This article introduces the Data Puzzles instructional framework as a means to engage middle school students in the exploration of wind energy and its potential for future wind farm locations across the United States. By eliciting and leveraging student resources through an opening scenario that prompts personal experiences with wind, teachers can effectively connect students to abstract science phenomena and facilitate sense-making. The Data Puzzles framework combines authentic scientific datasets with the Ambitious Science Teaching pedagogical practices to support students in constructing knowledge and addressing contemporary phenomena.