FICTIONAL MODEL: use the complete invented notebook below, the print model or the offline lab. These are original teaching models with specified results. They do not show real material behaviour.
- REAL OBSERVATION NOT AVAILABLE: the setup was unsuitable, declined or unavailable. Use the fictional route without manufacturing investigation evidence.
Complete fictional notebook: Pip's window
Pip is an original paper puppet, not a living organism. The invented helper tested four setups from the same marked viewing place, with the same circle target and ordinary room lighting. These records are teaching data, not measured results.
| Model ID | Supplied cover | Invented observation |
|---|---|---|
| P | One white paper sheet | “I can see a pale circle shape. Its edge looks fuzzy.” |
| C | One thick opaque card sheet | “I cannot see the circle through the sheet.” |
| T | One clear plastic sheet | “I can see the circle and its edge.” |
| PP | Two white paper sheets stacked | “I cannot make out the circle through these two sheets.” |
The notebook does not tell us the plastic type, scratch resistance, weatherproofness, strongest material, every viewer's experience or what happens with another paper. “The helper saw a fuzzy circle through one sheet in this model” is supported. “All paper is see-through” is not.
A two-material object
The adult-prepared window object has a cardboard frame and a clear plastic panel. Record actual known identities or uncertainty. Ask the child to indicate the parts and describe a property they actually encountered. “This panel lets me see the circle from here” is a useful local property description. “This frame is broad and has a hole” describes the object's shape; “the card feels firm when I gently press it” describes an encountered material property. Do not teach that colour or the label proves composition.
The frame can be described and used as a whole object without taking it apart. The adult can show the same materials beside it to clarify what the parts are made from. An adult identification from verified packaging is a material report, not a sensory identification by the child.
Exact aid alternatives
TEXT-ALTERNATIVES.md reproduces every visible word on each aid in order. An adult can read one short line at a time. Pointing, speech, sign, AAC, drawing, selecting a broad word card or directing a scribe are all welcome.
For a tactile route, use broad secured sample pieces and a broad raised circle on an uncovered puppet mat, if safe and desired. This lets a child explore relevant accessible properties, parts, positions and the comparison record. It does not make a visual transparency observation equivalent to touch. Offer an attributed adult view report for that question, or let the child choose an actual tactile property question instead. Keep the learning evidence specific.
For no printing, draw a large circle and friendly face on broad paper; label four spaces P, C, T, PP and read the fictional rows exactly. A handwritten question/prediction/view row is enough. No app is necessary.
Optional pretend window lab
Open the self-contained lab. Choose P / C / T / PP and PICTURES / WORDS. The same fictional observation is shown in both views. The picture's fuzzy circle is an illustration of the supplied record. The app cannot see through an actual material and gives no feedback about a child. It has no recording, uploads, accounts, storage, auto-audio or external requests. Reset restores P and PICTURES. Without JavaScript the full four-row notebook is visible. The equivalent paper task is choosing a notebook row and reading its observation.
Practical finish: invite the child to select a window or hiding cover for a paper puppet, then check it in the actual setup if accessible. Let the child change their mind. Save the question and explanation, not just the craft.