PhD Science LK M1 (Kindergarten, Weather/Mesa Verde) - ✕ Not Recommended (Type 6 Clean-but-Empty). Foundation 0% under strict atomic-foundation scoring; 100% gap, 0 map errors, 0 FSEs. Five-lesson Engineering Challenge (sunlight-warming-reduction structure) implements K-PS3-2 + K-2-ETS1-1. Cross-grade scope discipline documented (K → Level 4 → MS → HS energy staging). Practices 100% green.
| Program | PhD Science |
| Unit | Level K Module 1: Weather (Cliff Dwellings at Mesa Verde) |
| Publisher | Great Minds PBC |
| Author | Great Minds PBC |
| Grade Band | Kindergarten (K-2) |
| NGSS Alignment | K-ESS2-1, K-ESS3-2, K-PS3-1, K-PS3-2, K-2-ETS1-1 (DCIs: ESS2.D, ESS3.B, ETS1.A, PS3.B) |
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 30 lessons of weather observation, sunlight effects, severe weather, and engineering design, atoms/molecules/particles do not appear - appropriate scope for a Kindergarten Earth-science unit. The Teacher Edition documents extensive cross-grade scope discipline, including a full K → Level 4 → MS → HS staging for conservation of energy and a four-level staging for natural hazards.
Anchored on cliff dwellings at Mesa Verde. Essential Question: How did the cliff dwellings at Mesa Verde protect people from the weather?
Concept 1 (L1-11) - Parts of Weather: Tent + shelter reflection; Mesa Verde anchor; weather observation tools (cloud cover, thermometer, student-designed wind tool); sunlight/wind/rain effects; sunlight-vs-shade investigation (K-PS3-1); weather as combination of parts; cliff dwellings as shelter.
Engineering Challenge (L12-16): How can we reduce the warming effect of sunlight on an area? K-PS3-2 + K-2-ETS1-1 implementation. Five-lesson design cycle.
Concept 2 (L17-21) - Weather Data: Daily/monthly temperature patterns; meteorologist forecasts; Mesa Verde temperature data.
Concept 3 (L22-27) - Severe Weather: Effects on communities; community preparation.
Application (L28-30): Socratic Seminar (L28). EOM Blizzard of 1978 Boston (L29). Debrief (L30).
"The study of conservation of energy and energy transfer begins in Kindergarten with the understanding that sunlight warms Earth's surface. Students will revisit energy in Level 4 ... In middle school, students will build on their prior knowledge ... In high school, students will build their understanding of the conservation of energy as they learn that energy cannot be created or destroyed, only transported or transferred between systems." (TE p.10) - Full K → Level 4 → MS → HS staging of energy conservation.
"In Kindergarten, students begin their study of natural hazards by focusing on how to prepare for severe weather locally. In Levels 3 and 4, students will expand their knowledge ... In middle school, students will explore the history of natural hazards in a particular region. High school students explore the impact natural hazards have on human populations." (TE p.10) - Four-level natural-hazards progression.
"Weather is the combination of sunlight, clouds, wind, rain and snow, and temperature in a particular place at a particular time." (L10-11) - K-ESS2-1 implementation.
FSE_CONFIRMED: 0. Earth science / weather observation correct at Kindergarten level. Mesa Verde Ancestral Pueblo history and Blizzard of 1978 Boston historical references accurate.
Map errors: 0. No OAO error at Kindergarten-appropriate macroscopic weather framing.
Practices: 100% green. Six of seven NGSS practices INTENTIONALLY_DEVELOPED. 30-lesson Mesa Verde anchor model with iterative revision; five-lesson Engineering Challenge (K-PS3-2 + K-2-ETS1-1 implementation); empirical sunlight-vs-shade investigation (L9); daily and monthly data pattern analysis (L17-21); Socratic Seminar at Kindergarten (L28); Blizzard of 1978 historical-event EOM application (L29).
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. High gap (100%) with low map error (0%). Same nominal Foundation as the OSE K-2 Elementary programs reviewed under strict scoring. PhD Science documents cross-grade scope discipline (five separate K → higher-grade progression statements in this unit's TE); OSE K-2 does not. Within PhD Science K-2 programs reviewed, LK M1 + L1 M2 + L1 M3 + L2 M1 all share 0% Foundation under strict scoring with documented cross-grade staging.
| Total Passages Scored | 30 |
| Raw Gap Error | 100.0% (8/8 mechanism passages - no atoms/molecules/particles 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% (8/8 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. Earth-science Kindergarten unit anchored on Mesa Verde cliff dwellings. Five-lesson Engineering Challenge (sunlight-warming-reduction structure) implements K-PS3-2 + K-2-ETS1-1. Cross-grade scope discipline documented in TE pp.9-10 with five progression statements covering engineering design, models, data, natural hazards, and conservation of energy. Practices 100% green.
30-lesson Mesa Verde cliff dwelling anchor with iterative model revision. Five-lesson Engineering Challenge implementing K-PS3-2 + K-2-ETS1-1. Cross-grade scope discipline documented (five separate K → higher-grade progression statements). Cross-cultural framing (Ancestral Pueblo + Blizzard of 1978 Boston). Socratic Seminar at Kindergarten.
Not Recommended (Type 6 Clean-but-Empty - atomic theory absent at Kindergarten) - All 8 mechanism passages UNSCAFFOLDED. PhD Science design philosophy: defer atomic mechanism to higher grades. Engineering Challenge with K-PS3-2 implementation. Daily/monthly weather data analysis.
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.
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