BSCS 5E
Instructional Model

The first phase of the 5E Model engages students by having them mentally focus on a phenomenon, object, problem, situation, or event. The activities in the Engage phase are designed to help students make connections between past and present learning experiences, expose prior conceptions, and organize thinking toward the essential questions and learning outcomes of the learning sequence.

The role of the teacher in the Engage phase is to present a situation, identify the instructional task, and set the rules and procedures for the activities. The teacher also structures initial discussions to reveal the range of ideas, experiences, and language that students use which become resources for upcoming lessons.

Student Behaviors

• Asks questions such as, “Why did this happen?” “What do I already know about this?” “What can I find out about this?” “How can this problem be solved?”

• Shows interest in the topic through curiosity and expression of wonderings

• Demonstrates engagement by expressing ideas, sharing observations, and creating initial models

• Expresses current understanding of a concept or idea

Teaching Strategies

• Raises questions or poses problems

• Elicits responses that uncover students’ current knowledge

• Helps students make connections to previous work

• Posts learning outcomes and explicitly references them in the lesson

• Invites students to express what they think

• Invites students to raise their own questions

Once students have engaged in activities, they need time to explore ideas. Explore activities are designed so all students have common, concrete experiences which can be used later when formally introducing and discussing scientific and technological concepts and explanations. Students have time to investigate objects, events, or situations. As a result of their mental and physical involvement in these activities, students question events, observe patterns, identify and test variables, and establish causal relationships.

The teacher’s role in the Explore phase is to facilitate learning. They initiate activities and allow time and opportunity for students to investigate objects, materials, and situations. The teacher coaches and guides students as they record and analyze observations or data and begin constructing models or initial explanations.

Student Behaviors

• Tests predictions and hypotheses; Forms new predictions and hypotheses

• Discusses problems with others

• Plans and conducts investigations in which they observe, describe, and record data

• Tries different ways to solve a problem or answer a question

• Creates initial models

• Compares ideas with those of others

Teaching Strategies

• Provides or clarifies questions or problems

• Provides common experiences

• Observes and listens to students as they interact

• Acts as a consultant for students

• Encourages student-to-student interaction

• Asks probing questions to help students make sense of their experiences and redirect them when necessary

• Provides time for students to puzzle through problems

The Explain phase consists of two parts. First, the teacher asks students to share their initial models and explanations from experiences in the Engage and Explore phases. Second, the teacher provides resources and information to support student learning and introduces scientific or technological concepts. Students use these resources and information, as well as ideas of other students, to construct or revise their evidence-based models and explanations. In engineering, students design solutions to problems based on established criteria.

Student Behaviors

• Shows models, explanations, answers, or possible solutions, to other students

• Listens critically to and questions explanations offered by others

• Explains using evidence from investigations

• Uses labels, terminology, and formal scientific language

• Compares current thinking with former thinking

• Records ideas and current understanding

• Adjusts ideas, models, and explanations as new evidence or reasoning is presented

Teaching Strategies

• Encourages students to explain concepts and definitions in their own words

• Asks for justification (evidence) and clarification from students

• Formally provides definitions, explanations, and information through mini-lecture, text, internet, or other resources

• Builds on student explanations

• Provides time for students to compare their ideas with others and if desired revise their ideas

Once students have constructed explanations of a phenomenon or design solutions for a problem, it is important to involve them in further experiences that apply, extend, or elaborate the concepts, processes, or skills they are learning. Some students may still have misconceptions, or they may only understand a concept in terms of the exploratory experience. Elaborate activities provide time for students to apply their understanding of concepts and skills. They might apply their understanding to similar phenomena or problems.

Student Behaviors

• Applies new labels, definitions, explanations, and skills in new, but similar, situations

• Uses previous information to ask questions, propose solutions, make decisions, design experiments, or complete a challenge

• Draws reasonable conclusions from evidence

• Critiques the models, explanations, or arguments made by others using evidence and reasoning

• Makes conceptual connections between new and previous experiences

• Communicates understanding to others

Teaching Strategies

• Expects students to use vocabulary, definitions, and explanations provided previously in new contexts

• Encourages students to apply the concepts and skills in new situations

• Provides additional evidence, explanations, or reasoning

• Reinforces students’ use of scientific terms and descriptions previously introduced

• Asks questions that help students draw reasonable conclusions from evidence and data

It is important that students receive feedback on the quality of their explanations. Informally, this may happen throughout the learning sequence. Formally, the teacher can also administer a summative evaluation at the end of the learning sequence. The Evaluate phase encourages students to assess their understanding and abilities and allows teachers to evaluate individual student progress toward achieving learning goals and outcomes.

Student Behaviors

• Gives feedback to other students

• Evaluates progress or knowledge

• Checks work with a rubric or against established criteria

• Assesses progress by comparing current understanding with prior knowledge

• Asks additional questions that go deeper into a concept or leads to additional learning

• Demonstrates understanding of Disciplinary Core Ideas, Crosscutting Concepts, and Science and Engineering Practices

• Answers open-ended questions by using observations, evidence, and previously accepted explanations

Teaching Strategies

• Asks open-ended questions such as, “Why do you think…?” “What evidence do you have?” “How would you answer the question?”

• Observes and records notes as students demonstrate individual understanding of concepts learned and performance of skills

• Uses a variety of assessments to gather evidence of student understanding

• Provides opportunities for students to assess their own progress