This chapter, by Tricia Shelton, examines the use of explanatory arguments for empowering students to construct their own understanding of scientific concepts. High school students are guided by their own questions as they gather and make sense of data, share their ideas, attempt to persuade others of those ideas, and allow their conceptual models to be critiqued, debated, and revised. A framework is presented that students can use to construct arguments that they then revise over time within a community of science learners. Teacher background information, standards, assessments, references, and resources are provided. This book selection also includes the Table of Contents, Foreword, Preface, Acknowledgments, and Index.