Day 43 · Optional extra

Day 43 · Optional larger activity

Mystery description: give one useful detail about an invented object. A willing partner asks a question, or self-readback. Record no partner reply if none occurs.

Start: choose one suitable topic/example and one form.

Make: create one child owned informative detail or clearly imaginary version. A second small part can happen later.

Check: read actual words or exact readback; does the detail help? Keep/change/finish. Optional willing feedback only; no invented results.

Useful outcome: a small information card, question, report or actual oral explanation; a private plan is labelled a plan. All equipment optional; exact scribe/direct/no-print alternatives available. Real observations/sources keep date/place/suitability/rights limits; imaginary scenes do not become facts.

Choose one short sitting; about 25–30 minutes is an author planning estimate, not a required dose or tested timing. Keep/pause/finish and a return later are valid. No purchase, outing, upload, account, private disclosure, recording, forced speech/eye-contact/movement or audience. Use established communication, sign/AAC, suitable enlarged print, keyboard or exact child-directed scribing as appropriate. Ask before touching/moving belongings; do not require handling real objects. Read rich text aloud or provide agreed exact text access: it is not automatic independent reading. No-print listening/composition alternatives keep meaning useful, but do not prove decoding. Adults record their own reading, phoneme cues, grapheme supply, spelling and physical marking separately. An actual oral report is oral; a picture+language text has actual stated components; an unwritten proposal is a plan. A scribe can preserve child composition while adult spelling/handwriting remains adult. Only observe handwriting when the child actually forms letters. Only record real interaction when a willing other person actually participates. Do not infer a listener reply from a paper figure, adult model or intended reader.