Create an Engaging 6E Lesson Plan: Step by Step Guide
Posted by Kewanta Greer on Feb 3rd 2025
Teaching an engaging lesson can feel overwhelming, especially when you're juggling tight deadlines, classroom distractions, and limited teaching time. But don’t worry—I’m here to walk you through creating one of the most engaging lessons you’ll teach all year using the 6E instructional model. Even if you don’t teach this specific subject or grade, you’ll gain valuable insights that can be applied to your lessons.
By the way, I’m Kewanta, founder of Elite Kids, a former classroom teacher, teacher trainer, and a mom of two brilliant boys. Be sure to grab your 6E Lesson Plan Template at shopelitekids.com and check out our Elite Teacher T-Shirts!
Step 1: Laying the Foundation
Pick a Subject and time frame
First, choose the subject and grade level for your lesson. I’m selecting a 5th-grade science lesson on reflection and refraction. Since time is always a factor, I’m setting 45 minutes for this lesson.
Break Down the Academic Standard
Next, analyze the academic standard. The key is to simplify it and truly understand its depth. My chosen standard states:
Demonstrate that light travels in a straight line until it strikes an object (reflection) or travels through one medium to another (refraction).
I extract the verb—“demonstrate”—and use Bloom’s Taxonomy to determine the level of cognitive demand. Since “demonstrate” falls under applying, I know students must actively show their understanding rather than just recall facts.
Step 2: Establishing the Focus
Now, define the target focus for students. What should they be able to answer or demonstrate?
Key Learning Goals
1. Students will decide whether a given object reflects or refracts light.
2. Students will illustrate how light interacts with objects using arrows.
Essential Questions
To guide them toward mastery, I ask:
1. How does light move?
2. Why do you see yourself in a mirror?
3. Why do you see color?
4. Why does a pencil appear broken in water?
Common Misconceptions
Anticipate and address misconceptions, such as:
1. “Light bounces back in one direction only.”
2. “Light can bend without passing through a new medium.”
Key Vocabulary
I integrate core vocabulary throughout discussions and encourage students to use these terms.
You have laid the foundation for a WOW lesson. You are fully prepared to move onto the next phase of the lesson plan.
Step 3: Engage (Hook Your Students)
It's time to hook your students. Starting the lesson with an engaging activity will immediately take your lesson from "blah" to "boom!"
To capture their attention and assess prior knowledge, I start with a dramatic classroom setup:
1. Turn off all lights and cover windows for complete darkness.
2. Bounce a basketball and ask students, “What do you hear?”
3. Connect sound waves to light waves—this immediately intrigues students!
Step 4: Explore (Hands-On Learning)
Now, I let students dive into active exploration, allowing them to take ownership of their learning. Exploration fosters curiosity, encourages critical thinking, and helps students form connections on their own. By investigating concepts firsthand, they build a deeper understanding rather than just memorizing facts.
1. A flashlight
2. a hand lens
3. A pencil
4. Construction paper
Students work in groups or independently to observe how light interacts with different objects. My role is to facilitate, not lecture—I ask guiding questions and let them discover patterns themselves.
Step 5: Explain (Clarify Concepts)
After exploration, students present their findings. This phase is where we clarify concepts, define key terms, and correct misconceptions. Students explain their discoveries using the target vocabulary, reinforcing their understanding through discussion. I facilitate myth-busting activities to address common misunderstandings and provide structured explanations to solidify their grasp of the material.
1. I relate bouncing a ball to reflection.
2. I explain that light bending is refraction.
3. I challenge students to re-explain their findings using tar
Step 6: Elaborate (Deepen Understanding)
To re-engage students and deepen their understanding, I set up a whole-class mirror and flashlight experiment that challenges them to apply their knowledge in a new context. This step helps students explore how reflection works beyond their initial observations, reinforcing their learning through an interactive and engaging activity:
1. I strategically place bull’s eyes around the classroom.
2. One student holds a mirror, and another directs a flashlight.
3. The challenge: Hit the bull’s eye with the reflected light.
4. Students discuss how light changes direction and explain their findings.
Step 7: Evaluate (Assess Mastery)
Evaluating students is crucial to ensure they grasp key concepts and can apply them effectively. There are two main types of assessments: formative and summative. Formative assessments help gauge understanding during the lesson, allowing for real-time adjustments, while summative assessments measure mastery at the end.
I use ABC Engage, a quick and interactive formative assessment method:
1. Each student has ABC answer cards.
2. I present a multiple-choice question.
3. Students hold up their answers.
4. They bubble in their choices on an answer document.
5. I immediately review responses and provide feedback.
This allows me to instantly gauge understanding and identify students who need extra support.
Step 8: Extend (Real-World Application)
Traditional homework often lacks engagement, so I replace it with WOW (Wonder-Observe-Work) homework, which extends the excitement of the lesson into the home. Instead of passive worksheets, I assign a hands-on project that allows students to explore concepts further in a real-world setting:
1. At home, students use a flashlight and bathroom mirror to reflect light onto a target behind them.
2. They draw a diagram showing how light moves.
This encourages deeper engagement and real-world connections without burdening parents with complicated materials.
Classroom Management Considerations
Effective classroom management is essential for creating a productive learning environment. By anticipating potential disruptions and planning ahead, you can maintain student engagement and ensure a smooth lesson flow. Consider how different aspects of your lesson may impact behavior and develop proactive strategies to keep students focused. Here are a few key considerations:
1. Darkness may cause excitement → Assign managers to hold flashlights and materials.
2. Hands-on activities may get loud → Set clear noise expectations.
3. Managing time: Have materials prepped in advance.
Differentiated Instruction (Meeting All Student Needs)
Every student learns differently, so I incorporate multiple learning anchors:
1. Visual learners → PowerPoint slides, ABC Engage.
2. Auditory learners → Group discussions, explanations.
3. Kinesthetic learners → Hands-on activities, flashlight experiments.
Emotional connections → Ask, “What if you couldn’t see? How would life be different?”
Final Thoughts
Congratulations! You’ve just designed an engaging, inquiry-based 6E lesson that keeps students interested and actively learning. Whether you teach 5th-grade science or another subject, you can apply these strategies to any lesson.
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