Interactive Science 2016 Grades 6–8 NGSS Custom

5E Learning Cycle

Copyright © 2017 by Pearson Education, Inc. All Rights Reserved. 1

5E Learning Cycle

Lesson Structure in Interactive Science

Overview

The 5E Learning Cycle structures Interactive Science instruction. This model, which originated with the

Biological Science Curriculum Study (BSCS), represents a best practice that is widely used in the

development of science curricula. The content and activities in every lesson are organized to guide

teachers and students through the Engage, Explore, Explain, Elaborate, and Evaluate phases. This

approach fosters inquiry-based learning and allows students to use and build upon prior knowledge and

experience to construct meaning.

The cyclical nature of learning means that concepts do not begin and end in each lesson. Instead, they

continue to build from past concepts and use those ideas to generate new knowledge. Notably, the

“Explain” phase comes only after students have conducted other forms of exploration around a lesson’s

concepts. Traditional direct instruction might consider explanations to be the foundation of science

learning. The 5E Learning Cycle takes an inquiry approach to science that leverages students’ natural

curiosity and questions about their observations of the world.

Interactive Science 2016 Grades 6–8 NGSS Custom

5E Learning Cycle

Copyright © 2017 by Pearson Education, Inc. All Rights Reserved. 2

Phases of the 5E Learning Cycle

The 5E Learning Cycle is integrated throughout the program, both in the Teacher’s Edition and on

Pearson Realize™. Not every lesson will contain all five components of the cycle, and not every lesson

will be completed over the course of a class period. Take a look at each of the five phases of the cycle

in more detail:

Engage: Students are introduced to new topics by accessing and building upon background

knowledge in various activities. They become engaged by setting a purpose for learning new

concepts. The engagement activities include problems that create the need for students to

understand and apply key scientific concept(s) to solve. Check out this example on the Pearson

Realize platform: o Planet Diary

Explore: The program provides activities to guide students to explore relevant information. For

example, students might identify objects in a picture, categorize items, watch a video, or

analyze a graph. Check out this example on the Pearson Realize platform: o Inquiry Warm-up

Explain: The program introduces key vocabulary and concepts that help students explain how

they make sense of the information given and solve problems. The program provides teacher

supports to address misconceptions, incorporate additional activities, and/or present concepts in

more detail. Check out some examples on the Pearson Realize platform:

https://tinyurl.com/guvocy5 o Key Concept Summary o Interactivity

Elaborate: Students participate in application activities that encourage them to elaborate and

build upon what they have learned. Check out this example on the Pearson Realize platform: o Quick Lab

Evaluate: Students assess and evaluate their own understandings of the key concepts. This will

help them become independent learners and think like scientists. Check out this example on the

Pearson Realize platform: o Lesson Quiz

Interactive Science lessons guide students through each of these components in this order, but the

cycle is strengthened as students develop new knowledge that they can subsequently access as

background knowledge for new concepts.

Scientists often cycle through processes like these many times before coming to an understanding. For

example, new evidence might be available that requires them to rethink previous assumptions.

Students use the 5E Learning Cycle to engage in a similar process as they learn content. Think about

the different ways you learn new content as a teacher. Does it ever resemble this cycle at all?