Phenomena + Reading Passages: How to Launch an NGSS-Style Unit Without Rewriting Everything
- olivershearman
- 5 days ago
- 7 min read
If you’ve ever tried to “go full NGSS,” you know the feeling: you get excited about anchoring phenomena, driving questions, sensemaking, storylines… and then you hit the wall.
Because the real challenge isn’t understanding the idea. The real challenge is building the materials.
You can’t rewrite every unit from scratch. You can’t create brand-new readings, brand-new investigations, brand-new formative checks, brand-new scaffolds… while also teaching five classes, answering emails, and hunting down missing goggles.
So here’s the practical shortcut (the good kind):
Use a strong phenomenon to launch the unit. Then use high-interest reading passages with questions as your “investigative phenomena” and knowledge-builders to keep the storyline moving. That’s fully aligned with how NGSS units are often designed: an anchoring phenomenon for the unit, supported by smaller investigative phenomena along the way. (nextgenscience.org)
This post is a playbook for doing exactly that—without rewriting everything.
And if you want ready-to-use science texts and unit-friendly supports as you read, you can browse the resource library here: The Teaching Astrophysicist store.
What “NGSS-style” actually means in day-to-day classroom terms
You don’t need a perfect “NGSS unit” to teach in an NGSS-style way.
In real classroom practice, NGSS-style unit design usually looks like this:
Start with an anchoring phenomenon that students want to explain. (nextgenscience.org)
Build a Driving Question Board (DQB) where student questions become the map for the unit. (nsta.org)
Run a sequence of learning experiences (labs, modelling, data, texts) that help students figure it out step-by-step. (nextgenscience.org)
Revisit the phenomenon and DQB repeatedly so the unit stays coherent. (OpenSciEd)
If you’ve tried to do this and it felt chaotic, it’s usually because one piece was missing:
A reliable way to build background knowledge and vocabulary without losing the storyline.
That’s where reading passages come in.
Why reading passages are the easiest “NGSS upgrade” you can make
Many teachers hear “phenomena-based learning” and think it must mean hands-on labs every day. But NGSS-aligned learning experiences can include lots of modalities - including scientific texts - as long as students are using them to make sense of the phenomenon.
Reading passages with questions work especially well because they:
build domain vocabulary in context
provide explanations and evidence students can reference
support argumentation (CER writing, evidence use, critique)
can act as “investigative phenomena” that move students closer to explaining the anchor (nextgenscience.org)
are quick to differentiate when you have two-level (dual) passages for different readiness levels
If you want a massive bank of ready-to-use passages so you can match texts to almost any unit, this is the biggest “plug and play” option:
The “no-rewrite” framework: how to launch a unit in 5 steps
Here’s a structure you can reuse for almost any topic in Grades 6-10.
Step 1: Introduce the anchoring phenomenon (Day 1)
Pick something students can observe or experience (video clip, demo, photo set, short story). Keep it simple and puzzling.
Examples:
Why do some satellites fail unexpectedly in orbit?
Why does a drink taste different after brushing your teeth?
Why does a tanker car sometimes implode when steam condenses inside?
Why do some materials “remember” their shape after bending?
Teacher move: Don’t explain it yet. Ask students to notice and wonder.
Step 2: Build a Driving Question Board (Day 1–2)
A DQB is a living display of student questions, organized into themes that align to your learning goals. (nsta.org)
Quick method (10 minutes):
Students generate questions in pairs.
Collect and group into 3–5 categories.
Circle “must-answer” questions.
OpenSciEd describes the DQB as a central tool to generate, track, and revisit questions that drive the investigation of the anchoring phenomenon. (OpenSciEd)
Step 3: Run the first “investigative phenomenon” via a reading passage (Day 2–3)
This is where you avoid rewriting everything.
Choose a reading passage that:
builds the key science ideas students need next
includes comprehension questions that nudge them toward explanation
gives you vocabulary to teach explicitly
In NGSS terms, this is one of your “investigative phenomena” that supports the unit storyline. (nextgenscience.org)
Step 4: Add one hands-on or data-based task (Day 3–5)
Now students test, model, or analyze something connected to what they read:
mini-lab
simulation
graph/data interpretation
CER write-up
model revision
Step 5: Revisit the DQB and phenomenon (end of Week 1 and weekly after)
This is the glue. Students cross off answered questions and update their explanation.
That loop—phenomenon → questions → reading/data/lab → revised model—is NGSS-style teaching in real classrooms.
Differentiation without chaos: two-level reading passages
If your class includes a wide range of readers (and it does), dual passages are one of the easiest ways to keep everyone moving through the same storyline.
How to use dual passages:
Choice: students select the level that fits them
Scaffold: everyone reads the accessible version first; extension students add the advanced version
Split groups: targeted supports without changing the core learning goal
For example, this two-level physics set explicitly highlights how the leveled format supports understanding at different depths:
And you can browse more leveled sets here:
Three ready-to-use NGSS-style unit launches using phenomena + passages
Below are examples you can copy and adapt.
Example 1: Space science phenomenon unit (Space junk + orbit risk)
Anchoring phenomenon: “Why is Earth’s orbit getting more dangerous over time?”
Day 1
Show a short clip or image sequence of satellite launches + debris fields.
Students notice/wonder.
Build DQB categories: “Where does debris come from?”, “Why can’t we just clean it?”, “What happens if collisions increase?”
Day 2
Reading passage as investigative phenomenon:
Students highlight: one claim, one piece of evidence, one term they must define.
Day 3
Data task: give students a simple debris-growth graph. Ask:
“What trend do you see?”
“What claim can you justify?”
“What might happen next?”
Day 4
Model revision: students update a diagram explaining why collisions can increase risk.
Optional Week 2 extension (argumentation):
Run a short structured debate: “Should governments fund debris cleanup, limit launches, or accept the risk?”
If you want a fully structured debate format with roles and evidence cards (ready-to-go), debate sets follow that model:
Example 2: Chemistry phenomenon unit (Sustainable chemistry)
Anchoring phenomenon: “Why do some materials create long-term pollution, and what can chemistry realistically do about it?”
Day 1
Show two images: a “compostable” product and plastic waste in waterways.
Students generate questions: “What makes a material break down?”, “Is biodegradable always better?”, “What trade-offs exist?”
Day 2
Investigative phenomenon reading:
Day 3
CER writing: “What is one realistic strategy for more sustainable chemistry, and what evidence supports it?”
Day 4
Add a reaction lens:
Students connect to reaction types, energy changes, catalysts, and life-cycle thinking.
Optional deeper dive (no extra planning):
Turn the reading into a structured mini-inquiry using paired templates:
That page includes topics like noble gases, alkali metals, precipitation, atomic models, and more, which makes it easy to extend the storyline into research without creating a brand-new project.
Example 3: Biology phenomenon unit (Enzymes as “protein machines”)
Anchoring phenomenon: “Why do chemical reactions happen quickly in living things at body temperature?”
Day 1
Quick demo or story: digestion, fermentation, or a simple enzyme example (even just a video).
Students ask: “Why does it happen faster in the body?”, “What controls the rate?”, “What stops it?”
Day 2
Investigative phenomenon reading (two-level support built in):
Day 3
Data task: enzyme activity vs temperature / pH graph interpretation
Students write: “What conditions are best, and why?”
Day 4
Model revision: lock-and-key / induced-fit model, with a short explanation.
Optional structured inquiry extension:
Use a research template so students synthesize vocabulary, evidence, and real-world connections:
The secret weapon: a “phenomena week” menu you can reuse across units
If you want to make this system stick (without burning out), build a repeatable weekly structure:
Phenomena Week Template
Day 1: phenomenon + DQB + initial model
Day 2: reading passage + vocabulary + 2 key questions
Day 3: data/lab task
Day 4: CER paragraph
Day 5: revision + reflection + add/remove DQB questions
This is also where a broad passage library saves enormous time, because you can grab a perfectly relevant text at the right moment:
Or the everything-in-one option: Ultimate 209 Science Reading Passages & Questions
If you want to “NGSS-ify” without extra stress, use the DQB as your spine
A DQB keeps the unit coherent, makes student thinking visible, and gives you an easy formative check: Which questions are still unanswered?
NSTA describes the Driving Question Board as a tool to organize and focus student questions and link them to learning goals. (nsta.org)
OpenSciEd emphasizes revisiting the DQB throughout the unit as a central support for the instructional model. (OpenSciEd)
So even if you only adopt one “NGSS move,” adopt this one. It makes everything else easier to manage.
Try it for free before you commit to anything
If you want to test-drive the approach, there are free resources you can use to run the routine tomorrow:
Final thought: you don’t need to rewrite the unit - you need a storyline you can reuse
Phenomena-based teaching is powerful because it makes students feel like sensemakers. But it only works in a real teacher’s life when you have repeatable tools.
So the practical strategy is:
Choose a strong phenomenon.
Build a DQB.
Use reading passages as investigative phenomena and knowledge-builders.
Add one data/lab task.
Revisit and revise.
You get an NGSS-style unit launch… without rebuilding your entire curriculum from scratch.
And if you want your future self to thank you, start with a reliable bank of texts you can pull from instantly:
That’s the “no-rewrite” path - practical, coherent, and actually doable.
Thanks for reading
Cheers and stay curious
Oliver - The Teaching Astrophysicist
