# Science · teacher checks, keys and next moves

Keep this file with the educator. Learners receive only [their cards](LEARNER.md). Accept a child's exact observation even when a teacher hoped for a different result. The supplied scenes are **fictional**; no fixed result is assigned to an optional real observation. During the three-minute close, sample a few focus learners while all give a response. Review all cards later. Record `exact evidence | independent/prompted/not yet observed | response mode | next teaching | later recheck` under school policy.

| Day | Evidence and key | If the response is incomplete, do this next |
|---:|---|---|
| 1 | Herb and bird are living things; both need air and water, while their places may help in different ways. A drawing alone cannot confirm actual food/water. | If a child names only the place, lay **need** and **place feature** cards side by side and ask how they differ. |
| 2 | Pot A explicitly shows air/window/water marks; Pot B supplies no information beyond a pot outline. Soil is a place for roots, **not plant food**. | If “Pot B has no water” is asserted, change it to “the drawing does not show water” and ask how to check. |
| 3 | The tree could offer shelter/perch. Food or water provision is not shown. No claim is made that this bird actually nested or drank. | If all needs are called observed, cover the tree and ask which icons are visibly present. |
| 4 | A shared need such as water or air is valid. A cared-for pot could receive water; a bird may find it elsewhere. Both are possibilities, not observations of drinking. | If the comparison uses two different needs, bring back the **same need** label before comparing places. |
| 5 | Rabbit needs include air, water, food and shelter. Roofed corner may support shelter; open side could permit air. Bowl contents are unknown, so do not mark water/food as confirmed. | If bowl = water is assumed, ask “What is actually drawn inside?” Then offer an unseen source. |
| 6 | Earlier left shade, later right shade **in two invented drawings**. A next question can ask whether a real safe viewpoint changes during the day. | If “the Sun moved left” is stated as observed, return to what the drawings actually show; never ask for direct Sun viewing. |
| 7 | Scene W has rain marks; a conditional school-approved adjustment such as indoor drawing or teacher-approved rain cover is reasonable. Real decisions use current weather and policy. | If a child chooses without a clue, point to scene evidence and model “because I see…” once. |
| 8 | 11 March bud → 25 March flower → 12 April seed head. These are invented dates, not proof of a local seasonal cycle. | If dates are reversed, use three date strips and retell the sequence before asking about change. |
| 9 | A and D are shown **in source drawings**; B is a prediction; C is not shown and too universal. A repair: “Could a path sometimes be wet in the morning?” or “A path may be wet after rain.” | If a prediction is treated as observation, place “I think” beside the future-time word and compare it with a drawn clue. |
| 10 | 8 June drawing first; 22 June drawing later. One visible flower appears later. A careful next look could check whether the flower remains or another appears; weather, care and real local season are unknown. | If “it grew because of rain,” ask which drawing shows rain. Re-teach source versus cause, then recheck with unseen pictures. |

## Formative rubric for the fortnight

Use `independent / prompted / not yet observed` for **each** strand, not a single ability label. **Source care:** names what a drawing/observation actually shows and labels fiction. **Science idea:** links a living thing to a plausible basic need or names a daily/longer change accurately. **Reasoning:** makes a prediction separate from an observation, gives a source clue and a limit. **Communication:** conveys the idea via speech, sign, AAC, pointing, drawing, typed words or child-directed adult writing. If access to print or physical observation was the barrier, change access before inferring the science concept is missing.

**Later unfamiliar rechecks:** For living needs, draw a fictional insect beneath a leaf with no water/food shown and ask for one supported shelter possibility and one unknown need. For change, draw a **fictional** school path labelled early/dry and later/wet; ask what changed, what remains unknown about cause, and one next observation. Do not use the same rabbit or flower card again. A real local example needs safe access and actual observations, not a scripted expected result.

**Reuse:** Original SubjectNest formative guidance © NeuroForgeIO Pty Ltd 2026, [CC BY 4.0](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/). Credit source/licence and mark changes.