LibGuides: Science Resources: Phenomena Based Instruction

What is Phenomena Based Instruction?

A phenomenon is simply an observable event. In the science classroom a carefully chosen phenomenon can drive student inquiry. Phenomena add relevance to the science classroom showing students science in their own world. A good phenomenon is observable, interesting, complex, and aligned to the appropriate standard.

Instructor Recommended Resource

Ambitious Science Teaching
Drawing on the emerging research on core teaching practices and their extensive work with preservice and in-service teachers, Ambitious Science Teaching presents a coherent and aligned set of resources for educators striving to meet the considerable challenges that have been set for them.

Phenomena Based Instruction Resources

Environmental Injustice in Chicago
This articles illustrates a Social Justice infused approach to Phenomena Based Instruction. It is an interdisciplinary journey through the history and science behind environmental injustice and racism in Chicago.
NGSS: Phenomena
This collection of resources from NGSS were developed for educators, and describes how phenomena can be used in NGSS classrooms to drive teaching and learning.
Teaching with Phenomena
Incorporating phenomena in your instruction can be daunting at first - that is why this site exists! This page is an ever-expanding source of phenomena-based materials for you to use with your students. While these materials range in topic, we hope that sharing these will help educators nationally who are working hard to create equitable opportunities for ALL students in science.
Phenomena Classroom Resources
BioInteractive resources reflect current knowledge of how students learn and use evidence-based strategies for supporting equitable access to science. It offers story-driven videos featuring real scientists doing real research, and interactive media and activities using data from peer-reviewed sources.
Wonderopolis
Wonderopolis was created by the National Center for Families Learning (NCFL) in 2010, and it has become one of the most popular education sites today. It is a place where natural curiosity and imagination lead to exploration and discovery in learners of all ages. Each day, they pose an intriguing question—the Wonder of the Day—and explore it in a variety of ways.
Phenomena Ideas
The most challenging part of designing a model-based inquiry unit is finding a productive phenomena to anchor the unit. Here you will find example phenomena successfully used by science teachers in the past. They are organized by disciplinary core idea.