#1 Explore Anchoring Phenomenon

What do we notice?

• Every instructional unit should start with some puzzling phenomenon that students experience. In this section, students explore that phenomenon in some way. Phenomena (e.g., a sunburn, vision loss) are specific examples of something in the world that is happening—an event or a specific example of a general process. Phenomena are NOT the explanations or scientific terminology behind what is happening. They are what can be experienced or documented.

• The question the class is working on is What do we notice?  The purpose of this section is for students to recognize the interesting events going on.  (For example, students might make observations, look for patterns, or create a timeline of events that occured)

• Students should be able to make sense of anchoring or investigative phenomenon, but not immediately, and not without investigating it using sequences of the science and engineering practices. With instruction and guidance, students should be able to figure out, step by step, how and why the phenomenon works.

• If students already need to know the target knowledge before they can inquire about the phenomenon, then the phenomenon is not appropriate for initial instruction (although it might be useful for assessment). 

• The focus is not just on the phenomenon itself. It is the phenomenon plus the student generated questions about the phenomenon that guides the learning and teaching. The practice of asking questions or identifying problems becomes a critical part of trying to figure something out. 

• There could potentially be many different lines of inquiry about the same phenomenon. Students also might ask questions about a phenomenon that motivates a line of investigation that isn’t grade appropriate, or might not be effective at using or building important disciplinary ideas. Teacher guidance may be needed to help students reformulate questions.

• An effective phenomenon does not always have to be flashy or unexpected. Students might not be intrigued by an everyday phenomenon right away because they believe they already know how or why it happens. It takes careful teacher facilitation to help students become dissatisfied with what they can explain, helping them discover that they really can’t explain it beyond a simple statement.