“Three-dimensional learning shifts the focus of the science classroom to environments where students use practices, disciplinary core ideas, and crosscutting concepts to make sense of phenomena or to design solutions to problems.” (From EQUIP) Students will learn that science and engineering are not simply bodies of knowledge, but an integration of the three dimensions to move away from memorization and more into "figuring it out."
"... occurrences in the natural world and human-made world that can be observed and cause one to wonder and ask questions. Phenomena-based instruction is a primary feature of the NGSS classroom.” (ngss.sdcoe.net)