A thought partner, not an answer machine
Most AI tools are transactional: you ask, they hand you a product, and the thinking stops there. The Phenomena Coach is built to be dialogic. It thinks with you, one question at a time, the way a good instructional coach would.
It's a thought partner specially trained in phenomena-based instruction, the NRC Framework's three dimensions, and the sensemaking frameworks from Making Sense of Sensemaking and Ambitious Science Teaching. Use it to brainstorm phenomena for a topic or standard, figure out whether an idea is a hook, a lesson-level phenomenon, or a true anchor, surface locally and culturally relevant versions your students can actually observe, and think through what your students would be figuring out and why it matters.
Prefer something more concrete? Flip it into Suggestions mode and it will offer specific phenomena and instructional moves. Either way, the thinking stays yours.
Getting started (1 minute):
Sign in at claude.ai. A free account works.
Click the button below. The coach opens in a new tab.
Pick your grade band and share what you're working on: a phenomenon you're considering, or just a topic you need to build one around.
Two ways to work with it
Sensemaking mode (the default) is pure thought partnership. The coach asks you one question at a time to help you figure out what job your phenomenon is really doing: is it a hook, an anchor, or a lesson-level phenomenon?
Suggestions mode leans in with ideas: concrete phenomena for your topic, connections to disciplinary core ideas and crosscutting concepts, and instructional next steps. Toggle between modes anytime; the conversation carries over.
Come with something real
The coach works best on your actual planning. Try openers like:
"I'm starting a 5th grade unit on ecosystems and I have a cool demo, but I'm not sure it can carry the whole unit."
"My standard is about forces and motion. What's puzzling enough to anchor six weeks?"
"Is a video of a murmuration a phenomenon or just a hook?"
Keep what you build
When a promising idea takes shape, hit ☆ Save idea. The coach summarizes it into your session library, tagged by grade band and science domain. Copy your library out (text or CSV) before you close the tab; conversations and saved ideas aren't stored between visits.
The fine print
Free to use with any claude.ai account. Your conversation happens directly with Claude on your own account; this site doesn't see or store anything you type. If the coach ever doesn't reply, you're probably signed out. Sign in at claude.ai and try again.
Built on the sensemaking frameworks from Making Sense of Sensemaking (McKenna, 2025, Teachers College Press / NSTA Press).