Topic 2 — Fast and slow — blueprint for James (revised to your rulings of 28 September 2026)
What I need from you: nothing — every decision is ruled and applied below
No decisions are open. You ruled on all six on 28 September 2026 (your words are in records/JAMES_REVIEW_G3T02_blueprint_2026-09-28.md); this page applies them, and authoring follows. Applied from James's read: (1) seven lessons become nine — "speeding up or slowing down" splits into three atoms and three lessons (speeding up, slowing down, the same speed), the ranking lesson (fastest to slowest) moves in front of them, and a mixed mastery quiz after the last lesson asks the student to tell the three apart; the register already carries the split (MOT3-025 speeding up, MOT3-028 slowing down, MOT3-029 the same speed) and the cut after L04 stays marked for a later split ("Which is faster?" / "Speed"), types tagged by side. (2) "You cannot tell from this" is allowed where the question is genuinely good — the L03 and L04 quizzes use it on the items where the times or the distances differ. (3) A mark on the road at each second is allowed in L05 and in L07 to L09, with the question printed as a chip on the drawing, because "it needs to be really, really clear from the diagram what the question is asking". (4) L05 teaches one sentence, "how far it goes in each second", shown on a concrete pair — "if it moves 2 m in this second, it's not as fast as something that moves 7 m in this second" — a runner and a faster runner in the lesson, then a horse and a cheetah, then a normal car and a race car. (5) The ranking lesson (now L06) is article only by default; every lesson is still scripted. (6) The PP100 type list: type 5 (the item that needed speed = distance ÷ time) is cut as too hard; the ranking type becomes a reorder item; the list has eight types, each written so you can picture the item. Also applied, from your wording notes: the nine headaches vary their opener ("Suppose…", "Imagine you are…", "Here is…"; no two neighbours the same) and student prose may use contractions ("it's Sports Day") — vault rule "Vary the headache opener and let students hear contractions".
Applied without asking: one atom, one lesson, video and article; the example sequence (non-example, examples, non-example, then the rule) for every sort, and for the comparisons the same object type compared along the scale with "faster than"; the rule stated last; qualitative only, no speed = distance ÷ time and no written unit; only one coined term (speed, L05) with its fluency quiz after the coining part, everything else in everyday words ("faster", "slower", "turns", "changes direction", "speeding up", "slowing down", "the same speed" — the words Forces Topic 9 will use); "position", "moved", "distance", "direction" and "path" recalled from Topic 1, never re-taught; a comparison is a table, and the quiz puts the two distances or two times in a small table so the student compares sizes, not sentences; an attached easy question after "Okay, now your turn" on every lesson video; about ten items per quiz with varied surfaces; quiz scenes differ from lesson scenes; no option joins a verdict to its reason; positive stems; a stem of three or more sentences is tagged hard or shortened; hard means more of the skill, never a stranger scene; the summary carries three attached questions; the intro ends with a general close, a ready line and the poll, and uses "let's" for its scene change; the PP100 bank of at least fifty four-option items is generated only from the type list below after you approve one exemplar per type; drawings in colour where colour helps, and a GIF in every article whose point is a motion; a headache drawing is the teaching drawing with its answer layer switched off (the marks are shown, the verdict is not); the Grade 3 Forces feedback log read first; US English for students.
Topic 2 at a glance — 9 lessons
| Lesson | Opens on | Format | |
|---|---|---|---|
| L01 | Always somewhere new | Suppose a marble rolls across the kitchen floor. | video + article |
| L02 | Did it change direction? | Imagine you are in the gym. | video + article |
| L03 | Farther in the same time | Here are two wind-up toys, side by side on a start line. | video + article |
| L04 | Same distance, less time | Imagine it's Sports Day. | video + article |
| L05 | What speed means | Suppose two runners come past you on a running track. | video + article |
| L06 | Fastest to slowest | Here is a snail, a walker and a cyclist, each on the same straight path. | article only |
| L07 | Speeding up | Imagine you are on a scooter at the top of a gentle slope. | video + article |
| L08 | Slowing down | Suppose the scooter rolls off the smooth sidewalk onto thick grass. | video + article |
| L09 | The same speed | Here is a toy train on a flat, straight track. | video + article |
What this topic is, in five lines
Nine lessons, one per atom, in this order: MOT3-020, 021, 022, 023, 024, 026, 025, 028, 029 — then a mixed mastery quiz, the summary video and the PP100.
Side A, "Which is faster?": L01 to L04. Side B, "Speed": L05 to L09. The cut after L04 is marked, not taken.
The big idea: faster means farther in the same time, or the same distance in less time; how far something goes in each second is its speed.
Term coined here: speed (L05) — how far something goes in each second.
Everyday words used, not coined: faster, slower, turns, changes direction, speeding up, slowing down, the same speed, stopwatch, meter stick.
Recalled from Topic 1: position (L01), moved (L04), distance (L03), direction (L02), path (L02), reading a ruler in cm (L05).
Measuring named: a meter stick or ruler for the distance (cm, m); a stopwatch for the time (seconds).
Deliberately not taught: speed = distance ÷ time; any speed written as one number with a unit (m/s); "velocity"; "acceleration" as a word; "steady speed" (Forces Topic 9 says "the same speed", so one idea keeps one name); comparing two objects when both the times and the distances differ beyond saying "you cannot tell from this"; why a speed changes (Topic 10, unbalanced forces); "faster means more energy" (Topic 11).
Always somewhere new L01
Suppose a marble rolls across the kitchen floor.
You take a photo every second.
In the first photo, the marble sits by the fridge.
In the second photo, it sits by the table leg.
In the third photo, it sits by the door.
In every photo, the marble sits somewhere new.
Is there any moment, while it rolls, when the marble stays in one place?
What is a moving object doing the whole time it moves?
It changes its position every moment.
While the marble rolls, it is never in one place.
Each moment, it sits somewhere new.
Moving means changing position all the time, not just once.
Video: the marble rolls, a camera clicks each second, and the three photos line up beside the floor — video and article; the article carries a GIF of the marble rolling.
Part 1 — MOT3-020 — State that a moving object is always changing its position
Notes
Design-check classification: (a) one-step categorisation — the student says whether one described object's position is changing at this moment; the fact is universal, so two true / false items close the quiz (Forces log: true / false for what is true of every case).
Example sequence: marble rolling, photos one, two, three (E) → the same marble stopped by the door, two photos the same (NE) → a bus driving past the school, three photos (E) → the minute hand of the classroom clock, photos a minute apart (E, the slow mover) → rule. Minimal difference: the same marble rolling, then stopped.
Did it change direction? L02
Imagine you are in the gym.
You push a ball.
It rolls toward the wall.
It hits the wall.
Now it rolls away from the wall.
Before the wall, the ball moved one way.
After the wall, it moves another way.
What changed when the ball hit the wall?
How do you know a moving object changed direction?
You compare which way it was going with which way it goes now.
The ball rolled toward the wall.
Now the ball rolls away from the wall.
The way it moves has changed, so the ball changed direction.
A straight path means the direction did not change.
A corner or a bend in the path shows where the direction changed.
Video: the ball hits the wall and its dotted path draws itself behind it, with the corner at the wall — video and article; the article carries a GIF of the bounce.
Part 1 — MOT3-021 — Identify when a moving object changes direction
Notes
Design-check classification: (a) one-step categorisation — the student judges one motion: changed direction or not.
Example sequence: a ball rolls straight across the gym floor (NE) → the same ball hits the wall and rolls away (E) → a car turns left at a corner (E) → a dog runs to the tree, turns and runs back (E) → the same dog runs to the tree and stops (NE) → rule. Minimal difference at both ends: the same ball with and without the wall; the same dog with and without the turn.
Wording: "turns" and "changes direction" are the everyday words; nothing is coined. "path" is Topic 1's word and is used, not re-taught.
Farther in the same time L03
Here are two wind-up toys, side by side on a start line.
You let them go at the same moment.
You count ten seconds, then you stop them both.
The frog has gone 80 cm.
The duck has gone 30 cm.
Which toy is faster, and how can you tell?
How can you tell which of two moving objects is faster?
You give them the same time.
You measure how far each one went.
The frog went 80 cm in ten seconds.
The duck went 30 cm in the same ten seconds.
The frog went farther in the same time, so the frog is faster.
This only works when the time is the same for both.
Video: both toys set off on the same word and freeze on "stop"; the meter stick lies along the floor and each distance appears in turn — video and article; the article carries a GIF of the two toys.
Part 1 — MOT3-022 — Decide which of two objects is faster by comparing how far each travels in the same time
Notes
Design-check classification: (a) one-step comparison — the student compares two distances in a table and names the faster one; the comparison sits in a table so the skill tested is the rule, not reading two sentences (design-check-sequence, type a stem rule).
Example sequence (comparative concept, Forces log rule 4: keep the object type the same and compare along the scale): two wind-up toys for 10 seconds (E) → two snails on a lettuce leaf for one minute, 12 cm and 4 cm (E) → two children walking for 20 seconds (E) → the frog for 10 seconds against the duck for 20 seconds: the times differ, so this does not tell you (NE) → rule.
Same distance, less time L04
Imagine it's Sports Day.
Ana and Ben each run from the fence to the tree.
The fence and the tree are 20 m apart.
So both runners run the same distance.
A friend times each runner with a stopwatch.
Ana takes 6 seconds.
Ben takes 9 seconds.
Ben took longer, so is Ben the faster runner?
Is there a second way to tell which of two moving objects is faster?
Yes: you give them the same distance.
You use a stopwatch to time each one.
Ana ran 20 m in 6 seconds.
Ben ran the same 20 m in 9 seconds.
Ana took less time over the same distance, so Ana is faster.
A longer time over the same distance means a slower runner, not a faster one.
Video: the two runs one after the other on the same stretch of grass; the stopwatch hand stops on 6, then on 9 — video and article.
Part 1 — MOT3-023 — Decide which of two objects is faster by comparing the times each takes over the same distance
Notes
Design-check classification: (a) one-step comparison — the student compares two times in a table and names the faster one; the misconception (a longer time means faster) is the boundary case inside the quiz, not a separate part; the closing claim item uses the bare-verdict form James settled on 28 September.
Example sequence (comparative): Ana and Ben over 20 m (E) → two toy boats across the same paddling pool, 8 s and 5 s (E) → two snails along the same 30 cm, 40 s and 25 s (E) → Ana over 20 m against Ben over 40 m: the distances differ, so this does not tell you (NE) → rule; then the two-rule table closes the lesson.
What speed means L05
Suppose two runners come past you on a running track.
You count one second.
In that second, Jo goes 2 m.
In that same second, Max goes 7 m.
In the next second, Jo goes another 2 m.
Max goes another 7 m.
Max goes farther in each second, so Max is faster.
How could you say exactly how fast each runner is going?
How do you say how fast something is going?
You say how far it goes in each second.
Jo goes 2 m in each second.
Max goes 7 m in each second.
How far something goes in each second is called its speed.
Max has the greater speed, so Max is faster.
Faster means a greater speed: more distance in each second.
Video: the two runners run side by side on the track and a mark drops onto the track at each tick of a clock, 2 m apart for Jo and 7 m apart for Max (ruled 28 September: marks on the road, never faded copies); then the same marks for a horse and a cheetah, then for a normal car and a race car — video and article; the article carries a GIF of the two runners with their marks.
Part 1 — MOT3-024 — State that an object's speed is how much distance it covers in each second; coin speed
Part 1q — Fluency quiz: speed
Notes
Design-check classification: (a) one-step categorisation — the student says whether a sentence gives a speed, then which of two speeds is greater; the term-recall item sits last (design-check-sequence order rule).
Example sequence (ruled 28 September: the one sentence shown on a concrete pair, then the pairs James named): Jo 2 m and Max 7 m in each second (E, the runner and the faster runner) → a horse about 15 m and a cheetah about 30 m in each second (E) → a normal car about 20 m and a race car about 80 m in each second (E) → the same normal car, "it went 100 m" — a distance, not a speed (NE) → rule. The same frame every time: "In each second, ___ goes ___ m. In each second, ___ goes ___ m. ___ goes farther in each second, so ___ has the greater speed."
Explain then label: the plain sentence ("how far it goes in each second") comes first in the headache and forest; "speed" arrives as the label; nothing before L05 uses the word.
Ceiling (register cross on MOT3-024): the label comes after the concrete comparisons of L03 and L04; the calculation with a unit is Grade 6-8's job and is not taught.
Fastest to slowest L06
Here is a snail, a walker and a cyclist, each on the same straight path.
Each one moves for one minute.
The snail goes 1 m.
The walker goes 80 m.
The cyclist goes 300 m.
You want to line them up from fastest to slowest.
Which order is right?
How do you put several moving objects in order of speed?
You give them all the same time.
You measure how far each one went.
The one that went farthest is the fastest.
The one that went the shortest distance is the slowest.
Line the distances up from biggest to smallest, and the objects stand in order from fastest to slowest.
So the order is: cyclist, walker, snail.
Video: article only by default (ruled 28 September): a table and the three stop marks carry the whole idea; the script is still written, so a video can follow later if the practice data asks for one.
Part 1 — MOT3-026 — Order several objects from fastest to slowest using how far each moved in the same time
Notes
Design-check classification: (b) multi-step routine — read the table, find the largest distance, find the smallest, write the order; a student can be right at "which went farthest" and wrong at the order, so the steps are asked one at a time before the bare item (Scaffolded first, then bare); the reorder item is a bare item in the format the PP100 will use (type 6 below).
The minute: the one line "for a slow mover like the snail you can count a whole minute instead of a second" sits in this lesson, after the worked example; L05's sentence stays "in each second".
Wording: "the shortest distance" rather than "went least far", so the plain word "shortest" sits beside "distance".
Speeding up L07
Imagine you are on a scooter at the top of a gentle slope.
You push off, and the scooter starts to roll.
In the first second, you go 1 m.
In the next second, you go 2 m.
In the third second, you go 3 m.
Each second, you go farther than the second before.
What is happening to your speed as you roll down the slope?
How do you know something is speeding up?
You compare how far it goes in each second with the second before.
On the slope, the scooter went 1 m, then 2 m, then 3 m.
Each second, it went farther than the second before.
Its speed got bigger each second.
Going farther in each second than the second before is called speeding up.
Video: the scooter rolls down the slope and a mark drops onto the sidewalk at each tick of a clock, the marks spreading out (1 m, 2 m, 3 m apart) (ruled 28 September: marks, with the question chip on the drawing) — video and article; the article carries a GIF of the scooter and its marks.
Part 1 — MOT3-025 — Decide that an object is speeding up when it goes farther in each second than in the second before
Notes
Design-check classification: (a) one-step categorisation — the student reads how far in each second and says yes or no to one class; the item is a case and the yes/no the concept decides (James, Topic 1, 28 September). The three-way sort belongs to the mixed mastery quiz, not here.
Example sequence (frame fixed: "In each second it goes ___. Is it speeding up?"): the scooter down the slope, 1 m, 2 m, 3 m (E) → the same scooter on the flat sidewalk, 3 m, 3 m, 3 m (NE — the same distance each second is not speeding up) → a ball rolling down a hill, 2 m, 4 m, 6 m (E) → a snail, 1 cm, 2 cm, 3 cm (E, slow can speed up) → a fast train, 30 m, 30 m, 30 m (NE, fast is not speeding up) → rule. Minimal difference: the same scooter on the slope, then on the flat.
Wording: "speeding up" is an everyday phrase, not coined; the register's clue is "farther in each second than the second before" and every item is judged by it.
Slowing down L08
Suppose the scooter rolls off the smooth sidewalk onto thick grass.
In the first second on the grass, it goes 3 m.
In the next second, it goes 2 m.
In the third second, it goes 1 m.
Then it stops.
Each second on the grass, it goes less far than the second before.
What is happening to the scooter's speed on the grass?
How do you know something is slowing down?
You compare how far it goes in each second with the second before.
On the grass, the scooter went 3 m, then 2 m, then 1 m.
Each second, it went less far than the second before.
Its speed got smaller each second.
Going less far in each second than the second before is called slowing down.
When it goes no distance at all in a second, it has stopped.
Video: the scooter runs onto the grass and a mark drops at each tick of a clock, the marks bunching up (3 m, 2 m, 1 m apart) until the scooter stops (ruled 28 September: marks, with the question chip on the drawing) — video and article; the article carries a GIF of the scooter on the grass.
Part 1 — MOT3-028 — Decide that an object is slowing down when it goes less far in each second than in the second before
Notes
Design-check classification: (a) one-step categorisation — yes or no to one class from the distances in each second; the three-way sort is the mixed mastery quiz's job.
Example sequence (frame fixed: "In each second it goes ___. Is it slowing down?"): the scooter on the grass, 3 m, 2 m, 1 m (E) → the same scooter on the flat sidewalk, 3 m, 3 m, 3 m (NE) → a bus coming in to its stop, 10 m, 6 m, 2 m (E) → a slow snail, 1 cm, 1 cm, 1 cm (NE, slow is not slowing down) → a ball rolling up a slope, 4 m, 2 m, 1 m (E) → rule. Minimal difference: the same scooter on the grass, then on the flat.
Wording: "slowing down" is an everyday phrase, not coined; "stops" is said when a second's distance reaches nothing, so the student sees stopping as the end of slowing down, not a fourth class.
The same speed L09
Here is a toy train on a flat, straight track.
In the first second, it goes 2 m.
In the next second, it goes 2 m.
In the third second, it goes 2 m again.
Each second, it goes the same distance as the second before.
Is the train's speed changing at all?
How do you know something keeps the same speed?
You compare how far it goes in each second with the second before.
On the flat track, the train went 2 m, then 2 m, then 2 m.
Each second, it went the same distance as the second before.
Its speed did not change.
Going the same distance in every second is called keeping the same speed.
A fast mover can keep the same speed, and a slow mover can too.
Video: the train runs along the flat track and a mark drops at each tick of a clock, the marks evenly spaced (2 m apart) (ruled 28 September: marks, with the question chip on the drawing) — video and article; the article carries a GIF of the train and its marks.
Part 1 — MOT3-029 — Decide that an object keeps the same speed when it goes the same distance in every second
Notes
Design-check classification: (a) one-step categorisation — yes or no to one class from the distances in each second; the near-misses (fast is not speeding up; slow is not slowing down) land here as "yes, the same speed", so the misconception is met from both sides across L07 to L09.
Example sequence (frame fixed: "In each second it goes ___. Is it keeping the same speed?"): the toy train on the flat track, 2 m, 2 m, 2 m (E) → the same train going down a slope, 2 m, 3 m, 4 m (NE) → a race car, 60 m, 60 m, 60 m (E, fast and the same speed) → a snail, 1 cm, 1 cm, 1 cm (E, slow and the same speed) → the same snail stopping, 1 cm, 1 cm, 0 cm (NE) → rule. Minimal difference: the same train on the flat, then on the slope.
Wording: "the same speed" is the class name because Forces Topic 9 (FOR3-045) says "keeps moving at the same speed"; "steady speed" is not used, so one idea keeps one name.
Mixed mastery quiz
Its one ask is the three-way sort the lessons did not ask: "Speeding up, slowing down, or the same speed?" (ruled 28 September: "a mixed mastery quiz after where they have to distinguish between them").
About ten items with three options; each item is one journey, shown as a drawn road with a mark at each second and the question chip on the drawing, or as the distances in each second listed in words.
The near-miss cases from all three lessons come back in one mixed run: a fast train at 30 m every second (the same speed); a snail at 1 cm, 2 cm, 3 cm (speeding up); a bus coming in to its stop (slowing down); a race car at 60 m every second (the same speed).
One journey has two stages, asked stage by stage: the scooter on the flat sidewalk (3 m, 3 m, 3 m — the same speed), then on the grass (2 m, 1 m, stop — slowing down).
Keys are spread so no four items in a row share a class and no run alternates.
Key terms by recall close the quiz: the term speed typed from its definition ("How far something goes in each second is its ___"), after every item that prints the word; then one recall item each on L03's rule (two-row table, same time: which is faster?) and L04's rule (two-row table, same distance: which is faster?).
Nothing new is taught here; a student who fails the sort is sent back to the lesson whose class they missed.
Intro video
One paragraph for the script, teaching nothing and coining nothing. It's Sports Day. Maya wins the first race of the morning; Leo wins the last race of the afternoon. Both ran from the same start line to the same finish line, but they never ran side by side. Their friends argue: who's faster? Can you tell, when they never raced each other? That gap L04 closes (the same distance, compare the times). Then, with "Now let's look up at the sky": a plane crosses high overhead. It looks slow, slower than a bird flying past. But in one minute the plane goes farther than you could walk all morning. Is the plane slow, or does it only look slow? That gap L03 and L05 close (farther in the same time; how far in each second). General close: "This topic is about fast and slow: how to tell which is faster, even when they never race side by side, and how something can speed up or slow down." Ready line: "Okay, so are you ready to find out who's fastest?" Poll with the three fixed replies, no key. The word "speed" does not appear in the intro; "speed up" and "slow down" are everyday words and may.
Summary video
Three easy, video-dependent questions after "Okay, now your turn", one per big idea the summary restates (fresh scenes, never the lessons' toys, runners, train or scooter):
Target 1 (L03 and L04, the big idea): a two-row table from the summary's own scene, same time, two distances — which is faster; or same distance, two times — which is faster, with the longer time as the slower one.
Target 2 (L05, the coined term): three sentences about one object, one of them a distance in each second — which one tells you its speed.
Target 3 (L07 to L09, the three classes): an object goes 2 m, then 3 m, then 4 m in three seconds — speeding up, slowing down or the same speed.
The summary restates, in order: moving means changing position all the time; a corner or bend in the path shows a change of direction; faster is farther in the same time; faster is less time over the same distance; how far it goes in each second is its speed; order by how far each went in the same time; farther each second than before is speeding up; less far is slowing down; the same distance every second is the same speed.
PP100 bank
Eight types (ruled 28 September: ten is a ceiling, not a target; the old type 5, which needed speed = distance ÷ time, is cut as too hard; the ranking type is a reorder item). Each line says what the stem asks, what the four options are, and gives one example stem, so the item can be pictured before it is written (vault: "A type line is concrete"). One exemplar per type comes to you on the type sheet before any bank is generated. "Side" marks the cut after L04 (A = L01-L04, B = L05-L09). "You cannot tell from this" stays in the L03 and L04 quizzes and is not a bank type.
Type 1 (MOT3-020, side A, easy) — Stem: four objects, each described at one moment; the ask is which one's position is changing right now. Options: the four objects (three still, one moving; the slow mover is the medium instance). Example: "Which of these has a changing position right now? — a bus waiting at the stop / a leaf lying on the path / a dog asleep in its basket / a ball rolling across the floor."
Type 2 (MOT3-021, side A, easy to medium) — Stem: four described motions; the ask is which one changed direction. Options: the four motions, three straight and one with a turn (the medium instance is a drawn path from above with four marked points, and the ask is at which point the direction changed; the options are the four points). Example: "Which of these moving things changed direction? — a sled slides straight down the hill / a train runs along a straight track / a dog runs to the tree and then runs back / a ball rolls straight across the floor and stops."
Type 3 (MOT3-022, side A, easy) — Stem: a small table of four objects and how far each went in the same time; the ask is which is the fastest (or the slowest). Options: the four objects. Example: "Four wind-up toys ran for 10 seconds. The table shows how far each one went. Which toy is the fastest?"
Type 4 (MOT3-023, side A, easy to medium) — Stem: a small table of four runners or objects and the time each took over the same distance; the ask is which is the fastest (or the slowest; the longer time is the slower one). Options: the four runners. Example: "Four children each ran the same 20 m. The table shows their times. Who is the fastest?"
Type 5 (MOT3-024, side B, easy) — Stem: one object and the ask which sentence tells you its speed. Options: four sentences about that object — a distance, a time, a position, and a distance in each second. Example: "Which sentence tells you the bus's speed? — The bus went 100 m. / The bus took 20 seconds. / The bus is by the school. / The bus goes 10 m in each second."
Type 6 (MOT3-026, side B, easy to medium, reorder item) — Stem: a small table of four animals or vehicles and how far each went in the same time; the ask is to put them in order from fastest to slowest. Response: the four names as cards the student drags into order (the medium instance lists the rows out of speed order; the hard instance has two distances close together, 78 m and 80 m). Example: "Four animals each moved for one minute. The table shows how far each went. Drag the animals into order from fastest to slowest."
Type 7 (MOT3-025, 028 and 029, side B, easy to medium) — Stem: one journey, given as the distances in each second in words or as a drawn road with a mark at each second and the question chip on the drawing; the ask is what is happening to its speed. Options: speeding up / slowing down / the same speed / speeding up, then slowing down (a real class for a journey that changes part way, and the hard instance). The medium instance is a fast object keeping one speed or a slow one speeding up. Example: "A bus goes 6 m, then 4 m, then 2 m in three seconds. What is happening to the bus's speed?"
Type 8 (MOT3-022, 023, 025 and 028, side A or B by its scene, hard) — Stem: a scene with the verdict fixed and the ask why. Options: four single-statement reasons, one right and three real errors; never a verdict joined to a reason, and always the positive form. Example: "Ana ran 20 m in 6 seconds. Ben ran the same 20 m in 9 seconds. Why is Ana the faster runner? — She took less time over the same distance. / She took more time over the same distance. / She ran a longer distance. / She started running first."
Settled at the script stage, not here
- The attached question after each lesson video (the XP gate) is written with the script, not here; its form follows write-video-script.
- The intro's plane scene is a drawing, as in Topic 1 (a licensed photo of a high plane is not needed for a curiosity gap).
- The plane's "farther than you could walk all morning" is the intro's only number-like claim; the script will check it against a real airliner (about 15 km in one minute) before it is spoken.
This grade’s course architecture — open only if you want the whole map
Skill: course-build → atomise (architecture, step 6b gate) → write-like-james @ acc4fb6
Grade 3 Science — course architecture v3 (James's rulings of 25 September, plus Olivia Mullins's sequencing)
Read this in five minutes. Grade 3 Science is ONE course with a fixed order; nobody picks strands. It arranges the 183 Grade 3 atoms into four strands and forty-two small topics, each with its own mixed practice, summary video and PP100. Nothing below writes a lesson sentence. The atoms stay where they are: the Science Knowledge Graph's 3-5 registers.
Rulings recorded (James, 25 September 2026)
- Strand order: Physics, Matter, Earth & Space, Life. James: "I don't think it matters hugely … Happy to go with 1 Physics 2 Matter 3 Earth and space 4 Life. That works well." Strands may be intermingled later if a reason appears; none does yet.
- Grade 3 is one course. "We're not going to allow students to pick any strand … we need to structure Grade 3 as we think Grade 3 should be structured best." v1's line about students choosing strands was wrong and is gone.
- Topic 1 is the pilot. "That topic 1, I think, works as a good pilot."
- Small topics. "3 atoms is fine for testing. PP100s on quite granular stuff is absolutely fine … A 4-atom topic and a 5-atom topic is great. 9 is too many, really … if something's got 9 atoms, we should be considering splitting it." So sound, soil, fossils and natural resources each stand alone, and every v1 topic of nine or more was split (Card 2). Topics 1 and 2 keep 8 and 7 lessons because James approved Topic 1 as it stands and Topic 2 is one chain about speed; both are flagged as split candidates once their PP100 data arrives.
- Forces opens with Earth's pull and magnets, before the word "force" (Olivia Mullins call, 25 September; James: "I think I'll follow that"). Topics 3 and 4 teach the two non-touching pulls with no talk of forces; Topic 5 coins "force" on both of them and on the hand push together, so the hand push never becomes the whole category. Her two classroom misconceptions (Earth pulls only on your feet; "balanced" is a kind of force) are in the register and the lessons.
- States of matter start with air (Olivia): air takes up space → gases spread → liquids → solids → the sort.
Applied from the earlier rulings: four strands; Motion before Forces before Energy; Scientific Reasoning atoms taught inside the topics that use them; one intro video per strand and per topic, each teaching nothing; one atom, one lesson, both video and article; a summary video before every PP100; PP100 banks of at least fifty items tagged by depth of reasoning; the Forces topics reuse the golden pack; the language rules (Earth's pull, carriers not forms, no "leak" or "lift").
Card 1 — The strands and their order
The call: Physics → Matter → Earth & Space → Life, each with its own intro video and its own end-of-strand test.
| Strand | Topics | Atoms | Why it sits here |
|---|---|---|---|
| Physics | 1-15 | 64 | Motion first: what you can see, before the invisible cause. Energy last: "faster means more energy" needs speed. |
| Matter | 16-21 | 22 (+7 Scientific Reasoning) | Uses the measuring tools and feeds Earth's water cycle in Grade 4. |
| Earth & Space | 22-31 | 41 (+4 Scientific Reasoning) | Weather uses tables and graphs; "the Sun powers Earth" must precede food chains. |
| Life | 32-42 | 43 | Ends the year; leans on Space (the Sun), Forces (Earth's pull) and Matter (properties). |
Scientific Reasoning's 13 atoms are spread through Topics 1, 16, 17, 22, 23 and 25 (Card 4). Total 183 lessons.
Card 2 — The topics
The call: forty-two topics, most of three to six lessons; a mixed mastery practice set, a summary video and a PP100 at the end of every one.
| # | Topic (student-facing title) | Atoms (in teaching order) | Lessons | The big idea it serves |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Physics | ||||
| 1 | Where is it? Did it move? | MOT3-001, 002, 003, 004, 005, 006, 007, 008 (+ SR3-020, 021 inside L07/L08) | 8 | You say where something is with a landmark; moving means its position changed; motions can repeat |
| 2 | Fast and slow | MOT3-020, 021, 022, 023, 024, 025, 026 | 7 | Faster means farther in the same time, or the same distance in less time |
| 3 | Earth pulls things down | FOR3-021, 028, 022 | 3 | Earth pulls every object toward the ground, on every part of it, without touching; a strong enough pull can beat it (no word "force" yet) |
| 4 | Magnets | FOR3-023, 024, 025 | 3 | A magnet pulls steel without touching; two magnets pull or push; use a magnet to solve a problem (no word "force" yet) |
| 5 | What a force is | FOR3-012, 001, 008, 006 | 4 | Earth's pull, a magnet's pull and your push are all forces; push or pull; on one object; in one direction |
| 6 | Forces that touch, and forces that don't | FOR3-020, 027, 026 | 3 | Some forces act without touching: Earth, magnets, a rubbed balloon; most pushes touch |
| 7 | Pushes and pulls change things | FOR3-002, 003, 004, 005, 007 | 5 | A push or pull starts, stops, turns or squashes; you can test it |
| 8 | Strong or weak: drawing a force | FOR3-009, 010, 011 | 3 | A stronger push makes a bigger change; an arrow shows a force's direction and strength |
| 9 | Balanced forces | FOR3-040, 041, 042, 043, 045 | 5 | Several forces act at once; balanced forces leave motion as it is, still or steady |
| 10 | Unbalanced forces | FOR3-044, 046, 047 | 3 | Unbalanced forces speed up, slow down or turn |
| 11 | Energy: what has it, how it travels | ENE3-001, 002, 003, 004, 005, 034 | 6 | Energy makes things happen; light, sound and electricity carry it; faster means more |
| 12 | Sound | ENE3-030, 031, 032 | 3 | Sound comes from vibration and travels to your ear |
| 13 | Light: sources, straight lines, shadows | ENE3-010, 011, 012, 017 | 4 | Light comes from a source, travels straight, makes shadows, must reach the eye |
| 14 | Light bounces, bends or soaks in | ENE3-013, 014, 015, 016 | 4 | Reflection, refraction, absorption, sorted |
| 15 | Light and heat | ENE3-020, 021, 033 | 3 | Light-givers give heat; rubbing makes heat; light carries energy |
| Matter | ||||
| 16 | Describe it, sort it | SR3-001, 002, MAT3-001, 002, 003 | 5 | Observe with more than your eyes; describe an object by its properties; sort and order |
| 17 | Measuring tools | SR3-003, 004, 005, 006, 007 | 5 | Thermometer, scale, measuring jug; pick the right one; two groups can disagree |
| 18 | Which has more? | MAT3-004, 005, 006 | 3 | More mass, more space, warmer, decided by a measurement |
| 19 | Sinks, floats, sticks to a magnet: choosing materials | MAT3-007, 008, 060, 061 | 4 | Test a property, then pick the material for the job |
| 20 | Solids, liquids and gases | MAT3-022, 023, 021, 020, 024 | 5 | Air first: it takes up space; gases spread; liquids take their container's shape; solids keep theirs; then the sort (Olivia's order) |
| 21 | Heating and cooling | MAT3-040, 041, 042, 043, 044, 045, 046 | 7 | Heating and cooling change the state but it is the same water (split candidate: melting/freezing vs evaporating/condensing) |
| Earth & Space | ||||
| 22 | Measuring the weather | EAR3-017, 018, 019, SR3-010, EAR3-020, SR3-011 | 6 | Three instruments, a weather diary, reading it back |
| 23 | Weather over a season, and far away | SR3-012, EAR3-022, 023, 021, 024 | 5 | A season's records make a chart; the chart predicts; other places differ |
| 24 | Volcanoes, earthquakes, landslides | EAR3-007, 010, 008, 011, 009, 012 | 6 | What each one is, then how it changes the land fast |
| 25 | Dangerous weather | EAR3-013, 014, SR3-022 | 3 | Weather can do damage; a defence holds it back; pick the sensible cause |
| 26 | Soil | EAR3-001, 002, 003, 004 | 4 | Soil is broken rock plus dead things |
| 27 | Fossils | EAR3-029, 030, 031, 032, 033 | 5 | A few dead things last as fossils and tell of the past |
| 28 | Using and conserving natural resources | EAR3-040, 041, 042, 043 | 4 | Everything you own started as a natural resource; some run short |
| 29 | The Sun | SPA3-001, 007, 002 | 3 | A huge glowing ball of gas; a star; the source of Earth's energy |
| 30 | The stars | SPA3-003, 004, 005, 006 | 4 | Stars differ; they look like dots because they are far; telescopes show more |
| 31 | The solar system | SPA3-010, 011, 012, 013, 014 | 5 | Earth orbits the Sun with seven other planets; the Moon orbits Earth |
| Life | ||||
| 32 | Alive or not | LIF3-001, 007, 008, 009, 002 | 5 | Living things grow, feed, move and make more; sort living from non-living |
| 33 | What living things need | LIF3-003, 004, 005, 006 | 4 | Food, water, air and a place that suits them |
| 34 | Backbone or no backbone | LIF3-010, 011, 070 | 3 | Grouping by shared features; vertebrates, invertebrates, arthropods |
| 35 | The five vertebrate groups | LIF3-015, 016, 017, 018, 019, 012 | 6 | Mammal, bird, reptile, amphibian, fish, then the sort |
| 36 | Eggs, body parts and senses | LIF3-013, 020, 027 | 3 | Egg-layers or live birth; body parts do survival jobs; animals sense, then respond |
| 37 | How plants make new plants | LIF3-071, 072, 014, 024 | 4 | Seeds, spores, the sort, the flower's job |
| 38 | Plant parts and their jobs | LIF3-021, 022, 023 | 3 | Roots, stem, leaves |
| 39 | Plants respond | LIF3-025, 026, 028 | 3 | Stems grow to the light, roots grow down; plants respond by growing, animals by moving |
| 40 | Life cycles and family likeness | LIF3-030, 031, 040, 041, 042 | 5 | Every life runs in a cycle; offspring take after their parents but differ |
| 41 | Food chains | LIF3-050, 051, 052 | 3 | Every food chain starts with the Sun; remove a link and the rest changes |
| 42 | Living together and coping with change | LIF3-060, 061, 062, 063 | 4 | Groups, places and seasons decide who survives |
Totals: 183 lessons, 42 practice sets, 42 PP100s (banks of at least 50 items each), 4 strand tests (after Topics 15, 21, 31, 42), 1 end-of-grade test.
Why this grouping
- Every prerequisite edge points backwards in this order. Checked atom by atom in the assembled files; no forward reference.
- Animal topics (33-35) and plant topics (36-38) are separate, as James asked; the plant-versus-animal response contrast (LIF3-028) closes Topic 38 because it needs both sides taught.
- Topics 3 and 4 teach Earth's pull and magnets without the word force; Topic 5 coins it on all three kinds (Olivia's sequence). Topic 8 carries the two force-arrow atoms so Topics 9 and 10 can draw balanced and unbalanced forces.
- Topic 24 puts "what a volcano is" straight before "volcanoes change the land fast", and the same for earthquakes and landslides: what it is, then what it does.
What changes: the folder gets grade3/topicNN_build/ per topic; Topic 1's blueprint is approved; Topic 1 is built first.
Card 3 — Topic 1 is the pilot (approved)
The call: pilot "Where is it? Did it move?" end to end — 8 lessons, an attached question per video, a ten-item quiz after each, mixed practice, summary video, PP100 — before any other topic starts.
- It is the first thing a Grade 3 student meets, so the whole format ladder gets tried where the stakes are lowest.
- It holds a fact, four sorts, two routines and a prediction. Every check type the course needs appears once.
- Its quiz items are drawings of everyday scenes, so the figure pipeline for young grades gets tested too.
- Topics 3 to 10 follow, reusing the golden Forces pack where its lessons match (push or pull, force on one object, strength, direction, more than one force, the balanced and unbalanced lessons).
Card 4 — Scientific Reasoning is taught where it is used
The call: each of the 13 Scientific Reasoning atoms is a lesson inside the topic that first needs it, with its check there; no separate strand, no separate test.
| SR atom | Host topic | Why there |
|---|---|---|
| SR3-001 Observe with more than your eyes; SR3-002 Observation or idea about it? | 16 Describe it, sort it | describing an object's properties is observing |
| SR3-003 Read a thermometer; SR3-004 Measure mass with a scale; SR3-005 Measure the volume of a liquid; SR3-006 Pick the right measuring tool; SR3-007 Two groups, two different answers | 17 Measuring tools | the tools before "which has more?" uses them |
| SR3-010 Record results in a table; SR3-011 Find a value in a table | 22 Measuring the weather | the weather diary is the first table students fill and read back |
| SR3-012 Read a pictograph or bar graph | 23 Weather over a season | the graph before the graphing routine |
| SR3-020 Spot the pattern; SR3-021 Use the pattern to predict | 1 Where is it? Did it move? (inside L07 and L08) | the swing's repeat is the pattern |
| SR3-022 Choose the sensible cause | 25 Dangerous weather | first place students pick a cause for an event |
Card 5 — Tests and benchmarks
The call: a PP100 per topic; a static end-of-strand test per strand (some free response); one static end-of-grade test; all Grade 3 tests are our own banks, seeded from released grade-5 items filtered to Grade 3 atoms.
- No state tests science before grade 5 (D1 ruling). The released STAAR, Florida SSA and AZSCI grade-5 forms give the style and difficulty; items tagged to Grade 3 atoms seed the banks.
- The strand tests fall after Topics 15, 21, 31 and 42.
- The end-of-grade test samples all four strands with free-response items.
What happens next
Topic 1 is built as the first interactive version for James: the topic intro (video script and article), eight lessons each as a video script with animation guidance and an article with figures, one attached question per video, a ten-item quiz per lesson, mixed practice, the summary video script and the PP100 bank. Topic 3 follows, reusing the golden pack.