What is the 5E lesson plan model?

The 5E model is an inquiry-based lesson structure with five phases: Engage, Explore, Explain, Elaborate, Evaluate. It's most common in science but works in any subject.

• Engage: hook curiosity and surface prior knowledge (a question, a phenomenon, a discrepant event).
• Explore: students investigate hands-on before being told the answer.
• Explain: the concept is formalized — students explain first, then the teacher adds vocabulary and precision.
• Elaborate: students apply the idea to a new situation.
• Evaluate: check understanding (often a performance task or exit ticket).

The power of 5E is the order: students explore before they're told, so the explanation lands on experience they already have instead of an empty slate.