Science · forces, materials and fair evidence · optional teacher blocksYear 4 Subjects · T1 W3–4 · Teacher

Ten distinct 12-minute Days 11–20 blocks. Choose what fits the school timetable; these are optional short sessions, not a full allocation. Every block uses 2 minutes notice + 7 minutes try/make + 3 minutes show. Read the preparation and evidence boundary first. Give children only the clean learner cards, keeping the staff evidence/next moves private. Original shared source cards and A4/text/tactile aid are optional. A plan, invented record or paper score is not automatically an observed investigation, movement, digital program or performance. Record source/action, child choice, access support and the next move.

Day 11 — A slide that slows

Codes: AC9S4U03, AC9S4I01, AC9S4I03. Prepare: Two clean paper strips, one smooth folder and one cloth scrap; if objects are unavailable use MODEL Card S1.

1. Notice · 2 min. Slide the same paper square gently across the two surfaces. Ask what moved and what might have affected it.
2. Try/make · 7 min. Try the paper square on both approved surfaces with the same gentle start. Record which went farther and label REAL if you actually tried it, MODEL if you read Card S1. Predict what a third surface might do.
3. Show · 3 min. State one observed or modelled difference and one question a repeat could answer.

Learner choices: Point and speak; mark two lines; direct an adult to move the square.

No-purchase home/low-material route: Use two safe paper surfaces already at home, or just compare the labelled model card; no purchase.

Evidence boundary: Evidence is a recorded motion comparison with source label; one slide does not isolate friction or prove a universal material rule.

Next teaching move: Repeat with the same start and a simple distance marker before saying one surface causes more slowing.

Day 12 — Keep the test fair

Codes: AC9S4I02, AC9S4U03. Prepare: Paper square, smooth/cloth surfaces and a start mark; clear tabletop.

1. Notice · 2 min. Ask whether changing both the surface and paper square would tell which made a difference.
2. Try/make · 7 min. Plan and run two gentle slides: use the same square, start line and push method; change only the surface. Record what stayed the same and what changed. If no materials, arrange a PLAN-only test with tokens.
3. Show · 3 min. Name the changed factor, two controls and whether the test actually happened.

Learner choices: Move variable cards; write a same/change table; describe to a partner.

No-purchase home/low-material route: Make a paper plan on a table; household materials are optional and adult-approved.

Evidence boundary: Actual fair-test evidence requires the two real trials and controlled starts; a token plan is planning evidence only.

Next teaching move: If two factors changed, reset one at a time and retest or label the result inconclusive.

Day 13 — Read the ruler from zero

Codes: AC9S4I03, AC9S4I04. Prepare: School ruler with clear zero, paper slider and start/stop marks; optional tactile ruler.

1. Notice · 2 min. Place zero on the start mark, not at the ruler's physical edge if that edge is offset.
2. Try/make · 7 min. Make two approved gentle slides of the same paper square on one surface. Measure start-to-stop travel to the nearest whole centimetre, record both readings and the unit. If no real trial, use MODEL Card S2 and label it.
3. Show · 3 min. Say both values and whether they match; name the source of the values.

Learner choices: Read a ruler; use raised centimetre marks; direct a partner's alignment.

No-purchase home/low-material route: Measure a safe paper move or read the model distances; keep the source label.

Evidence boundary: A model number is not actual instrument-use evidence. A real reading needs correct zero alignment, unit and what was measured.

Next teaching move: If a child reads from the ruler edge, align zero together and repeat on a fresh mark.

Day 14 — Three trials in a table

Codes: AC9S4I04, AC9S4I05. Prepare: Fictional MODEL Card S3 with six distances, blank table and two labelled columns.

1. Notice · 2 min. Point out that one number can be unusual; the printed values are invented, not class results.
2. Try/make · 7 min. Copy MODEL S3 into smooth/cloth columns. Circle the greatest and least in each, then compare the typical size cautiously. Say one condition not listed that would matter in a real test.
3. Show · 3 min. Give a limited pattern claim and one missing control.

Learner choices: Use movable number tiles; dictate cells; draw two labelled columns.

No-purchase home/low-material route: Use the six printed numbers on scrap paper; no sliding required.

Evidence boundary: The model smooth values 18,20,19 cm exceed the cloth values 9,11,10 cm in this invented record only; do not claim actual material performance.

Next teaching move: If a learner states a universal law, add 'in this model' and ask for real repeated observations.

Day 15 — A downward change

Codes: AC9S4U03, AC9S4I01. Prepare: Crumpled scrap-paper ball and shallow empty tray on a clear table; model arrow card if movement is unavailable.

1. Notice · 2 min. Let the paper ball move a short safe distance down a tilted tray. Ask what direction changed without saying a push continued.
2. Try/make · 7 min. Try an adult-approved gentle tray tilt and record the paper ball's direction, or use the labelled MODEL arrows. Predict what may happen if the tray is flat; keep observed and predicted statements separate.
3. Show · 3 min. Name the motion and one force question that the single trial does not settle.

Learner choices: Point to arrows; trace with a finger; speak or sign the sequence.

No-purchase home/low-material route: Tilt a paper folder over a table with an adult, or use the arrow model; no dropping objects.

Evidence boundary: Actual motion supports direction; identifying gravity or friction as a sole cause needs a controlled comparison, not a confident guess.

Next teaching move: Retest on a level tray or ask how a changed slope could isolate the cause.

Day 16 — A magnet claim needs a test

Codes: AC9S4U03, AC9S4I02. Prepare: Only a school-approved, adult-managed large magnet and a sealed large metal object, or MODEL Card S4; no loose small magnets.

1. Notice · 2 min. Show the source label first. Ask whether every shiny object must respond to a magnet.
2. Try/make · 7 min. If staff have an approved sealed setup, predict then observe whether the object moves without direct contact. Keep distance and barrier the same for a second trial. Otherwise sort Card S4's invented notes as MODEL and propose a safe test.
3. Show · 3 min. Report what actually happened or was only described; name one safer control.

Learner choices: Draw position arrows; point to yes/no card; dictate a test plan.

No-purchase home/low-material route: Use MODEL S4 only at home; no magnet or small metal object is required.

Evidence boundary: A paper card does not demonstrate magnetic force. Even one real object response does not show that all metals behave alike.

Next teaching move: If learner generalises to every metal, compare another staff-approved material or phrase a narrower claim.

Day 17 — Materials and a paper drop

Codes: AC9S4U04, AC9S4I02, AC9S4I03. Prepare: Clean paper and washable cloth scraps; optional adult-controlled small water drops on a tray; MODEL Card S5 otherwise.

1. Notice · 2 min. Ask what 'absorb' might look like and how to keep drop size similar.
2. Try/make · 7 min. Plan and, only if approved, test one equal water drop on each scrap over a tray; record whether it spreads/soaks at the same observation time. A no-water route reads MODEL S5 and marks it clearly.
3. Show · 3 min. State the observed or modelled property without ranking every cloth or paper.

Learner choices: Sketch droplets; use tactile wet/dry tokens without touching liquid; dictate a table.

No-purchase home/low-material route: Use the model notes with paper only; no sink, water or purchase is necessary.

Evidence boundary: An actual safe comparison supports only those two tested scraps; a printed note supports data-reading, not observation or a property of all materials.

Next teaching move: If timing/drop sizes differ, plan a fair repeat before choosing a material.

Day 18 — Fold, flex, return

Codes: AC9S4U04, AC9S4I03. Prepare: Clean paper, card and cloth scraps; no sharp tools or snapping test.

1. Notice · 2 min. Show that 'bends' and 'returns to shape' are two different observations.
2. Try/make · 7 min. Gently fold each approved scrap once, release, and record whether it bends and whether it returns near its prior shape. If no material is handled, use MODEL S6 and state that route.
3. Show · 3 min. Choose one scrap for a paper label flap and cite an observed feature plus a limit.

Learner choices: Use word labels; raised bend/return cards; direct a partner's gentle fold.

No-purchase home/low-material route: Try a safe scrap already at home or read MODEL S6; do not tear household items.

Evidence boundary: Evidence is a specific handling observation or clearly labelled model, not proof of a product's strength or lifetime.

Next teaching move: If 'best' lacks criteria, ask what the flap must do and test only that feature.

Day 19 — Compare two records

Codes: AC9S4I04, AC9S4I05. Prepare: REAL class record if an approved test occurred, plus clearly marked MODEL S3; keep sources separate.

1. Notice · 2 min. Ask why two records should not be merged when one is invented.
2. Try/make · 7 min. Compare the class result with MODEL S3 only as two labelled sources. Mark any agreement or difference, note changed conditions, and say what additional fair trial would be useful. If no class test, compare MODEL S3 and MODEL S6 as different questions, not a joint data set.
3. Show · 3 min. State a cautious comparison and one further question.

Learner choices: Two source columns; verbal comparison; tactile source tokens.

No-purchase home/low-material route: Use only printed model notes and ask what a real trial would add.

Evidence boundary: No pooled average or actual class claim may be made from invented data. Real and model values remain visibly distinct.

Next teaching move: If the learner combines sources, colour/label them REAL and MODEL and rebuild the table.

Day 20 — A material recommendation with limits

Codes: AC9S4U04, AC9S4I05, AC9S4I06. Prepare: Earlier records and a fictional paper-card-holder need; no actual manufacturing decision.

1. Notice · 2 min. Ask which evidence can support a recommendation and which real-use question is still open.
2. Try/make · 7 min. Make a short note to a fictional designer: name one tested or MODEL material property, choose a possible card-holder material, say what a real prototype would still need to test, and label the evidence source.
3. Show · 3 min. Read, show or AAC-select the evidence, choice and next test.

Learner choices: Three sentence cards; small labelled sketch; dictated explanation.

No-purchase home/low-material route: Use MODEL S5/S6 to explain a possible choice on paper; no making or purchase.

Evidence boundary: A recommendation from a model is provisional. Do not claim real strength, safety, sustainability or commercial fitness without additional evidence.

Next teaching move: If the claim outruns data, replace 'will work' with 'might work because...; we still need...'

Original SubjectNest lesson text and cards © NeuroForgeIO Pty Ltd 2026, CC BY 4.0; credit, link and indicate changes. Curriculum wording keeps separate ACARA terms.