Name: Grade: Date:

Subject Area: Time Duration:

1. Standards

NGSS Standard(s):

ELD Standard(s):

Common Core Standard(s)/When applicable:

Throughout the lesson include accommodations for ELD.

2. Objective(s):

Purpose is to guide instruction toward a coherent goal. Should be a significant and measurable
statement of what students will know or be able to do as a result of the lesson. May be
written in the behavioral, cognitive and/or affective domain.

Focus Question: Identify open-ended questions to provide inquiry about the core ideas for the
lesson. The focus question should prompt intellectual exploration of a topic.

Possible Student Misconceptions

3. Materials and Resources: List materials required including the amount required for the ideal
student grouping.

4. Teaching the Content:

Engage
Purpose is to assess prior knowledge, cue attention and create interest. The engage component
introduces the lesson but should not overwhelm the lesson. A good engagement seamlessly
flows into exploration.

Teacher Does Student Does Time

Engage

Adapt from BSCS and NASA 1

 Exploration

Purpose is for students to participate in an activity that facilitates conceptual change. At this
stage students have the opportunity to get directly involved with phenomena and materials. As
they work together in teams, students build a set of common experiences that prompts sharing
and communicating. The students’ inquiry drives the instruction during an exploration. The
teacher provides support and guidance as required.

The explore, explain, and elaborate portions of the lesson plan should serve to allow
students to confront their misconceptions and help them to reconstruct and internalize
their knowledge based on scientific models.

Teacher Does Student Does Time

Exploration

Checking for Understanding: Purpose is for teachers to ensure that students comprehend
information and are ready to use it. Usually occurs as monitoring during instruction and is
often a series of questions during all phases of the lesson. Teacher solicits cues from class that
indicate understanding of the instructional concept. Checking for understanding should be
included throughout the lesson plan.

Include examples of elicit, probe and challenge questions.

Explanation

Students generate an explanation of the phenomenon. They are provided with an opportunity to
communicate what they have learned so far and figure out what it means. Communication
occurs between peers, with the teacher, and through the reflective process. The teacher uses a
multitude of strategies to ensure that students comprehend the material and previous
misconceptions are confronted and corrected.

Teacher Does Student Does Time

Explanation

Adapt from BSCS and NASA 2

 Elaborate

Purpose is to allow students to use and apply new information. At this stage students expand on
the concepts they have learned, make connections to other related concepts, and apply their
understandings to the world around them in new ways.

The explore, explain, and elaborate portions of the lesson plan should serve to allow
students to confront their misconceptions and help them to reconstruct and internalize
their knowledge based on scientific models.

Teacher Does Student Does Time

Elaborate

Evaluation

The evaluation phase is the time for both students and teachers to determine how much learning
and understanding has taken place. The final “E” is an on-going diagnostic process that allows
the teacher to determine if the learner has attained understanding of the objectives. Formative
assessment can occur at all points along the continuum of the instructional model (e.g. checking
for understanding). However, summative assessment is conducted during the evaluation phase
of the model.

Teacher Does Student Does Time

Evaluation

Closure

Purpose is to summarize new learning for students. Usually performed by the teacher, it answers
questions like, “So what? Why did we do this? What is this good for?” Closure wraps up the
lesson for students and makes a connection to the next lesson.

Cited References (including the content standards)

Adapt from BSCS and NASA 3