This article discusses strategies for teachers to find and use local phenomena in designed science units. The Next Generation Science Standards promote grounding learning in observable phenomena that students investigate using science practices. However, phenomena in designed curricula may not necessarily connect to students’ lived experiences. The article outlines an approach called phenomena adaptation—adding or swapping in phenomena proximal to students’ worlds. First, teachers deeply explore their lens of place to generate related phenomena. Second, a preassessment elicits students’ experiences of local, meaningful places, which are refined into observable phenomena. Third, teachers build a library of potential phenomena using a Related Phenomenon Chart to continually gather students’ related observations. Equipped with this collection, teachers select phenomena that can be productively explained by the science ideas in the designed curriculum materials. Adaptations involve adding phenomena through discussions or transfer tasks, or swapping designed phenomena to situate learning in place. Phenomena adaptation leverages high-quality designed materials while providing culturally sustaining opportunities for students to engage in meaningful scientific investigations connected to their lives and communities.

The presented unit explores the often-overlooked potential of integrating science, social studies, math, and ELA through the lens of a kindergarten unit centered around the creation of a dog park. Emphasizing collaborative decision-making and communication, the unit aligns with NGSS, C3 Framework, and common core standards, fostering 21st-century competencies and social-emotional learning. The four-week curriculum engages students in exploration, including map analysis, material assessment for dog park surfaces, and the construction of shade structures. Notably, the absence of predetermined “right answers” prioritizes skill development over final outcomes, fostering critical thinking and argumentation among students. Field tests revealed heightened student engagement, creativity, and extended learning beyond the classroom, indicating positive behavioral impacts and heightened parental involvement. Incorporating three-dimensional learning, the unit facilitates sensemaking of scientific concepts while nurturing interdisciplinary connections. This integration model, accessible via a public Google folder, exemplifies the potential of cross-disciplinary teaching, nurturing a deeper understanding of real-world applications and community engagement among young learners.

The emperor penguin is one of the most identifiable animals on earth. Its survival depends on a variety of factors, such as temperature and other environmental elements. In order to engage fifth-grade students in exploring the captivating phenomenon of penguin survival in extreme weather conditions, we designed a Model-Based Inquiry (MBI) unit. Students were given the opportunity to learn more about the structural and behavioral adaptations that allow some organisms to survive better than others in their environment. Students were prompted to look for connections between the data that they collected (the structural and behavioral adaptations of the species) and their data to explain what function the adaptations provided to give the species the best chance to survive. Through thoughtful observation and analysis, the students were able to communicate their findings with confidence. Armed with their collected evidence on the species' structural and behavioral adaptations, they constructed compelling arguments that illuminated the pivotal role these adaptations play in the emperor penguin's ability to survive and flourish within its environment.

Since the release of the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS), students are expected to learn science according to the three-dimensions (DCI, SEP, CCC). In order for teachers to support the three-dimensional learning of their students, they need high-quality professional learning (PL). This article outlines a PL approach that focuses on Ambitious Science Teaching (Windschitl, M. Thompson, J., & Braaten, M., 2018) as an approach to support teacher and student three-dimensional science learning. The PL model includes 4 PL sessions followed by 3 action periods to “try-on” strategies in their classrooms. During these PL sessions teachers experienced ambitious strategies as learners, connected theory to practice, collaborated meaningfully with colleagues, and reflected deeply on their implementation of strategies. The sessions led to a change in teacher practice that was evident through the artifacts they collected during the “try-on” periods. Teachers also made cross-curricular connections with many of the introduced strategies. This article provides a detailed overview of these PL sessions and concludes with suggestions for supporting teachers in implementing ambitious science teaching strategies.

Second graders used their own school-ground explorations, using journals and iPads for pictures and narrated videos, to create traditional, two-dimensional models of their school-grounds and all its natural and human-made features. These data collection techniques were built-upon by a classroom guest who brought his drone for demonstration and to provide additional picture and video footage for the students. Although location, orientation, and spacing initially posed major challenges, students soon became excellent cartographers with outstanding maps (models) to share. After analyzing a host of two-dimensional maps, they extended their map-making skills into the creation of three-dimensional maps using homemade modeling dough, paint, and other materials. Throughout the learning process, students continually practiced the skill of observing data (their school-grounds), and representing it with continually improved-upon models (maps). Throughout, the CCC of patterns was interwoven, with the teachers ultimately extending it to analyzing state road maps, for patterns, in the end. As a result of this learning sequence of creating 2D and 3D maps, the teachers agreed that the students truly experienced a three-dimensional learning experience.

The Poetry of Science

Q: How can I address science misconceptions using phenomena-driven instruction?

Integrating engineering into the science curriculum in a meaningful way requires planning that utilizes a 3-dimensional approach. Using a “gather, reason, communicate” framework (Moulding, Huff, Van der Veen, 2020) provided me with an effective structure to guide the planning and facilitation of a phenomena-based design lesson. I found that this new g-r-c approach led to high student engagement and a deeper understanding of the crosscutting concepts of patterns and cause and effect in my fourth-grade classroom. It also optimized my integration of engineering design into my Earth science curriculum.

In this article, we describe how we use classroom phenomena to help fifth grade students develop testable questions and productive investigations. Engaging students in observing and seeking to explain a classroom decomposition chamber has helped them to engage more successfully in the science and engineering practices (SEPs) of asking questions, planning and carrying out investigations, and constructing explanations. We highlight the following important components that teachers can incorporate in their practice: (1) the use of a classroom phenomenon that represents a more complex outdoor process and provides students extended, shared experience; (2) question development as a collaborative and iterative process that teachers and students engage in together; (3) considering how questions will support progress on disciplinary core ideas.

For preservice K–5 teachers, understanding how to implement phenomenon-based learning in an elementary classroom is an important skill, particularly as it relates to integrating the Next Generation Science Standards. This article presents one way to structure a class within a science methods course that introduces students to phenomena as an effective anchor for the lesson sequence. Starting with a photo warm-up to incite interest in phenomena builds curiosity and overall engagement amongst the preservice teachers. The instructor then models effective practices by narrating an example, leading students in a pond water experience, and providing time for the class to peruse exemplary Science and Teacher articles. Finally, the preservice teachers go on “phenomena walk” to search for local phenomena, taking photos of both natural and humanmade objects around their college campus. These photos become a launching point for the class as they practice designing their own phenomenon-based mini-units. This approach provides one model of how to teach teachers about phenomenon-based learning, and future conversations about pedagogy in science methods courses are recommended.