# Science · Year 6 · optional Days 11–20

One 12-minute block each day. These are distinct from the opening Sun–Earth unit. Use [learner copy](LEARNER-COPY.md) and the [evidence mat](print/evidence-mat.pdf). 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](ASSESSMENT.md). 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](TEACHER-KEY.md). **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](ASSESSMENT.md). 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.