OpenSciEd Elem K.3 (Kindergarten forces & motion) - eighth K-4 OpenSciEd unit confirming program-wide pattern: 0% Foundation + 92.9% practices. K-4 Foundation pattern consistent. Foundation unit for K → 3 → 4 force/motion/energy progression. Five explicit deferrals (energy, mass, friction, non-contact forces, numerical measurement).
| Program | OpenSciEd Elementary |
| Unit | Grade K, Unit K.3: How can we move things to where we want them to go? (Forces & Motion) |
| Publisher | OpenSciEd |
| Author | OpenSciEd Curriculum Development Team |
| Grade Band | Kindergarten (K-5 calibration applied) |
| NGSS Alignment | K-PS2-1, K-PS2-2, K-2-ETS1-1, K-2-ETS1-2, K-2-ETS1-3 |
OpenSciEd Elementary Unit K.3 scores Foundation 0% - identical to all other K-4 OpenSciEd Elementary units. Zero map errors across 25 student-facing passages. Zero confirmed FSEs. The adjusted gap is 100% - all 9 mechanism passages are UNSCAFFOLDED because the unit contains no atomic, molecular, or particulate content.
Author intent is explicit. About the Science makes FIVE distinct deferrals characteristic of K-level physical science: (1) Energy - "Energy is not introduced as a concept in this unit" (enters Grade 4 Unit 4.1); (2) Mass - "The role of mass in changing motion is not introduced until middle school"; (3) Friction - "the unit does not formally introduce friction"; (4) Non-contact forces - "All forces explored are contact forces -students do not explore non-contact forces such as gravity or magnetism" (magnetism enters Grade 3 Unit 3.1); (5) Numerical measurements - "Students do not... describe motion using numerical values or formal measurements."
K.3 is the foundation unit for OpenSciEd's force-and-motion progression. The thread K.3 → 3.1 → 4.1 → 4.2 is fully reviewed; all four units stay macroscopic by explicit design and forward-reference future grades.
Practices score 92.9% green. K-4 Foundation pattern consistent. Complete Kindergarten set (K.1, K.2, K.3) reviewed; all three at 0% Foundation. Grade 5 break at 5.2 (Foundation 82.4%, Recommended) confirmed structural - NGSS 5-PS1-1 driven.
The unit is organized in two lesson sets across 10 lessons.
Lessons 1-5 (Investigating Pushes, Pulls, Collisions): L1 anchors on challenges of moving objects. L2 establishes direction ("Pushes move things further away from us. Pulls move things closer to us."). L3 establishes strength ("Big pushes and pulls cause objects to move faster and farther."). L4 introduces collisions ("When an object collides with another object, it can change the motion of both objects."). L5 is summative - students change a ball's motion.
Lessons 6-10 (Engineering a Game): Full engineering design cycle. L6 problem definition (design a game with criteria and obstacles). L7 plans. L8 builds. L9 tests with peer feedback. L10 shares design solutions.
Central science model: Pushes and pulls (contact forces) can start, stop, or change motion. Stronger pushes cause faster and farther motion. Collisions change motion of both objects. Designs can be drawn, built, tested, improved.
Unit targets K-PS2-1 (investigate effects of different strengths/directions of pushes and pulls) and K-PS2-2 (analyze whether a design solution changes speed or direction). (Unit Overview, p. 13)
NGSS K-PS2 PE bundle - observable cause-effect at K-level only.
"Energy is not introduced as a concept in this unit, and students do not use energy ideas to explain why motion changes." (About the Science, p. 39)
Explicit energy deferral. Forward-references Grade 4 Unit 4.1.
"The role of mass in changing motion is not introduced until middle school. In this unit, all motion is explained in terms of visible cause-and-effect: 'The harder you push it, the faster it goes.'" (About the Science, p. 39)
Mass deferred to middle school.
"All forces explored are contact forces -students do not explore non-contact forces such as gravity or magnetism." (About the Science, p. 39)
Non-contact forces deferred. Magnetism enters Grade 3 Unit 3.1.
"Pushes and pulls can have different strengths. Big pushes and pulls cause objects to move faster and farther. Small pushes and pulls cause objects to move slower and less far." (Lesson 3)
Central K-level force-motion mechanism. Correct K-PS2-1 framing.
"When an object collides with another object, it can change the motion of both objects." (Lesson 4)
Central collision claim. Correctly frames mutual effect on both objects (K-level precursor to Newton's 3rd Law).
"Argue from evidence to make claims about how collisions affect an object's motion." (Lesson 4)
Explicit Engaging-in-Argument practice at Kindergarten level.
Practices: 92.9% (green tier). Five K-level NGSS practices Intentionally Developed (Asking Questions, Modeling, Investigating, Analyzing Data, Constructing Explanations & Designing Solutions); one Present (Engaging in Argument); one Partial (Mathematics - About the Science explicit). Five engineering-design lessons (L6-L10) - most engineering-rich K-level OpenSciEd unit. Peer-feedback cycle in L9 with revision. K-level Intentionally Developed Crosscutting Concepts: Patterns, Cause and Effect.
Option A (Rewrite, ~30-50%): Add one teacher's note in L1 or L4: "When we push or pull something, what's really happening is that tiny bits inside our hand are pushing on tiny bits inside the object. We can't see them, but everything is made of these tiny bits called atoms."
Option B (Conditional, ~60-70%): Restructure L4 (collisions) to include atomic-level explanation of contact forces.
Option C (Recommended, ~80%+): Anticipate later grades' atomic introduction at K - name atoms in L1, use them as the mechanism for contact forces in L4.
| Total Passages Scored | 25 |
| Raw Gap Error | 100.0% (zero atomic content in unit) FALSE = atoms/molecules not present before students are asked to explain. The student is navigating without a starting point. |
| Adjusted Gap Error | 100.0% (all 9 mechanism passages UNSCAFFOLDED - five explicit deferrals in About the Science) UNSCAFFOLDED = no atomic grounding at all. LESSON_ATOMS = atoms mentioned elsewhere in lesson but not connected to this concept. |
| Substance-Model Errors (REI) | 0 Curriculum treats a process or outcome as a substance - "heat flows," "energy is stored," "electricity flows like water." Student builds a substance ontology. |
| Label-as-Explanation (LAE) | 0 Curriculum provides a name and treats it as an explanation - "this happens because of gravity." Student believes knowing the name IS understanding the concept. |
| Vague-Entity Errors (AEC) | 0 Curriculum uses vague entities ("tiny particles," "building blocks") without specifying atoms or molecules. Student invents their own model with macroscopic properties. |
| Factual Science Errors (FSE) | 0 Statements that are scientifically incorrect - not imprecise framing, but wrong. Any confirmed FSE = Not Recommended. |
| Practices | 92.9% - Deep Seven practices scored PRESENT, PARTIAL, or ABSENT and averaged: asking questions, developing and using models, planning and carrying out investigations, analyzing and interpreting data, using mathematics, constructing explanations and designing solutions, and argument from evidence. Higher is better, the opposite direction from gap and map errors. Reported but not part of the Foundation Score or the verdict. |
OpenSciEd Elementary K.3 is an OpenSciEd unit and another K-4 unit to score 0% Foundation + 92.9% practices. The K-4 Foundation pattern is consistent. K.3 is the foundation unit for OpenSciEd's force-and-motion progression (K.3 → 3.1 → 4.1 → 4.2). All four units in this thread stay macroscopic by explicit design and forward-reference future grades.
K-level inquiry pedagogy strong. Five Intentionally Developed K-level practices. Most engineering-rich K-level OpenSciEd unit: five engineering-design lessons (L6-L10) covering define-plan-build-test-share cycle. Explicit Engaging-in-Argument practice in L4 ("Argue from evidence to make claims"). Peer-feedback cycle with revision L9.
shallow by design - Zero MISCONCEPTION_BY_DESIGN flags. Pushes/pulls correctly framed as actions on objects. Force introduced informally without substance language. Collisions correctly frame mutual effect on both objects (K-level precursor to Newton's 3rd Law). Five explicit boundaries: energy, mass, friction, non-contact forces, numerical measurements - all consistent with NGSS K-PS2 scope.
Evidence for every entry is published at three levels. Each level states what it contains and what it leaves out.
Scores, verdict, and the full pattern count for this unit are above: adjusted gap, REI / LAE / AEC counts, FSE status, and the seven-practice score. The analysis quotes 7 passages verbatim from the curriculum.
This file covers the unit scored on this page.
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