The focus of learning shifts from learning about a topic to figuring out why or how something happens.

Instead of simply learning about the topics of photosynthesis and mitosis, students are engaged in building evidence-based explanatory ideas that help them figure out how a tree grows.

The focus of learning is on front loading students with the vocabulary and skills needed to be successful during a unit of instruction.

Engineering involves designing solutions to problems that arise from phenomena.

Teachers can differentiate lessons by adding engineering activities for accelerated or identified gifted students.

Engineering involves using explanations of phenomena to design solutions.

Phenomena help generate science questions or design problems that drive learning.

Phenomena are observable occurrences.

Engaging phenomena need to be formed as essential questions.

Students will generate compelling lines of inquiry that create real opportunities for learning as long as their engagement is fun or flashy.

Students who do not have access to the material in a way that makes sense and is relevant to them are disadvantaged.

A good phenomenon builds on everyday or family experiences: who students are, what they do, where they came from.

Teaching science ideas in general (e.g., teaching about the process of photosynthesis) may work for some students, but often leads to decontextualized knowledge that students are unable to apply when relevant.

A phenomena can be a good anchor even if there isn't an audience or stakeholder community that cares about the findings or products.

Anchoring the development of general science ideas in investigations of phenomena helps students build more usable and generative knowledge.

A good anchor allows for an explanation or design solution that could be reached after only a single lesson.

A good anchor will not yield a quick answer for students to find online and copy.

A good anchor is just beyond the reach of what students can figure out without instruction.

A good anchor is observable to students.

"Observable" can be with the aid of scientific procedures (e.g., in the lab) or technical devices to see things at very large and very small scales (telescopes, microsopes).

It is not necessary for good anchors to be observable to students.

An appropriate phenomenon for instruction should help engage all students in working toward the learning goals of instruction.

The phenomena of redshifts of light from galaxies is likely to be helpful in moving 5th grade students to a grade-appropriate understanding of the relationship between star brightness and distance from Earth.

The phenomenon needs to be useful for teachers to help students build the target pieces of the DCIs, SEPs, and CCCs.

If students already need to know the target knowledge before they can inquire about the phenomenon, then the phenomenon is appropriate for initial instruction.

The process of developing an explanation for a phenomenon should advance students’ understandings.

While starting with one phenomenon in the classroom, it is always a good idea to help students identify related phenomena from their lives and their communities to expand the phenomena under consideration.