# Start the habitat help desk

Choose one 30-minute start. Learners will make a question, a useful record or a careful piece of advice. All ordinary cases are supplied; no garden, kit, printer or account is needed. Use a board, scrap paper or an exact read-aloud. A learner may direct the arrangement, speak, sign, use AAC, draw, type or write, change route, take a quiet break or decline handling. Keep the scientific job intact when changing the response mode.

## Prepare the chosen start · about five to ten minutes after reading

Before first use, allow separate reading time for [O1–O5](ORDINARY-SOURCES.md), the [ten-script chooser](LESSONS.md), scope and stage-separation rules. Then read the chosen script and its [staff key](STAFF-KEY.md) section. The five-to-ten-minute preparation estimate is for laying out a selected already-read start, not reading this whole pack. Make its ordinary sources available as full text, not just abbreviated captions. Set out scrap paper, a pencil and optional large counters. A calculator can remove arithmetic load. A ruler marked in millimetres is optional for the paper model on Day 3; learners can analyse supplied measurements instead.

The complete prerequisite bridge is below. The [four factual cards](FACT-CARDS.md) are short dated reference hooks, not live data. Check the [local-source review card](LOCAL-SOURCE-REVIEW.md) before substituting anything real. The ordinary learner pages may be read together; fresh first/later sources and educator keys stay in separately selected delivery. Optional [complete printable aids](PRINT.md) add graph, reference, plan and guide space. Plain paper and the full text remain complete; deliver SCIENCE-NOTICES.pdf alongside every teaching PDF. All stage source-and-record pages are selected separately through educator administration.

## Prerequisite bridge · five minutes if needed

1. Say: “We want a place where living things can grow and stay alive. Water, light, temperature and salinity are physical conditions. We need to know which living thing and how long we looked.” Invite a learner to choose one condition word without claiming they have a garden.
2. Draw two fictional stems: one at 10 mm on Day 0 and 14 mm on Day 3. Model `14 − 10 = 4 mm of height increase over three days`. Do not call 14 mm the increase. These invented marks show a size record, not a real plant’s health.
3. Set out three paper tokens labelled alive at Day 3, with starting sample four. Model `3 of 4 alive at this check`. We do not know what happens on Day 4.
4. Ask: “What would you need before saying water caused a difference?” Model checking other conditions and method, not just two different final numbers. Offer the two response stems `The record shows…` and `It does not yet show…`.
5. Guided own try: start 8 mm, finish 11 mm over two days, 2 of 3 alive. Learner gives 3 mm increase and the stated survival count/period. If confused, physically cover the final number and identify the start before subtracting.

Optional distinct extension: a stem becomes taller but fewer stems are alive. Ask which criterion a fictional keeper values and what missing evidence matters. Do not grade this extension as a prerequisite.

## Ten-start chooser

| Day | Useful thing to leave with | Main sources | Route jobs |
| ---: | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | A checkable habitat question | O1/O2 | condition map / question repair / source-versus-claim sort |
| 2 | A growth-and-survival comparison | O2 | change table / labelled graph / claim audit |
| 3 | A repeatable measurement rule | O5 + supplied strip lengths | ruler model / method comparison / precision dilemma |
| 4 | A fairer plan | O3 | repair one-variable plan / repeating record schedule / risk-and-permission review |
| 5 | A first prediction, then a separately captured review | assigned E | independent first/later; two ordinary alternatives after capture |
| 6 | A reason why collaboration mattered | FACT1/FACT3 | role-to-evidence chain / historical revision timeline / missing-expertise argument |
| 7 | A distinction between growth and survival | O4 | criterion decision / denominator repair / confound investigation |
| 8 | A science-to-action explanation | FACT2/FACT4 | problem-response-evidence / limit local inference / compare two responses |
| 9 | A useful own help-desk guide | O1–O5 | guide / represented decision / revise an overclaim |
| 10 | A new-case recommendation and review | assigned F | independent first/later; two ordinary alternatives after capture |

Each script gives one main route and two genuinely different jobs. Choosing a different job may sample a different component; use the task-specific criterion, not a universal score. On Days 5 and 10, teach either the clean assigned two-stage check or an ordinary route. The ordinary alternatives are teaching tasks, not equivalent fresh assessments.

## Run and capture evidence

Ordinary starts use **3 launch + 6 model + 12 own job + 6 compare/revise + 3 exit = 30 minutes**. Split before/after the own job if useful; extend processing time without calling the timing validated. Days 5/10 use the complete [first/later administration](ASSESSMENT-ADMIN.md). Collect and preserve the first response before showing the later page. Read instructions verbatim or transcribe exact words without coaching a conclusion; record access separately from content help.

After each exit choose one targeted next step: unit/time, changed versus final height, denominator, variable, measurement reference, source/date, or claim limit. The [daily key](STAFF-KEY.md) supplies examples and next prompts. Keep first attempts and later learning apart. The learner’s own decision and question matter more than matching an adult’s favourite option.

## Practical preparation and permission

The supplied route involves paper representations. If using a ruler, keep an ordinary stable tabletop, no sharp tools, no mouth-held ruler and no mandatory handling. Measure the paper model from its stated reference point; say what was actually measured. If a school later adds non-invasive observation of an existing plant, the educator must review permission, access, plant identity, allergies, supervision, local conditions and safe measurement; do not collect, feed, water, salt, shade, move or damage living things to complete this proposal. Indoor paper measurement is not fieldwork on Country/Place. A real field enquiry needs the school’s current local and intercultural permission process, not a box tick inferred from this pack.

No mould cultures, tasting, heating, unknown chemicals, electrical experiments, Sun viewing, wildlife handling, beach visit or remote-sensor construction is part of these starts. Real-world reference pages are for a short factual context, not instructions to reproduce their professional work. Families can choose any supplied no-garden home offer; none is evidence of attainment.

## Scope for local implementation

Use the school’s adopted curriculum, timetable, current assessment program and safety/access process. The [whole national authority](source/AUTHORITY-LITERAL.md) and [crosswalk](CURRICULUM-CROSSWALK.md) show what is and is not sampled. QCAA guidance informs flexible modes, source acknowledgment and whole-program evidence; the descriptive rubric is original and is not an A–E standard or moderated instrument. Do not infer equipment skill, actual investigation, real consultation, source-checking acts, collaboration performance or field permissions from a supplied answer. Source checks are dated and require adult review when used locally.