5 E lesson plans
What is a 5 E lesson?
(1) The 5 E Approach:
This
approach was introduced by Roger Bybee, of The Biological Science Curriculum
Study (BSCS). The 5 Es are Engage, Explore, Explain, Elaborate and Evaluate.
Engage: This stage assess the previous knowledge
of the learner and helps them become engaged in a new
concept through the use of short activities that promote curiosity and elicit
prior knowledge. The aim is to organize students’ thinking toward the learning
outcomes of the current activities. Clarifying
students' current ideas and skills may involve reminding them of or reviewing
with them prerequisites necessary for the upcoming tasks. In some instances, it
may involve making both the teacher and the students aware of potential
misconceptions. Such misconceptions are not corrected at this point; the
exploration and explanation phases are designed to challenge alternative
conceptions. It is important to bring these conceptions to the forefront so
that they can be re-examined in light of new information developed during the
exploration phase
Explore: Expose the students to a variety of experiences at this
stage. These experiences may
involve observations of events or objects, manipulations of materials, work
with simulations, examinations of representations, viewing a short video, or
reading. These experiences provide a common basis for all students that the teacher
can use to assist them in identifying and developing concepts and skills.
Students make records of their experiences during the explore phase and
sometimes answer questions about them, although these do not go beyond initial
analyses.
Explain: Here students are provided with opportunity to explain
their understanding of their experiences from the explore phase. The questions
and discussion lead students to patterns, regularities, and/or similarities and
prompt them to describe concepts or skills in their own words. This largely
student-directed portion of the explain phase may occur in small groups or as a
whole class. The teacher then introduces a label or term and provides a formal
definition or description for the concept or skill.
Elaborate: The next phase challenges students to extend their
understandings or skills and/or to practice them. Through new experiences at
this time, students develop deeper understanding, an extended conceptual
framework, and improved skills. Some of the tasks, such as reading an article,
may be done as homework and discussed during the following class period.
Evaluate: The final
phase of the instructional model encourages students to assess their
understanding and abilities and provides opportunity for the teacher to evaluate
student progress toward achieving the learning objectives for the activity. The
tasks may involve writing summaries, applying concepts and skills to novel
situations, constructing a concept map, or taking a quiz.
