MBI Unit Template

The MBI Unit Development Template provides a structured yet flexible framework that supports educators, from preservice to experienced teachers, in designing or adapting phenomenon-driven inquiry units. It guides decisions about selecting anchoring phenomena, eliciting and tracking student ideas, structuring investigations, and supporting model development, with embedded prompts and links to detailed guidance and examples for each stage. The template also connects to targeted resources on key practices such as modeling, constructing explanations, and facilitating productive discourse, enabling teachers to design dynamic, student-centered units that engage students in scientific inquiry.

The short version of the MBI Unit Development Template is designed for educators who are already familiar with the Model-Based Inquiry design process and want a more streamlined planning tool. It retains the same five-stage structure as the full template, but removes most of the embedded prompts, explanations, and scaffolds, focusing instead on capturing the core design decisions that shape an MBI unit. This version is best suited for experienced MBI designers, teams revising or adapting existing units, or professional learning contexts where participants share a common understanding of the framework and are ready to work more efficiently.