PhD Science L1 M2 (Grade 1, Light/Wayang) - ✕ Not Recommended (Type 6 Clean-but-Empty). Foundation 0% under strict atomic-foundation scoring; 100% gap, 0 map errors, 0 FSEs. Cross-grade scope discipline documented (reflection deferred to Grade 4 Module 4; transparent/translucent/opaque terms avoided at K-2). Sustained 24-lesson anchor-model revision. Practices 100% green.
| Program | PhD Science |
| Unit | Level 1 Module 2: Light (Wayang Shadow Puppetry) |
| Publisher | Great Minds PBC |
| Author | Great Minds PBC |
| Grade Band | Grade 1 (K-2) |
| NGSS Alignment | 1-PS4-2, 1-PS4-3 (DCI: PS4.B Electromagnetic Radiation, K-2 band) |
Verdict: ✕ Not Recommended (atomic-molecular foundations). Foundation_calc 0.0%, shallow tier. Practices 100% green. Zero map errors. Zero confirmed FSEs.
Strict atomic-foundation scoring applied. Across 24 lessons of light, shadow, mirrors, and materials investigation, atoms/molecules/photons do not appear - appropriate scope for a Grade 1 light unit. The Teacher Edition documents cross-grade scope discipline: reflection deferred to Level 4 Module 4 ("students gather evidence to learn that light travels in rays and that all objects reflect light"); transparent/translucent/opaque terms avoided at K-2 with documented pedagogical reasoning (the scattering distinction is not yet meaningful at the grade).
Anchored on wayang shadow puppetry from Indonesia. Essential Question: How do puppeteers use light to tell stories during wayang shows?
Concept 1 (L1-9) - Sight: Shadows in sunny places. Read Blackout (Rocco 2011). Knowledge: Objects are visible when light illuminates them or when they give off their own light (1-PS4-2). Glowworm cave application.
Concept 2 (L10-14) - Interactions with Light: Three parts of a shadow. L11 order-of-parts six-station investigation. Mirrors redirect light - Rjukan, Norway engineers.
Science Challenge (L15-18): Test seven materials with light meters for wayang screen. Knowledge: Different materials allow no light, some light, or all light to travel through them (1-PS4-3).
L19-20: Holes in objects → holes in shadows. Mirror redirects light onto puppet.
Application (L21-23): Socratic Seminar (L21). EOM Lighthouse Assessment (L22).
"The term reflection is used in Level 4 Module 4, when students gather evidence to learn that light travels in rays and that all objects reflect light." (TE Module Overview) - Cross-grade scope discipline documented.
"PhD Science avoids these terms [transparent, translucent, opaque] because the difference in the amount of light that travels through translucent and transparent materials is not always significant." (TE Module Overview) - Pedagogical reasoning for term deferral.
"Objects are visible when light illuminates them or when they give off their own light." (L7) - 1-PS4-2 implementation.
FSE_CONFIRMED: 0. Physics correct at Grade 1 level.
Map errors: 0. Standard NGSS K-2 light-as-mover phrasing classified as standard scientific terminology (context override). No AEC - PhD Science does not use "particles" framing at K-2.
Practices: 100% green. All seven NGSS practices INTENTIONALLY_DEVELOPED. Sustained anchor-model revision across 24 lessons. Science Challenge L15-18 embedded engineering design. Cross-cultural framing (Indonesian wayang + Norwegian Rjukan + lighthouse). Socratic Seminar at Grade 1. Driving Question Board.
For Foundation: under strict scoring, the categorical change available is introducing atomic content - the design choice PhD Science explicitly defers to higher grades.
For practices: nothing - 100% is the maximum.
Type 6: Clean-but-Empty. Same nominal Foundation as the OSE K-2 Elementary programs reviewed under strict scoring. Within PhD Science K-2 programs reviewed, LK M1 + L1 M2 (this) + L1 M3 + L2 M1 all share 0% Foundation with documented cross-grade staging.
| Total Passages Scored | 30 |
| Raw Gap Error | 100.0% (18/18 mechanism passages - no atoms/molecules/photons named anywhere 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% (18/18 UNSCAFFOLDED - atomic theory not introduced) 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 | 100% - 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. |
Type 6 Clean-but-Empty under strict atomic-foundation scoring. Cross-grade scope discipline documented: TE defers reflection to Level 4 Module 4 and avoids transparent/translucent/opaque at K-2 with documented pedagogical reasoning. Practices 100% green with sustained 24-lesson anchor model + Science Challenge engineering design + Socratic Seminar at Grade 1.
Cross-grade scope discipline documented in TE. Sustained 24-lesson anchor model revision. Science Challenge with light-meter quantitative material testing. Cross-cultural framing (Indonesian wayang + Norwegian Rjukan + lighthouse). Socratic Seminar at Grade 1. Practices 100% green.
Not Recommended (Type 6 Clean-but-Empty - atomic theory absent at K-2) - All 18 mechanism passages UNSCAFFOLDED. L12 SEM microscopy is microscopic-but-not-atomic. PhD Science design philosophy: defer atomic mechanism of light to Grade 4 / higher levels.
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. Passage-level detail for this unit is carried in the downloadable evidence file.
This file covers the unit scored on this page.
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