ENGAGE
The student mentally focuses on an object, problem, situation, or event. The activities of this phase should make connections to
past and future activities. Asking a question, defining a problem, showing a discrepant event, and acting out a problematic situation
are all ways to engage the students and focus them on the instructional activities. The role of the teacher is to present a situation
and revisit the learning goal or objective. The teacher also sets the rules and procedures for the activity.
Facilitator Task
Student Task
Creates interest and generates curiosity
Pose the Essential Questions
Ask questions and
Responds to questions
Elicits responses that uncovers what students know or think
Show interest in topic
EXPLORE
Exploration activities are designed so that all students have common, concrete experiences upon which they continue building
concepts, processes, and skills. This phase should be concrete and meaningful for the students. The aim of exploration activities is
to establish experiences that teachers and students can use later to formally introduce and discuss content area specific concepts,
processes, or skills. During the activity, the students have time in which they can explore objects, events, or situations.
Facilitator Task
Student Task
Encourages the students to work together without direct instruction
from facilitator
Ask probing questions to maintain student’s interest in investigation
Observe students as they participate in cooperative learning and
student discourse/accountable-talk
Provide students opportunities to problem solve collaboratively by
working through the process
Critical thinking by students
Analysis a hypothesis or prediction
Tries alternative and engage in discussion
Records observations and suspends judgment
EXPLAIN
Explanation means the act or process in which concepts, processes, or skills become plain, comprehensible, and clear. The process
of explanation provides the students and teacher with a common use of terms relative to the learning experience. The teacher
directs student attention to specific aspects of the engagement and exploration experiences. An explanation gives a common
language for the exploratory experiences. The key to the explanations to present concepts, processes, or skills briefly, simply,
clearly, and directly, and then continue on to the next phase
Facilitator Task
Student Task
Encourage students to explain concepts and definitions of terms in
their own words
Ask for clarification and justification (evidence)
Utilize prior knowledge to explain the concepts (benchmarks)
Accepts reasonable responses
Listen and build upon student explanations
Listen critical other peers
Question other peers explanation
Explain solutions and answer to other students
Comprehends and listen to teacher explanation of the lesson
Refer to previous observations and experiments
EXTEND/ELABORATE
Elaboration activities provide further time and experiences that contribute to learning. It is important to involve students in further
experiences to apply, extend, or elaborate the concepts, processes, or skills. Students may still have misconceptions and may only
understand a concept in terms of the exploratory experiences. The teacher should provide opportunities for students to practice their
learning in new contexts.
Facilitator Task
Student Task
Encourage students to apply and extend the concept and skill to new
situation (real world)
Expect students to use academic language( vocabulary)
Use previously taught concepts as a vehicle connect new concepts
Reminds and refers students to alternative explanations
Provide reasonable conclusions and solutions
Draw reasonable conclusions
Records observations, explanations, and solutions
Use previous information to design experiments and make decisions
EVALUATE
Receive feedback on the adequacy of their explanations and understanding. Teacher assesses the student’s understanding and
mastery of the benchmark. Teachers administer formative or summative evaluations to determine each student's level of
understanding. This also is the important opportunity for students to use the skills they have acquired and evaluate their
understanding.
Facilitator Task
Student Task
Encourage students to assess their own learning (scale)
Review the Essential Question
Observe students as the apply new concepts and skills
Demonstrate an understanding of new concepts and skills
Ask further questions to encourage
Answers open-ended questions by through observations and
evidence