The 5Es

What are the 5ES?

The 5ES are an instructional approach used in classrooms during science lessons. It's a sequence that can be used to teach programs, unit plans, or individual lessons.

Why do we use it? Because it helps students build their own understanding from new experiences and new ideas. 



The 5 parts include.....
Engage, Explore, Explain, Elaborate, Evaluate


Engage: This phase is to draw students in and get them interested on the topic, while pre-assessing their prior knowledge on the topic. During this phase, students make connections with past and present knowledge. 

Explore: During this phase students "explore" the topic. This gets the students involved in the lesson, which also provides them with the chance to build their own understanding. Typically during this time, the teacher provides the students with the necessary materials and a model before sending them on their way. Students often work in groups or teams during the explore phase. Inquiry plays a major part during this phase. Students actively learn through inquiry and record their findings. 

Explain: The purpose of this phase is for students to explain/ communicate what they have learned and figure out what the findings mean. Often students will discuss their findings with peers and more research may be done during this phase to make sense of the findings found during the exploration phase. Once finished, students are encouraged to "explain" their findings in their own words. 

Elaborate: During the elaboration phase it allows the chance for students to take their new knowledge and make connections to prior knowledge. This phase may include team work or individual work. Here, students may make models or write down what they have learned and why it makes sense. 

Evaluate: This is the final phase of the cycle. This allows for the students and teacher to determine how much the students learned and understood during the lesson and cycle. This "E" is on-going. This phase goes on through out all the phases, starting at the pre-assessment. The teacher has multiple ways of evaluating the students; through models, writing, notes, discussions and so on. This phase does not only benefit the teacher, but also allows for the students to determine for themselves if they understand their findings, or need more assistance. 


Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Reflecting on Fieldwork Experience

Image
Over the last six or so weeks, I had the opportunity to spend time with and teach a lovely group of students at Bishop Dunn Memorial School. There were a variety of grade levels (2nd grade up to 7th grade) and a variety of different needs which made teaching difficult at times, but helped me grow as an educator. You never know what will be thrown at you in the world of teaching, and by teaching a variety of students of different grades and different needs, helps prepare me for the future. Before completing my fieldwork with Dr. Smirnova in Science Methods, I had never experienced lesson planning like this before. I feel I now have a better understanding about what she expects of us, as well as a better understanding of all the components of teaching science. I knew in the past the difference between direct instruction and an inquiry lesson, but after practicing these lessons and observing my peers I now believe I understand 100% what is expected when creating and giving these types
Read more

What's A Fossil?

Image
What is a fossil? Did you know there are 7 types of fossils? It is something I have never given much thought about. I do not recall learning about fossils in school. I remember touching on the topic when learning about dinosaurs, but was never introduced again during my education. It was nice to learn more about where they come from, the different types of fossils, and where they can be found. I enjoyed presenting what I have learned about fossils to my class. At first my group and I sat there pondering what we could teach about a fossil, and what activity we could do with the class. The more we researched, the more we realized we aren't the first people to ever teach a lesson on fossils! There were many beneficial, educational, and visual sites to help us teach about fossils. This experience helped Nicole, Jamie, and I grow as teachers. We will be faced with challenging topics we aren't educated enough on when we become teachers, but with the internet we have such
Read more