One 12-minute block each day. These are distinct from the opening Sun–Earth unit. Use learner copy and the evidence mat. Fictional data are labelled, never presented as measured results. The teacher approves any equipment. Use only enclosed low-voltage classroom kits for circuits: no mains power, loose button cells, water near electrical equipment or hot parts. If a kit is unavailable, a diagram is a model and the investigation claim stays pending.
Day 11 · A habitat question that can be tested · AC9S6U01, AC9S6I01, AC9S6I02
Kit: two identical dry paper “seed beds” and paper plant counters. 0–2: Present fictional shaded/open planter choice. 2–4: Ask “Would shade change soil moisture?” and predict a direction, keeping water amount and container equal. 4–10: Set up a labelled plan for later safe observation; select what to measure and when. Do not pretend growth occurs today. 10–12: Check: learner names changed, measured and controlled variables. Routes: arrange counters; annotate plan; dictate protocol. Response move: if variables blur, sort “what I change/measure/keep” cards. Home: notice two plant places without collecting anything.
Day 12 · Conditions from a small data table · AC9S6U01, AC9S6I04, AC9S6I05
Kit: invented 4-day table: equal seedlings A at 4,5,6,7 cm; B at 4,4,5,5 cm; “light” differs, watering unknown. 0–2: State data are illustrative, not an actual class result. 2–4: Predict which group grew more in the table. 4–10: Calculate change (A +3, B +1 cm), identify the missing water condition and avoid claiming light caused the difference. 10–12: Check: conclusion plus uncertainty. Routes: graph bars; number strips; verbal comparison. Response move: if learner claims cause, ask which conditions were controlled. Home: ask what conditions a houseplant needs; no experiment required.
Day 13 · Dissolved does not mean vanished · AC9S6U04, AC9S6I03
Kit: clear lidded cup, water, small measured salt portion, stirrer; teacher checks allergies and no tasting. 0–2: Show the salt before mixing. 2–4: Predict appearance after stirring. 4–10: Mix and record visible change; compare cup mass before/after only if a school scale is ready and lid stays closed. Explain that disappearance from view alone does not prove matter vanished. 10–12: Check: label dissolving a potentially reversible change; recovery by evaporation is not performed here. Routes: observe; stir with support; diagram sequence. Response move: if “gone,” ask what evidence would distinguish dissolved from destroyed. Home: notice a safe dissolving example with adult permission.
Day 14 · A change that makes a new substance · AC9S6U04, AC9S6I05
Kit: teacher-created dated before/after illustration of a rusting iron object plus a clean iron object; no sharp metal handling. 0–2: Mark what is shown and what was not observed by this class. 2–4: Predict whether drying alone restores the original metal. 4–10: Compare rusting with Day 13 dissolving; annotate evidence that rusting produces a different material and a question for a longer observation. 10–12: Check: illustrated rust is secondary evidence, not today’s experimental result. Routes: compare cards; write claim/evidence; verbal explanation. Response move: if “all change reverses,” contrast recovery evidence needed. Home: ask an adult about a weathered metal object without touching it.
Day 15 · Science Check A · AC9S6U01, AC9S6U04, AC9S6I05
Kit: fresh seedling and material scenarios in ASSESSMENT. 0–2: Recall fair comparison, reversible and irreversible. 2–4: Work an unrelated example of what to keep constant. 4–10: Learner independently completes Science A; do not show key. 10–12: Check: staff sorts variables/evidence/change explanations and uses the private response moves. Routes: write; annotate table; dictate reasoning. Response move: reteach the specific error with new counters. Home: explain one “we still need to know” question about a model.
Day 16 · Where does the energy go? · AC9S6U03, AC9S6I04
Kit: teacher-approved enclosed low-voltage cell pack, leads, switch and LED; or labelled diagram as model only. 0–2: Identify source, path, switch and output. 2–4: Predict LED when switch is open/closed. 4–10: Teacher-supervised learners assemble/run a closed circuit if kit available; record actual LED on/off. Explain electrical energy transfer and transformation to light, with some heat possible but not measured. 10–12: Check: an open switch breaks the conducting path; a drawn circuit is not an observed test. Routes: connect with support; operate switch; trace tactile circuit loop. Response move: if learner says energy is “used up,” distinguish transfer from disappearance. Home: identify a battery device, without opening it.
Day 17 · Does this material conduct? · AC9S6U03, AC9S6I02, AC9S6I03
Kit: approved low-voltage test circuit, teacher-selected foil strip and dry plastic strip, no sharps. 0–2: Define one gap in a working circuit. 2–4: Predict which strip closes it; keep source, lamp and gap size fixed. 4–10: Teacher-supervised test each strip and record LED output; if no circuit kit, rank predicted materials and label untested. 10–12: Check: one test classifies only these samples under these conditions, not all metals/plastics. Routes: place strip; observe/record; guide a partner. Response move: if “plastic is always safe,” discuss limits and leave electrical safety to adults. Home: no home circuit testing.
Day 18 · A better habitat investigation · AC9S6U01, AC9S6I02, AC9S6I05
Kit: fictional class plan: shaded pot has less water and smaller container. 0–2: Read two possible explanations for poor growth. 2–4: Identify the confounds. 4–10: Redesign with equal pots/water/seed type and a moisture measure, then specify repeated observations over days. 10–12: Check: the redesign is a plan; growth/survival evidence requires later observed data. Routes: swap condition cards; draw side-by-side setup; dictate variables. Response move: if only light is named, ask what else changed. Home: ask what can make a comparison unfair.
Day 19 · A decision from incomplete evidence · AC9S6H02, AC9S6I05, AC9S6I06
Kit: invented school garden proposal: shade cloth may reduce direct light; no actual site assessment. 0–2: Set decision and user need. 2–4: Choose evidence to request: moisture readings, growth over weeks, access and cost. 4–10: Make a conditional recommendation with one uncertainty; peer checks whether a fictional table is treated as real field data. 10–12: Check: no claim that the cloth is universally best. Routes: evidence cards; short memo; audio explanation. Response move: if absolute claim, add “if” and a measure that could change it. Home: discuss how adults check before changing a garden.
Day 20 · Science Check B · AC9S6U03, AC9S6U04, AC9S6I05
Kit: fresh circuit and material-change prompts in ASSESSMENT. 0–2: Recall circuit path and evidence types. 2–4: Review one unrelated example of a model limit. 4–10: Learner independently completes Science B. 10–12: Check: staff identifies whether confusion is component role, change type or evidence claim, then applies private next move. Routes: annotate circuit; oral explanation; written response. Response move: use a new open/closed model or material card, never a mains appliance. Home: explain why a drawing is helpful and what it cannot prove.