Sense-making has been described as working on and with ideas--both students' ideas and authoritative ideas in texts--to build coherent storylines, models, and/or explanations. This article describes the process for developing storyline units to support students' making sense of and explaining a rocket launch. The storyline approach, which aligns with the "Next Generation Science Standards" (NGSS Lead States 2013), engages students in "figuring out" instead of "learning about." The storyline approach features three key dimensions: (1) an anchoring phenomenon chosen to spark questions; (2) investigations that allow students to figure out parts of the story; and (3) a culminating performance expectation that puts the story together. Coherence is emphasized in storylines as students build ideas over time.