Teaching Science to Every Child:
Using Culture as a Starting Point
Chapter 9
The 5E Learning Cycle
as a Model for Science Teaching
©Routledge/Taylor & Francis 2012
©Routledge/Taylor & Francis 2012
Chapter 9 Topics
Models of Teaching: Inductive or Deductive or Both?!
The 5E Learning Cycle
Engage
Explore
Explain
Extend
Evaluate
The Learning Cycle and Diverse Student Populations
©Routledge/Taylor & Francis 2012
Models of Teaching
Students must learn particular facts and terms
Students should also understand bigger concepts
Deductive begins with the big idea and then goes to examples
Inductive starts with bits of knowledge and builds toward “whole”
Students should experience both models of teaching
Ideally begin with inductive and then shift to deductive
This sequence accommodates diverse students very well
©Routledge/Taylor & Francis 2012
Contrasting Approaches:
Parts to Whole or Whole to Parts
©Routledge/Taylor & Francis 2012
The 5E Learning Cycle
Approach first developed in the 1960s during curriculum reforms
in actual classrooms with children of varying abilities
Combines the strengths of discovery, inquiry, and conceptual
change: Hands-on, varying supports, and emphasis upon student
learning
The Learning Cycle draws upon theories about how children learn
science: developmental, social, and experiential.
Lots of different Learning Cycles but the 5E is the most popular.
Each of the five phases begins with the letter E.
©Routledge/Taylor & Francis 2012
The 5E Learning Cycle
Engage gets at students’
ideas and builds interest
Hands-on activities during
Explore and Extend
Direct instruction by
teacher of concepts
during Explain
Evaluate is continuous
with a shifting emphasis
©Routledge/Taylor & Francis 2012
Phase One: Engage
Purpose is to orient students to the upcoming activity
Also an opportunity to hear what they already know
Can also be a bridge between previous lessons
Connects school science to real-life experiences
Although open-ended there is underlying intent
©Routledge/Taylor & Francis 2012
Phase Two: Explore
Hands-on activity with structure to guide exploring
Not the time to introduce vocabulary or definitions
The goal is to give a concrete sense for a concept
Students should record their observations and actions
Teacher asks questions to support the exploring
©Routledge/Taylor & Francis 2012
Phase Three: Explain
Students share what they did
Comparisons across groups toward common understandings
Teacher introduces targeted concept and definitions
Connections made between Explore and Explain
Inductive: Experiences combined to make a whole
Generate shared written records of the concept
©Routledge/Taylor & Francis 2012
Phase Four: Extend
Goal: Students apply concept to new situation
Hands-on activity for extending vocabulary
Teachers uses questions to reinforce understandings
Emphasis on extending knowledge to the materials
Definitely not the right time to introduce new ideas
Deductive: Taking whole concept and using it
©Routledge/Taylor & Francis 2012
Phase Five: Evaluate
Opportunity to demonstrate understanding (summative)
Could be a paper-pencil test or a performance task
Should offer students a chance to chart changed ideas
Questioning by teacher as if assessing for grades
Evaluate throughout the Learning Cycle, not just last phase
©Routledge/Taylor & Francis 2012
Learning Cycle and Diverse Groups
Background knowledge and experiences brought to the
surface during the Engage phase
Explore activity ensures each student has a common
background and shared experience with the phenomenon
Language development supported: Talking with peers during
hands-on, writing ideas, communication with the whole class.
Connections made by and for students between what goes on
during science lesson and what they experience at home
©Routledge/Taylor & Francis 2012
Chapter 9 Summary
Inductive and Deductive: Direction between Parts and Whole
5E Learning Cycle is Preferred in K-8 Science Classrooms
Engage: Assess what students already know
Explore: Activity to deepen their experiences
Explain: Sharing ideas and learning formal science terms
Extend: Applying concept to a hands-on activity
Evaluate: Determining how well students learned concept
Learning Cycle is Appropriate for Diverse Student Populations
©Routledge/Taylor & Francis 2012