5 E’s Activities

5 E’s Suggested Activity What the Teacher Does What the Student Does

Engage • Demonstration • Creates interest. • Asks Questions such as, Why did
• Reading • Generates curiosity. this happen? What do I already
• Free Write • Raises questions. know about this? What can I find
• Analyze a Graphic Organizer Elicits responses that uncover what the out about this?
• KWL students know or think about the concept/topic • Show interest in the topic.
• Brainstorming
Explore • Perform and Investigation • Encourages the students to work together • Thinks freely but within the limits of
• Read Authentic Resources to Collect without direct instruction from the teacher. the activity.
Information • Observes and listens to the students as they • Tests predictions and hypotheses.
• Solve a Problem interact. • Forms new predictions and
• Construct a Model • Asks probing questions to redirect the students’ hypotheses.
investigations when necessary. • Tries alternatives and discusses
• Provides time for students to puzzle through them with others.
problems. • Records observations and ideas.
• Suspends judgment.
Explain • Student Analysis & Explanation • Encourages the students to explain concepts • Explains possible solutions or
• Supporting Ideas with Evidence and definitions in their own words. answers to others.
• Structured Questioning • Asks for justification (evidence) and clarification • Listens officially to others’
• Reading and Discussion from students. explanations.
• Teacher Explanation • Formally provides definitions, explanations, and • Questions others’ explanations.
• Thinking Skill new labels. • Listens to and tries to comprehend
Activities: compare, classify, error • Uses students’ previous experiences as basis explanations the teacher offers.
analysis for explaining concepts. • Refers to previous activities.
• Uses recorded observations in
explanations.
Extend • Problem Solving • Expects the students to use formal labels, • Applies new labels, definitions,
• Decision Making definitions, and explanations provided explanations, and skills in new, but
• Experimental Inquiry previously. similar situations.
Think Skill Activities: compare, • Encourages the students to apply or extend the • Uses previous information to ask
classify, apply concepts and skills in new situations. questions, propose solutions, make
• Reminds the students to existing data and decisions, and design experiments.
evidence and asks, What do you already • Draws reasonable conclusions
know? Why do you think…? from evidence.
• Strategies from Explore apply here also. • Records observations and
explanations.
• Checks for understandings among
peers.
Evaluate • Any of the Above • Observes the students as they apply new • Answers open-ended questions by
• Develop a Scoring Tool or Rubric concepts and skills. using observations, evidence, and
• Test (SR, BCR, ECR) • Assesses student’s knowledge and/or skills. previously accepted explanations.
• Performance Assessment • Looks for evidence that the students have • Demonstrates an understanding or
• Produce a Product changed their thinking or behaviors. knowledge of the concept or skill.
• Journal Entry • Allows students to assess their own learning • Evaluates his or her own progress
• Portfolio and group-process skills. and knowledge.
• Asks open-ended questions, such as: Why do • Asks related questions that would
you think..? What evidence do you have? encourage future investigations.
What do you know about x? How would you
explain x?