New CKC Phenomena Videos
Does your New Year’s resolution involve bringing more phenomena-based learning into your classroom? If so, check out the new phenomena videos from the Carolina Knowledge Center! Each clip is under one minute and perfect for sparking curiosity.
Phenomena are simply “observable, naturally occurring events that are everywhere.” These short clips give students something concrete to wonder about and serve as excellent launchpads for NGSS-aligned, three-dimensional learning.
🧑🏽🏫 Teacher Tips
• Use them as quick warm-ups or transitions. Play a video when you have an unexpected 5–10 minutes. Students can jump right into noticing and wondering without any prep.
• Align videos with your current unit. Pick a phenomenon connected to the ideas you're teaching—motion, weather, matter, ecosystems, light, etc.
• Let student questions drive the learning. After watching, ask: “What did you notice? What do you wonder?” Chart student ideas, then revisit and build on them throughout the lesson or unit.
• Turn the video into a hands-on moment. Whenever possible, bring the phenomenon to life—condensation on a cup, shadows outdoors, simple reactions, sound vibrations, etc.
• Use phenomena to develop scientific practices. Have students sketch observations, create simple models, make predictions, or compare multiple examples of similar phenomena.
• Encourage cross-curricular connections. Phenomena naturally tie into math (measurement, graphing), writing (explanations, claims-evidence-reasoning), and engineering (designing solutions).
• Invite students to find their own phenomena. Have students bring in observations from home, recess, or the outdoors—clouds, melting ice, plant growth—to connect science to everyday life.
• Use them for formative assessment. Quick clips make excellent prompts to reveal what students already know and how their explanations deepen over time.
What ideas do you have around phenomena-based learning? I’d love to hear how others are incorporating real-world phenomena in their classrooms!