At Alice King Community School, we believe that science should provide students with opportunities to enhance skills that they can use in their everyday lives. Activities that encourage critical thinking, decision-making and problem solving are at the forefront of their learning experiences. Students are encouraged to explore materials, ask questions, and express their opinions and feelings. To create a student-centered learning environment, teachers at AKCS focus on hands-on activities that get students involved in their learning by using the 5E Model (Engage, Explore, Explain, Extend, Evaluate).

Engage—The purpose of this stage gets students excited and personally involved in the lesson by generating curiosity, assessing their prior knowledge, and encouraging students to ask questions.

Explore—This stage creates the opportunity for students to become involved in the learning process by solving a problem while working with peers to ask questions and make decisions.

Explain—In order to explain their experiences and generate more in-depth questions, students are provided with the opportunity to reflect on their learning through classroom discussions.

Extend—Students are challenged to apply the new information to experiences that relate to themselves and the world around them.

Evaluate—Students are also involved in assessing their understanding of science concepts through the use of self-assessments, teacher observations, portfolios, and rubrics.