The 5E model of learning comprises of 5 stages of inquiry: Engage, Explore, Explain, Elaborate, and Evaluate. 

1. Students ‘Engage’ with the new content. This stage is synonymous to the ‘Orientation’ phase of the Basic Approach. In this phase:

• elicit prior knowledge
• students make connections between past and present learning
• arouse curiosity in students and mentally engage them

2. Students make predictions and ‘Explore’ the topic. Students:

• design experiments and predict outcomes
• actively manipulate and experiment
• record their unbiased observations

3. Students ‘Explain’ their understanding of the topic. In this phase:

• students develop explanations for the investigated phenomena based on the evidence they have collected
• students verbalize their understanding
• new terms, definitions, and explanations are provided by the teacher to deepen or broaden student-understanding

4. Students ‘Elaborate’ on their understanding i.e. they deepen and/or broaden their knowledge on the same by applying their learning to novel situations.

5. Students (and teachers) ‘Evaluate’ learning. Here, students check whether they have met their learning goals and can also assess their learning process.