RS4K Book 1 — Physics (Ch 10-13): K-2 force/work/energy chapters. Foundation 100%, Gap 0.0%, Map Error 0.0%, Practices 92.9%, no FSEs. Energy framed as a measurement of change, not a substance. Recommended Deep.
| Program | RS4K - Science Book 1 — Physics |
| Publisher | Gravitas Publications Inc. |
| Author | Rebecca Woodbury, Ph.D., M.Ed. |
| Grade Band | Grades 1-3 |
Verdict: ✓ Recommended — Deep. Foundation_calc 100.0%, deep tier. Practices 92.9% green (book-wide score). Zero map errors. 0 confirmed FSEs.
Strict atomic-foundation scoring. The Physics quarter of Book 1 (Chapters 10-13) uses the atoms-and-molecules framework established in the Chemistry quarter as the explanatory anchor. Adjusted Gap 0.0%, Map Error 0.0%.
Chapters 10-13 take the unusually careful position that energy is not a substance. Ch 10 defines physics as the study of how matter moves and changes. Ch 11 introduces force as a push or pull (Squish and Smash experiment). Ch 12 defines energy as ‘a measure of the amount of change that happens’ — not as a thing objects ‘have.’ Ch 13 teaches conservation as a continuous score of atomic and molecular changes; batteries explained by electrons moving as atoms rearrange.
"Energy is not a 'thing' objects have but a result of what happens when objects interact, resulting in a change." (Ch 12, p. 100)
"Energy is a measure of the amount of change that happens." (Ch 12)
"Energy is not a 'thing' that is passed on but a series of changes." (Ch 13 conservation framing)
"Math is an essential part of physics." (Ch 10)
FSE_CONFIRMED: 0. No factual science errors found.
Map errors: 0. No OAO error (REI-substance, REI-agent, LAE, AEC all zero).
Practices: 92.9% green. Six of seven NGSS scientific practices PRESENT; mathematics is PARTIAL. Every chapter operationalizes the full arc (question → hypothesis → experiment → data → conclusion → share). The practices score is computed book-wide and applies identically to all five subject entries.
Nothing structural. The Physics chapters score clean on every WWG metric.
The five RS4K Book 1 subject entries (Chemistry, Biology, Physics, Geology, Astronomy) all share Foundation 100%, Adjusted Gap 0.0%, Map Error 0.0%, Practices 92.9% — the curriculum’s architecture is uniform across subjects because Chemistry establishes the atoms-and-molecules framework that every other subject uses.
| Total Passages Scored | 17 |
| Raw Gap Error | 0.0% (12 mechanism passages — all anchored at atoms-and-molecules level) FALSE = atoms/molecules not present before students are asked to explain. The student is navigating without a starting point. |
| Adjusted Gap Error | 0.0% (0 UNSCAFFOLDED — atomic foundation established in Chemistry quarter, used throughout) 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. |
Energy explicitly defined as a measurement of change, not as a substance objects ‘have.’ Directly rebuts the most common K-12 substance-model misconception.
Atomic foundation established in Chemistry (Ch 2-5) used throughout the Physics quarter. Energy explicitly defined as a measurement of change, not as a substance objects ‘have.’ Directly rebuts the most common K-12 substance-model misconception. Practices 92.9% green (book-wide).
Recommended (Deep) — Deep by design -
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.
The complete classified evidence table for this unit, every extracted passage with its classification, is available to researchers, journalists, and to the publisher of the program being scored. This is a standing offer with no conditions attached and no agreement to sign.
If you think a score is wrong, say so. Challenges and our responses to them are published on the evidence and challenges page, including the ones we lose.
Have a curriculum, kit, or program you'd like us to review? Drop us a note, tell us what you want to see, we'll test it and post the results.