Interesting phenomena are key to the OpenSciEd storyline approach. Ultimately, every storyline is a journey to understanding a phenomenon that defies easy explanation. It might be a surprising or puzzling phenomenon, something that violates the rules of the world that students have come to accept, like an object that levitates. It might be a phenomenon that students want to be able to predict and prepare for, like a violent storm. It might be a phenomenon that they want to know how to control, like soil erosion on a farm. Or, it might be an everyday phenomenon that mystifies students when they stop to think about it, like why droplets of water spontaneously appear on the outside of a glass of cold water.

In OpenSciEd units, phenomena are carefully selected to anchor a storyline. These anchoring phenomena are used to draw students into the storyline by drawing them in to the natural challenge of explaining something or solving a problem Other phenomena may be introduced at key points over the course of a storyline to maintain interest or push students to delve more deeply. The OpenSciEd Instructional Model uses an Anchoring Phenomenon Routine at the beginning of every unit to introduce and engage students with the phenomenon.

To find out more about why phenomena is important in NGSS-Designed Lessons and Units, check out this article from NextGenScience.org: