To effectively integrate phenomena into your teaching practice, you need to know where to find them. In this post, we\u2019ll explore seven valuable resources for identifying phenomena that can enhance classroom learning!<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS)<\/a><\/h2>\n\n\n\nThe NGSS uses a three-dimensional approach<\/a> to science instruction to emphasize the use of phenomena to drive learning and encourage the incorporation of real-world events into the curriculum. The NGSS website offers various resources, including links to all standards and performance expectations and lessons that meet the NGSS requirements. The lessons in the library focus on storylines that take students on a journey through a topic to explore broader phenomena, and then highlight specific phenomena that connect back to the topic throughout the unit. The site also offers a helpful screening tool<\/a> you can use to determine if your lesson designs cover all three dimensions!<\/p>\n\n\n\nNASA for Educators: STEM Engagement (Reviewed Here)<\/a><\/h2>\n\n\n\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/teachersfirst.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/2024_NOV_21ran22_Phenomena__Boletta-200x300.png\")
<\/a><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\nNASA\u2019s website has always been a treasure trove of resources for educators! They\u2019ve updated the site to align with NGSS and have put their own spin on it with Next Gen STEM for Educators<\/a>. The phenomena presented in the lessons and activities have a direct relationship to the work that NASA scientists do to update and advance Earth and space concepts\u2014a great way to show not only the why of learning, but how it impacts our world!<\/p>\n\n\n\nBe sure to click Learning Resources in the navigation bar to explore several options for educators and students, broken down by grade band and subject area. Real-time data and imagery provide current phenomena for students to observe accompanied by interactive lessons, videos, and games to engage them in deeper learning. For example, A Puzzling Look at the Great Lakes<\/a> uses satellite imagery provided by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) to allow students to observe the phenomenon of how these bodies of water change over time. The accompanying lesson includes an interactive puzzle for students to assemble and several games and activities that provide missions for students to solve. When students can engage as scientists, learning truly comes to life!<\/p>\n\n\n\nPhET Interactive Simulations (Reviewed Here)<\/a><\/h2>\n\n\n\nWhen phenomena represent more abstract or difficult-to-describe concepts, educators can turn to simulations. PhET offers free interactive math and science simulations that illustrate a variety of phenomena, filterable by subject and grade level. You and your students can manipulate the simulations in real time to see cause-and-effect relationships and make the abstract information easier to understand.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
These simulations allow students to view phenomena that are less obvious in the real world or that occur at a molecular level. For example, science students can manipulate the concentration of biomolecules<\/a> to see how it impacts protein production for gene expression, and math students can explore leveling and balance<\/a> to understand how the mean is calculated. If you have a topic that seems hard for students to grasp, check out PhET\u2014it might just make the idea stick!<\/p>\n\n\n\nNational Geographic Education (Reviewed Here)<\/a><\/h2>\n\n\n\nIf you\u2019re looking for current events and global phenomena, look no further than National Geographic Education! Educators and students can dive into natural phenomena using the Explorer Mindset<\/a>, the framework that National Geographic uses to explore the wonder of the natural world. The website presents phenomena in a variety of ways, including articles, videos, and links to data repositories. The interactive lesson plans combine hands-on and digital resources for a variety of grade bands. Educators can also introduce their students to Explorer Classroom<\/a>, which features live events with science or social studies experts currently engaging in real-world research. There is also a storytelling series with other field experts meant to showcase future careers for students. The connections National Geographic makes between the phenomena in the classroom and the real world are sure to lead to deeper learning.<\/p>\n\n\n\nTED-ED (Reviewed Here)<\/a><\/h2>\n\n\n\nTED-Ed is a great resource that supports the discovery and investigation of phenomena across content areas like science, math, history, and art. The website is easy to navigate and offers lessons that include animations and storytelling elements that capture students\u2019 attention and help them understand complex topics. TED-Ed divides each lesson into four main parts: Watch, Think, Dig Deeper, and Discuss. These sections help educators explore the phenomenon at a deeper level and give learners opportunities to discuss and collaborate. You can customize each lesson and adapt it to your needs by adding questions, discussions, and additional resources.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Project-Based Learning (PBL) Resources (Reviewed Here)<\/a><\/h2>\n\n\n\nThere\u2019s no better way to explore a phenomenon than to integrate it into a project-based learning unit! These resources from the Buck Institute for Education offer a framework and project examples across subject areas. Click Projects<\/strong> in the menu bar to sort by subject and grade band. Typically, these lessons start with a question that sparks innovation and engagement as students work to design a project that helps answer the question.<\/p>\n\n\n\nThe projects integrate relevant topics that are sure to spark interest for all grade bands. For example, one of the fine arts lessons<\/a> challenges students to create eye-catching graphic designs to generate excitement for an event, while a career\/technical education<\/a> lesson urges students to use knowledge of the human body to provide high-quality, person-centered care. These lessons allow for thoughtful connections between both natural and real-world experiences.<\/p>\n\n\n\nFun Science Demos (Reviewed Here)<\/a><\/h2>\n\n\n\nIf you are looking for a way to provide demonstrations and lab activities so that students observe the phenomenon right in front of them, look no further! FunScienceDemos is a series of videos you can use to represent or introduce a phenomenon or to spark an idea for a lab or demonstration in the classroom. The videos are easy to explore, relevant to any grade level, and aligned with NGSS. FunScienceDemos also provides links to additional resources like writing prompts, free online textbooks, and activities related to the phenomena covered in the videos.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Twig Science Reporter (Reviewed Here)<\/a><\/h2>\n\n\n\nThis weekly video newsletter describes science concepts as they relate to timely news events, showing students how phenomena affect our world while bringing current events into the classroom. Whether it\u2019s the science of the Olympics or extreme weather conditions, episode of Twig Reporter connects to the standards for K\u20138 students and includes learning points, curriculum keywords, and a Kahoot! Quiz that teachers can seamlessly integrate into the classroom.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Phenomenon-based teaching allows us to explore the natural world alongside our students and engage in dynamic and meaningful lessons! . There are so many resources to explore and that support the integration of phenomena into your classroom! Do you have a phenomena-related resource for finding phenomena that you love? Share your ideas in the comments below to support the next generation of scientists!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
In a recent post, we discussed how phenomena can transform teaching and learning by serving as a catalyst that sparks curiosity and student engagement. This idea translates across all grade levels and subjects because it presents students with real-world situations and questions that ignite imaginations and inspire inquiry-based learning. To effectively integrate phenomena into your … read more »<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":14,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"","_lmt_disable":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[27],"tags":[50,332,331,13],"class_list":["post-10641","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-classroom-application","tag-instructional-strategies","tag-ngss","tag-phenomena","tag-science"],"modified_by":null,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/teachersfirst.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10641","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/teachersfirst.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/teachersfirst.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/teachersfirst.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/14"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/teachersfirst.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=10641"}],"version-history":[{"count":26,"href":"https:\/\/teachersfirst.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10641\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":10833,"href":"https:\/\/teachersfirst.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10641\/revisions\/10833"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/teachersfirst.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=10641"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/teachersfirst.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=10641"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/teachersfirst.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=10641"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
NASA for Educators: STEM Engagement (Reviewed Here)<\/a><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<\/a><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\nNASA\u2019s website has always been a treasure trove of resources for educators! They\u2019ve updated the site to align with NGSS and have put their own spin on it with Next Gen STEM for Educators<\/a>. The phenomena presented in the lessons and activities have a direct relationship to the work that NASA scientists do to update and advance Earth and space concepts\u2014a great way to show not only the why of learning, but how it impacts our world!<\/p>\n\n\n\nBe sure to click Learning Resources in the navigation bar to explore several options for educators and students, broken down by grade band and subject area. Real-time data and imagery provide current phenomena for students to observe accompanied by interactive lessons, videos, and games to engage them in deeper learning. For example, A Puzzling Look at the Great Lakes<\/a> uses satellite imagery provided by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) to allow students to observe the phenomenon of how these bodies of water change over time. The accompanying lesson includes an interactive puzzle for students to assemble and several games and activities that provide missions for students to solve. When students can engage as scientists, learning truly comes to life!<\/p>\n\n\n\nPhET Interactive Simulations (Reviewed Here)<\/a><\/h2>\n\n\n\nWhen phenomena represent more abstract or difficult-to-describe concepts, educators can turn to simulations. PhET offers free interactive math and science simulations that illustrate a variety of phenomena, filterable by subject and grade level. You and your students can manipulate the simulations in real time to see cause-and-effect relationships and make the abstract information easier to understand.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
These simulations allow students to view phenomena that are less obvious in the real world or that occur at a molecular level. For example, science students can manipulate the concentration of biomolecules<\/a> to see how it impacts protein production for gene expression, and math students can explore leveling and balance<\/a> to understand how the mean is calculated. If you have a topic that seems hard for students to grasp, check out PhET\u2014it might just make the idea stick!<\/p>\n\n\n\nNational Geographic Education (Reviewed Here)<\/a><\/h2>\n\n\n\nIf you\u2019re looking for current events and global phenomena, look no further than National Geographic Education! Educators and students can dive into natural phenomena using the Explorer Mindset<\/a>, the framework that National Geographic uses to explore the wonder of the natural world. The website presents phenomena in a variety of ways, including articles, videos, and links to data repositories. The interactive lesson plans combine hands-on and digital resources for a variety of grade bands. Educators can also introduce their students to Explorer Classroom<\/a>, which features live events with science or social studies experts currently engaging in real-world research. There is also a storytelling series with other field experts meant to showcase future careers for students. The connections National Geographic makes between the phenomena in the classroom and the real world are sure to lead to deeper learning.<\/p>\n\n\n\nTED-ED (Reviewed Here)<\/a><\/h2>\n\n\n\nTED-Ed is a great resource that supports the discovery and investigation of phenomena across content areas like science, math, history, and art. The website is easy to navigate and offers lessons that include animations and storytelling elements that capture students\u2019 attention and help them understand complex topics. TED-Ed divides each lesson into four main parts: Watch, Think, Dig Deeper, and Discuss. These sections help educators explore the phenomenon at a deeper level and give learners opportunities to discuss and collaborate. You can customize each lesson and adapt it to your needs by adding questions, discussions, and additional resources.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Project-Based Learning (PBL) Resources (Reviewed Here)<\/a><\/h2>\n\n\n\nThere\u2019s no better way to explore a phenomenon than to integrate it into a project-based learning unit! These resources from the Buck Institute for Education offer a framework and project examples across subject areas. Click Projects<\/strong> in the menu bar to sort by subject and grade band. Typically, these lessons start with a question that sparks innovation and engagement as students work to design a project that helps answer the question.<\/p>\n\n\n\nThe projects integrate relevant topics that are sure to spark interest for all grade bands. For example, one of the fine arts lessons<\/a> challenges students to create eye-catching graphic designs to generate excitement for an event, while a career\/technical education<\/a> lesson urges students to use knowledge of the human body to provide high-quality, person-centered care. These lessons allow for thoughtful connections between both natural and real-world experiences.<\/p>\n\n\n\nFun Science Demos (Reviewed Here)<\/a><\/h2>\n\n\n\nIf you are looking for a way to provide demonstrations and lab activities so that students observe the phenomenon right in front of them, look no further! FunScienceDemos is a series of videos you can use to represent or introduce a phenomenon or to spark an idea for a lab or demonstration in the classroom. The videos are easy to explore, relevant to any grade level, and aligned with NGSS. FunScienceDemos also provides links to additional resources like writing prompts, free online textbooks, and activities related to the phenomena covered in the videos.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Twig Science Reporter (Reviewed Here)<\/a><\/h2>\n\n\n\nThis weekly video newsletter describes science concepts as they relate to timely news events, showing students how phenomena affect our world while bringing current events into the classroom. Whether it\u2019s the science of the Olympics or extreme weather conditions, episode of Twig Reporter connects to the standards for K\u20138 students and includes learning points, curriculum keywords, and a Kahoot! Quiz that teachers can seamlessly integrate into the classroom.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Phenomenon-based teaching allows us to explore the natural world alongside our students and engage in dynamic and meaningful lessons! . There are so many resources to explore and that support the integration of phenomena into your classroom! Do you have a phenomena-related resource for finding phenomena that you love? Share your ideas in the comments below to support the next generation of scientists!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
In a recent post, we discussed how phenomena can transform teaching and learning by serving as a catalyst that sparks curiosity and student engagement. This idea translates across all grade levels and subjects because it presents students with real-world situations and questions that ignite imaginations and inspire inquiry-based learning. To effectively integrate phenomena into your … read more »<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":14,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"","_lmt_disable":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[27],"tags":[50,332,331,13],"class_list":["post-10641","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-classroom-application","tag-instructional-strategies","tag-ngss","tag-phenomena","tag-science"],"modified_by":null,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/teachersfirst.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10641","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/teachersfirst.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/teachersfirst.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/teachersfirst.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/14"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/teachersfirst.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=10641"}],"version-history":[{"count":26,"href":"https:\/\/teachersfirst.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10641\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":10833,"href":"https:\/\/teachersfirst.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10641\/revisions\/10833"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/teachersfirst.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=10641"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/teachersfirst.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=10641"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/teachersfirst.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=10641"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
<\/a><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\nNASA\u2019s website has always been a treasure trove of resources for educators! They\u2019ve updated the site to align with NGSS and have put their own spin on it with Next Gen STEM for Educators<\/a>. The phenomena presented in the lessons and activities have a direct relationship to the work that NASA scientists do to update and advance Earth and space concepts\u2014a great way to show not only the why of learning, but how it impacts our world!<\/p>\n\n\n\n Be sure to click Learning Resources in the navigation bar to explore several options for educators and students, broken down by grade band and subject area. Real-time data and imagery provide current phenomena for students to observe accompanied by interactive lessons, videos, and games to engage them in deeper learning. For example, A Puzzling Look at the Great Lakes<\/a> uses satellite imagery provided by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) to allow students to observe the phenomenon of how these bodies of water change over time. The accompanying lesson includes an interactive puzzle for students to assemble and several games and activities that provide missions for students to solve. When students can engage as scientists, learning truly comes to life!<\/p>\n\n\n\n When phenomena represent more abstract or difficult-to-describe concepts, educators can turn to simulations. PhET offers free interactive math and science simulations that illustrate a variety of phenomena, filterable by subject and grade level. You and your students can manipulate the simulations in real time to see cause-and-effect relationships and make the abstract information easier to understand.<\/p>\n\n\n\n These simulations allow students to view phenomena that are less obvious in the real world or that occur at a molecular level. For example, science students can manipulate the concentration of biomolecules<\/a> to see how it impacts protein production for gene expression, and math students can explore leveling and balance<\/a> to understand how the mean is calculated. If you have a topic that seems hard for students to grasp, check out PhET\u2014it might just make the idea stick!<\/p>\n\n\n\n If you\u2019re looking for current events and global phenomena, look no further than National Geographic Education! Educators and students can dive into natural phenomena using the Explorer Mindset<\/a>, the framework that National Geographic uses to explore the wonder of the natural world. The website presents phenomena in a variety of ways, including articles, videos, and links to data repositories. The interactive lesson plans combine hands-on and digital resources for a variety of grade bands. Educators can also introduce their students to Explorer Classroom<\/a>, which features live events with science or social studies experts currently engaging in real-world research. There is also a storytelling series with other field experts meant to showcase future careers for students. The connections National Geographic makes between the phenomena in the classroom and the real world are sure to lead to deeper learning.<\/p>\n\n\n\n TED-Ed is a great resource that supports the discovery and investigation of phenomena across content areas like science, math, history, and art. The website is easy to navigate and offers lessons that include animations and storytelling elements that capture students\u2019 attention and help them understand complex topics. TED-Ed divides each lesson into four main parts: Watch, Think, Dig Deeper, and Discuss. These sections help educators explore the phenomenon at a deeper level and give learners opportunities to discuss and collaborate. You can customize each lesson and adapt it to your needs by adding questions, discussions, and additional resources.<\/p>\n\n\n\n There\u2019s no better way to explore a phenomenon than to integrate it into a project-based learning unit! These resources from the Buck Institute for Education offer a framework and project examples across subject areas. Click Projects<\/strong> in the menu bar to sort by subject and grade band. Typically, these lessons start with a question that sparks innovation and engagement as students work to design a project that helps answer the question.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The projects integrate relevant topics that are sure to spark interest for all grade bands. For example, one of the fine arts lessons<\/a> challenges students to create eye-catching graphic designs to generate excitement for an event, while a career\/technical education<\/a> lesson urges students to use knowledge of the human body to provide high-quality, person-centered care. These lessons allow for thoughtful connections between both natural and real-world experiences.<\/p>\n\n\n\n If you are looking for a way to provide demonstrations and lab activities so that students observe the phenomenon right in front of them, look no further! FunScienceDemos is a series of videos you can use to represent or introduce a phenomenon or to spark an idea for a lab or demonstration in the classroom. The videos are easy to explore, relevant to any grade level, and aligned with NGSS. FunScienceDemos also provides links to additional resources like writing prompts, free online textbooks, and activities related to the phenomena covered in the videos.<\/p>\n\n\n\n This weekly video newsletter describes science concepts as they relate to timely news events, showing students how phenomena affect our world while bringing current events into the classroom. Whether it\u2019s the science of the Olympics or extreme weather conditions, episode of Twig Reporter connects to the standards for K\u20138 students and includes learning points, curriculum keywords, and a Kahoot! Quiz that teachers can seamlessly integrate into the classroom.<\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/p>\n\n\n\n Phenomenon-based teaching allows us to explore the natural world alongside our students and engage in dynamic and meaningful lessons! . There are so many resources to explore and that support the integration of phenomena into your classroom! Do you have a phenomena-related resource for finding phenomena that you love? Share your ideas in the comments below to support the next generation of scientists!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" In a recent post, we discussed how phenomena can transform teaching and learning by serving as a catalyst that sparks curiosity and student engagement. This idea translates across all grade levels and subjects because it presents students with real-world situations and questions that ignite imaginations and inspire inquiry-based learning. To effectively integrate phenomena into your … read more »<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":14,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"","_lmt_disable":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[27],"tags":[50,332,331,13],"class_list":["post-10641","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-classroom-application","tag-instructional-strategies","tag-ngss","tag-phenomena","tag-science"],"modified_by":null,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/teachersfirst.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10641","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/teachersfirst.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/teachersfirst.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/teachersfirst.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/14"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/teachersfirst.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=10641"}],"version-history":[{"count":26,"href":"https:\/\/teachersfirst.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10641\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":10833,"href":"https:\/\/teachersfirst.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10641\/revisions\/10833"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/teachersfirst.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=10641"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/teachersfirst.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=10641"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/teachersfirst.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=10641"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}PhET Interactive Simulations (Reviewed Here)<\/a><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
National Geographic Education (Reviewed Here)<\/a><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
TED-ED (Reviewed Here)<\/a><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Project-Based Learning (PBL) Resources (Reviewed Here)<\/a><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Fun Science Demos (Reviewed Here)<\/a><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Twig Science Reporter (Reviewed Here)<\/a><\/h2>\n\n\n\n