The 7Es of Lesson Planning

I initially came across this idea a few years ago when I was using some
materials provided by Upd8 (Science ASE Resource) and then again when
teaching WIKID, a KS3 Science scheme of work.

I have since found out that the The 7es was an extension of the 5E
Constructivist learning cycle first created by Rodger Bybee when
developing the Biological Science Curriculum Study (BSCS) in America.
See link for their work.

Whilst the original concept was never meant to be a 5 or 7 part lesson I

have personally found that using the 5E/ 7Es provided a clear, rational
framework for designing individual Science lessons as well as schemes of
learning. I tend to use all seven stages in a lesson but this depends on the
complexity of the subject matter I am teaching. Sometimes it may take
more than one lesson to complete the cycle.
See below cycle (from upd8 WIKID)
So what is it? The 7 Es stand for the following. Elicit, Engage,
Explore,Explain, Elaborate, Extend and Evaluate. The following explanation
is my take on the 7Es that has been adapted from the BSCS 5E Engage,
explore, explain, elaborate, evaluate.

In most cases you will start with the “Elicit”. Here you can find out what the
students know (prior knowledge). This can be done in a variety of ways,
such as “Quick Quizzes, MCQs, Post-it notes, mini whiteboards etc. This is
also a good opportunity to deal with students misconceptions or test
material that you have visited previously that is needed to understand the
lesson. So for example in a Science lesson, where a student might be
investigating whether light is needed for photosynthesis I would test
knowledge of photosynthesis, respiration and the starch test as part of my
quick quiz.

The next stage is the “Engage” stage. In this stage you want to engage
interest and curiosity, raise “The BIG questions” and introduce new learning
through teacher explanation modelling. Following on from the example
above I might ask. “Do plants need light to make food?” I might give them a
brief explanation or some information about photosynthesis to help them
make a prediction OR to support the explore stage.
During the “Explore” stage, pupils should be given opportunities to work
together following the initial teacher input to solve/explore problems, building
concepts through first hand experience. (This stage is independent of you, their
teacher but may involve scaffolds depending on the complexity of the task). As
the teacher, you should set up the task, but then become the facilitator, helping
students by asking questions and observing. Again referring to the science
example above pupils would then undertake some practical investigative work
to answer the big question. NB Depending on the group and to reduce cognitive
load I might break up the practical guidance into several steps.

Following the explore stage I would next go onto the “Explain” stage of the
lesson. During this stage I would use what students had discovered to help
them build the concept/knowledge further. This would involved checking and
asking questions. Using their knowledge gained from experience to develop the
concepts further. So again, using the science example above, the teacher
would draw out the findings from the experiment and ask students to compare
to predictions. Using deep questioning and also explanation/modelling the
teacher builds the scientific explanation.
The next stage is the stage that will be KEY in assessing their progress,
knowledge and understanding. This stage is “Elaborate” Students may
work independently during this stage to demonstrate learning. This is
where students formalise and apply their learning. At this stage the
scaffolds are removed. Students would be involved in independent
practice. Using the example above the students would answer the big
question. Does a plant need light to make food? Explain why using your
evidence and scientific knowledge.

In some cases you may require an additional “Extend” stage to challenge

all learners. In this stage you are encouraging the students to apply or
extend the concepts and skills in new situations. Students make
connections not just in the subject/ideas studied but also beyond it. They
are able to apply ideas/generalise and transfer principles. This might
involve students explaining how they might test if chlorophyll was needed
got photosynthesis or interpreting data from other similar experiments.
While it is expected that evaluation will continue throughout the process,
the evaluate section is the section where you the teacher evaluate the
learning that has occurred. This might involve peer/self assessment or
marking. It might involve questioning or quick low stage quizzing to
establish understanding of the concepts. This should also include self-
reflection and evaluation from the student.

Lesson plan-Ease of planning

As an AST and SLE I have used this planning method a lot, particularly
when coaching. Again I have found that is has often had major impact
on teaching and learning and on lesson observation outcomes. I
passionately believe that this structure is not just relevant to Science but
to is also useful to other subjects too. Below are a couple of resources
that I think will help you if you are trialling this method for the first time.
The 7Es of Lesson Planning

I initially came across this idea a few years ago when I was using some
materials provided by Upd8 (Science ASE Resource). The 7es provided a clear
framework for designing Science lessons. The more I used it, the more I
couldn’t believe I hadn’t seen it before. Making small changes to my old lesson
plans e.g. moving the part where students explored before my explanation had
massive impact on engagement and progress. I had always delivered fast
pace, high energy lessons that had a mix of activities (VAK). However, without
realising my best lessons were the ones that were closest matched to this
framework.

So what is it?
7E stands for Elicit, Engage, Explore, Explain, Elaborate, Extend and Evaluate.
Elicit
In most cases you will start with the “Elicit”. Here you can find out
what the students know by eliciting responses from them. This can
be done in a variety of ways, such as “Quick Quizes, MCQs, Post-it
notes, mini whiteboards, KWL, traffic lights etc. This is also a good
opportunity to deal with students misunderstandings.

Engage
The next stage is the “Engage” stage. This can come before or
after the elicit stage. In this stage you want to engage interest and
curiosity, raise “The BIG questions” and provide the “HOOK” for
why the students want to learn.
Explore
During the “Explore” stage, pupils should be given opportunities to work
together, independent of you,their teacher to explore. As the teacher, you
should set up the task, but then become the facilitator, helping students by
asking questions and observing. (In Scientific enquiry using Piagets theory, this
is a time for disequilibrium. This is an opportunity for students to test their
predictions, problem solve, research, ultimately find out themselves.)

Explain
Following the explore stage I would next go onto the “Explain” stage of the
lesson. During this stage I would use what students had discovered in the
explore stage to help them build a concept. I would try to encourage the
students to explain concepts and definitions in their own words, ask for
justification and clarification before providing them with new labels, definitions
and theory.
Elaborate
The next stage is the stage that will be KEY in assessing their progress,
knowledge and understanding. Students may work independently during this
stage to demonstrate learning. This is where students formalise and apply
their learning.

Extend
In some cases you may require an additional “Extend” stage. In this stage
you are encouraging the students to apply or extend the concepts and skills
in new situations. Students make connections not just in the subject/ideas
studied but also beyond it. They are able to apply ideas/generalise and
transfer principles.

Evaluate
While it is expected that evaluation will continue throughout the process, the
evaluate section is the section where you the teacher evaluate the learning
that has occurred. This should also include self-reflection and evaluation
from the student. I personally link back to the learning outcomes to assess
the progress that has been made.
Elicit

Post its

Traffic light
confidence at
Show me boards
start
What I What I want What I Think pair share
Know to know learnt
Games

Dominoes

True or false
KWL boards

Multiple choice
Engage tasks Video clips Demonstration

BIG
question Stimulating image
Explore Problem solving
Practical activities

VAK

Research Information
activities retrieval
Explain
 Elaborate and extend
Level
assessed
task

Application of
Role play
knowledge

PLTS
Demonstrates
learning

Conclusions or
reports
 Evaluate tasks

What I What I want What I

Know to know learnt

Traffic light
Learning
confidence
journals

KWL boards Self and

peer
assessment Men in the tree
Target setting

What I
knew
What I have
Show me boards
learnt
Thumbs
What I want
to know
next

Learning
Pyramid Mind map