5 E's of Science Lessons: Explore
By Chelsea Murphy
Purpose of the explore phase:
This phase is so students can experience their science lesson instead of just learning about it. Having students read about the life cycle of a plant only teaches them so much. By having students actually grow their own plant and observe each of the stages with their own eyes teaches them much more than their textbook ever could.
In the explore phase, students are able to perform experiments.
Activities used in the explore phase should be hands-on and interactive.
Teachers should ask probing questions and offer feedback when they can.
The student's role:
In the explore phase, students.....
- make predictions and hypothesize
- build models
- collect data
- conduct investigations
The teacher's role
In the explore phase, teachers....
- ask probing questions
- provide feedback
- demonstrate when needed
- assess student understanding
Examples:
- Trying to make a light bulb light up using a battery, bulb, and wire
- Growing a plant from a seed
- Making root beer floats to learn about states of matter
- Testing if crumpled paper falls faster than un-crumpled paper
How it relates to constructivist teaching:
Constructivist teaching involves students being actively involved in the learning process. The explore phase allows students to apply the science concept they are learning about to real life. Students are able to learn in more ways than just auditorily, and this will help them retain more of the information they learn.