LAB-ED-02 / Teacher preparation
Three accounts of one object
How can observation, image and interpretation retain different information and authorship?
Modern classroom adaptation. Original modern object study, not a reenactment of Florentine Codex production or Tlatelolco workshop power relations. Observation, drawing and hypothesis are compared in parallel; neither one language nor an image is presumed an interchangeable copy of another narrative. Historical names/roles must be verified.
These protocols have not been physically or classroom tested. Pilot the actual materials and chosen transfer method before teaching. Use the stated fallback if its conditions cannot be met.
Before teaching
Choose actual school-approved products; read current labels/SDS and school requirements.
Pilot the chosen hands-on method and document real failures, quantities, timings, drying/release and accessibility.
Verify equipment, supervision, handling, waste and incident procedures.
Apply lab-specific fallback whenever procurement, source visibility or safe-transfer conditions cannot be met.
Lab-specific review
Getty source access was indexed/partial in the editorial dossier; verify any individual contributor claim before adding it.
Use the current 20-point, five-criterion rubric and preserve all three drafts, comparison sheet and two-sheet final spread.
Teacher preparation
Preparation allowance: 20–25 minutes to select harmless objects, check mechanisms, prepare source cards, and allocate materials. No drying time is needed.
Paper correction incorporated in this version: Six A4/letter sheets per group of four, comprising three draft-account sheets, one comparison sheet, and two final-spread sheets. A class of 24 needs 36 sheets, six objects, six source cards, 24 pencils, and six rulers. Optional magnifiers may be shared. The source card and credit strip are separate teacher-prepared items.
Choose objects that can be observed without dismantling, tasting, activating, or testing dangerous parts. A safe spool or closed mechanical pencil is enough. Students may refer to surface appearance without identifying an unseen material composition.
Keep the initial accounts separate until comparison. The reviewer can prepare the source and credit fields during that interval. If the group simply copies one description three times, assign a new harmless object and repeat the independent phase. The final spread may retain a conflict that additional evidence would be needed to resolve.
Provide a tactile, verbal, or partner-directed route. Voluntary language diversity can enrich the activity when a competent reader is available, but no student must translate for an entire community. Initials or role names suffice for credit; public names, photographs, and uploads are unnecessary.
Assess: Reward the difference between observation and hypothesis, specific authorship, a meaningful comparison, and an accurate historical connection. Do not grade whether the final spread resembles the Florentine page's style.
Schedule and equipment queues
Student manuscript: 60 minutes =5 setup +5 context +12 independent accounts +10 comparison +12 assembly +8 colophon +8 exchange/discussion. Teacher alternative: two 40-minute sessions with additional revision. No drying.
Alternative material plans
Use the accessible alternatives and fallback instructions in the student procedure.
Editorial corrections
Current baseline: Six sheets per group; 36 per class, allocated as three drafts, one comparison and two final-spread sheets.
Earlier allocation: Three sheets per group; 18 per class.
Final-manuscript allocation must support three drafts, comparison and a separate final spread without overwriting drafts.
Current baseline: 20 points across five 4-point criteria; teacher preparation 20–25 minutes.
Earlier allocation: Research rubric weights and preparation duration unspecified.
Current student chapter provides explicit rubric and teacher preparation.
Safety and stop conditions
Read these controls with the teacher before handling materials. Chemical etching is historical context only; the practical intaglio activity uses drypoint without mordants.
Controls
Only safe nonfood ordinary objects; teacher inspects moving parts and removes marketing claims from the prompt.
Initials or group roles suffice for credits; student names/images need not be published.
Language diversity is voluntary and requires a competent reader; no student represents an entire language or community.
Stop when
Sharp, powered or hazardous moving parts, culturally restricted material, or unknown substances: replace the object.
A hypothesis is presented as direct observation: pause and relabel.
A student is pressured to disclose identity or represent a community: stop and offer equivalent fictional/monolingual analysis.
Trained adult only
Object selection/inspection, any optional camera operation and source/name-role verification.
Excluded activities
Sharp/powered mechanisms, plants, medicines, food tasting, unknown substances, required personal disclosures, and claims of reconstructing historical workshop practice.
Cultural and source review
Specific specialist/practitioner review or permission is needed before claiming cultural endorsement or expanding into community-specific or restricted practice. No paid review, purchase, or spending is imposed as a blanket release gate for these explicitly labeled ordinary classroom adaptations. Do not claim any such consultation has occurred.