Technologies · a paper holder and an offline sorting rule · optional…Year 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 — Test a paper holder need

Codes: AC9TDE4K02, AC9TDE4P01. Prepare: Scrap paper and card, a medium paper label; safe folding only.

1. Notice · 2 min. Show a fictional need: a reusable tabletop label should stand for ten seconds without glue.
2. Try/make · 7 min. Test one fold in paper and one in card. Place the same label in each, observe whether it stands for ten seconds, and note how material stiffness affects function. If no materials are handled, mark PLAN and do not claim a test.
3. Show · 3 min. Name a tested difference and one design question.

Learner choices: Fold/direct a partner; tactile crease card; annotated sketch.

No-purchase home/low-material route: Use clean scrap paper already available, or plan the test on paper.

Evidence boundary: Actual prototype/property evidence needs making and the label test; paper plan only suggests a possibility.

Next teaching move: If both fall, change the fold rather than declaring the material useless.

Day 12 — Two designs, one criterion

Codes: AC9TDE4P02, AC9TDE4P04. Prepare: A4 design mat and fictional holder brief.

1. Notice · 2 min. Compare an A-frame and a folded pocket sketch without deciding from appearance alone.
2. Try/make · 7 min. Draw, describe or arrange two holder ideas with labelled folds. Choose criteria: holds a paper label, folds flat, uses one reusable scrap. Predict which idea might fit and what test would decide.
3. Show · 3 min. Explain one criterion and one test, not a claimed winner.

Learner choices: Two labelled sketches; tactile paper shapes; AAC design decisions.

No-purchase home/low-material route: Sketch two ideas with any paper; no making required at home.

Evidence boundary: Generating/evaluating ideas is not evidence that a product functions until tested.

Next teaching move: If 'best' rests on colour alone, return to the stated function and propose a fair test.

Day 13 — Make a safe small prototype

Codes: AC9TDE4P03, AC9TDE4P05. Prepare: Approved scrap paper/card; fold-only process, no blades, hot glue or sharp tools.

1. Notice · 2 min. Sequence 'fold base, add support, insert label' and show how to stop if a fold fails.
2. Try/make · 7 min. Choose one design, safely fold a small tabletop holder and insert the same paper label. Keep a three-step making record; a learner can direct a partner's hands while retaining design decisions.
3. Show · 3 min. Show the made holder and one step you changed.

Learner choices: Independent fold; partner-directed fold; large pre-scored safe card.

No-purchase home/low-material route: Make a paper-only holder if desired, or plan the sequence; no purchase or tool required.

Evidence boundary: Making evidence needs an actual assembled prototype; directing a maker can evidence design decisions, with support recorded.

Next teaching move: If the holder collapses, keep the first version as evidence and revise one fold.

Day 14 — Test against criteria

Codes: AC9TDE4P04, AC9TDE4P01. Prepare: Two made holder versions and one paper label; ten-second timer optional.

1. Notice · 2 min. Remind the class a success claim needs the agreed test, not praise.
2. Try/make · 7 min. Place the same label in both versions for the same ten-second interval. Record stands/falls and whether each folds flat. Use these observations to compare the criteria; do not make a product-safety promise.
3. Show · 3 min. State what each version met and one uncertainty.

Learner choices: Observe and point; tactile status tokens; dictation of test table.

No-purchase home/low-material route: Use a safe paper test or read a clearly labelled MODEL result if no prototype exists.

Evidence boundary: Only real tested versions support function evidence. A MODEL table supports evaluation practice, not actual product performance.

Next teaching move: If tests used different labels or time, repeat fairly before ranking.

Day 15 — Revise one fold

Codes: AC9TDE4P03, AC9TDE4P04, AC9TDE4P05. Prepare: Earlier version, spare scrap paper, same label/test.

1. Notice · 2 min. Ask what exactly failed and which single fold could change it.
2. Try/make · 7 min. Revise one fold or base width, remake safely and retest with the same label for ten seconds. Mark first and second results and whether the revision improved the chosen criterion.
3. Show · 3 min. Show before/after and one next improvement.

Learner choices: Fold; direct adult; use large card/tactile crease guide.

No-purchase home/low-material route: Make a small paper revision or write a plan only, labelled honestly.

Evidence boundary: A revised sketch is not a tested solution; observed function and criteria need an actual remake/retest.

Next teaching move: If the child changes several things at once, record them and try a one-change follow-up.

Day 16 — One data item, two displays

Codes: AC9TDI4K03. Prepare: Fictional tokens labelled RETURN, BORROW, HOLD; paper icon/word table.

1. Notice · 2 min. Show RETURN as a word and as a clearly labelled arrow icon; ask what information must stay the same.
2. Try/make · 7 min. Represent the same three fictional token states as written labels and simple symbols. Make a legend so another reader can recover the exact state; note that a colour-only symbol may be inaccessible.
3. Show · 3 min. Ask a reader to decode one new symbol and repair ambiguity.

Learner choices: Large-print words; raised-shape icons; AAC selections.

No-purchase home/low-material route: Draw word/symbol pairs on paper; no device or account.

Evidence boundary: This shows representation choices, not a live digital system or a real person's borrowing data.

Next teaching move: If two symbols mean the same thing, redesign one and retest with a reader.

Day 17 — A branch with a reason

Codes: AC9TDI4P02. Prepare: Three fictional token cards and a two-way paper branch mat.

1. Notice · 2 min. Trace: IF label is RETURN, choose left; ELSE choose right. Show one counterexample.
2. Try/make · 7 min. Run each token through the paper decision rule and say the comparison aloud or by AAC. Swap one token label and predict how the output changes. Keep the input, decision and output visible.
3. Show · 3 min. Trace one RETURN and one non-RETURN case correctly.

Learner choices: Move cards; speak each condition; tactile two-path mat.

No-purchase home/low-material route: Use three paper scraps with labels; no screen.

Evidence boundary: Unplugged tracing supports algorithm-following, not implemented visual-program evidence.

Next teaching move: If the branch is treated as an action order, pause at the comparison and test both cases.

Day 18 — Repeat without losing your place

Codes: AC9TDI4P02. Prepare: Three numbered fictional tokens and branch rule from Day 17.

1. Notice · 2 min. Model 'repeat for each token' as a loop with a clear stop after the third.
2. Try/make · 7 min. Trace the branch for tokens 1, 2 and 3 in order. Put a tally after each iteration; explain how many decisions ran and what would happen if a fourth token arrived.
3. Show · 3 min. Show the loop start, repeated step and stopping condition.

Learner choices: Numbered cards; tactile tally; spoken step-by-step trace.

No-purchase home/low-material route: Repeat the paper rule for three scraps; no device.

Evidence boundary: A drawn loop is evidence of describing/tracing an algorithm; it is not yet an implemented program.

Next teaching move: If a token is skipped, restart with an input counter and require one output per input.

Day 19 — Run a tiny visual program

Codes: AC9TDI4P04, AC9TDI4P02. Prepare: School-approved offline Rule Lab on a device if available; paper branch remains a fallback.

1. Notice · 2 min. Show visible IF/ELSE/REPEAT blocks and name the input token sequence before pressing Run.
2. Try/make · 7 min. Choose a token sequence and a branch destination in the offline visual block lab. Run the program, compare output with your paper trace, then change one block and rerun. If no device, trace on paper and mark UNPLUGGED only.
3. Show · 3 min. Explain how the changed block changed or did not change the output.

Learner choices: Keyboard/button controls; screen reader text; adult-operated device directed by learner.

No-purchase home/low-material route: Use paper branching at home; a device/account is not required.

Evidence boundary: AC9TDI4P04 evidence requires actual student-controlled program run and change; unplugged tracing supports P02 only. No user data is collected.

Next teaching move: If output is surprising, step through one token at a time and inspect the IF comparison.

Day 20 — Test the user's story

Codes: AC9TDI4P01, AC9TDI4P05. Prepare: Fictional user story: 'As a reader, I want RETURN tokens clearly separated so I can put them away.'

1. Notice · 2 min. Ask what success would look like for that user without using personal data.
2. Try/make · 7 min. Define two criteria for the sorting rule, test two input sequences on paper or in offline Rule Lab if available, and compare which design satisfies the fictional user's story. State one limit of your test.
3. Show · 3 min. Give a source-bound recommendation and a next test.

Learner choices: Paper trace; keyboard program; AAC criteria cards.

No-purchase home/low-material route: Use paper tokens; no account or purchase.

Evidence boundary: Testing a program requires an actual run; paper comparison supports algorithm/design evaluation but not implemented-code performance.

Next teaching move: If the recommendation ignores a failed case, revise a block or criterion and test again.

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.