Constructing explanations is an important scientific practice that brings meaning to all that scientists do. But just because it’s important to scientists doesn’t mean it’s going to be important to students. However, getting students to engage in meaningful conversations to make sense of data by applying science ideas is an essential goal for middle school science (AAAS 2008; NRC 1996). This article describes an instructional framework to assist students in developing scientific explanations. It consists of three components: claim, evidence, and reasoning.