In an age where getting an answer is as easy as a well-chosen phrase typed into a search engine, it is important for teachers to be more interested in "how" students know, rather than "what" students know. In the sea of available information today, students must provide answers based on evidence. A student's ability to explain and express provides the teacher with information about his or her understanding of the concept. A student learning new concepts and the process of scientific experimentation will benefit greatly from being required to explain, prove, and demonstrate his or her scientific reasoning. Using higher depth-of-knowledge skills makes it impossible to guess or "fake" one's way through a topic. Through the "Next Generation Science Standards," students learn to construct their own explanations. Synthesizing information and analyzing data are both necessary, if he or she is to explain an answer, using results from experimentation, or even theories from a textbook. This article provides one classroom routine, two naturally evidence-based lessons, and one lesson modified to allow for more student argumentation and for analysis of scientific thinking. These were all used in a physical science class, but the techniques and styles are adaptable to any secondary science subject matter.