Free for teachers
5E model lesson plan generator
Give Sparky a topic and a grade. You get a 5E lesson plan where students explore before you explain, with a check for understanding in every phase, that you can print or save as a Google Doc or Word file.
Used by 250,000+ teachers, and built to FERPA, COPPA and GDPR standards.
How the 5E lesson plan generator works
Name the topic and grade
Type a request such as "a printable 5E lesson on moon phases for 6th grade". Sparky often asks how long your class is or which standard you teach before it writes. Without the word printable or document, it may write the plan in the chat.
Read the five phases
Sparky lays the plan out as a document next to the chat, one phase after another. Type a change such as "make Explore a lab", and Sparky edits that same document.
Teach from it
Print a copy for your sub folder, paste it into your planner, or export it as a Google Doc or Word file. Save as PDF is in the Download menu.
What you can put in a 5E lesson plan
Explore before Explain
Sparky is told to keep the phases distinct and to put exploration before the formal explanation. Students work with a model, a lab or a problem first, and the vocabulary comes after.
A check in every phase
Each phase says what to look or listen for, and Evaluate ends with an exit ticket and its answers, all tied to the lesson's objective.
Minutes that add up
Tell Sparky your period length, or that your school runs 90-minute blocks, and each phase gets a time that fits. Change the length later and Sparky retimes the same plan.
The standard you teach
Paste a code like NGSS MS-ESS1-1 or paste your state's wording. Sparky puts it in the plan and writes the objective to match.
Your 5E template
Attach the template your school or district uses and ask Sparky to fill it in, so the plan matches what your principal expects to see.
Student pages to go with it
Ask in this chat for a recording sheet for Explore, slides for Explain or a reading for Elaborate. Sparky makes each as a separate file.
Ways teachers use it
Science labs
Build a lesson around a lab students run before they hear the explanation, so they arrive at Explain with data to talk about.
Math lessons
Students try a problem in Explore with what they already know, and you teach the method once they have seen why they need it.
Lessons you already teach
Paste or attach a lesson that starts with a lecture and ask Sparky to reorder it into the five phases.
Lessons over several days
A long lab or project can spread the phases across two or three periods, each one with its own start and stopping point.
Data privacy
Safe to use with student work
What happens to the files you upload and what your students write in Flint.
Not used to train AI
Student data in Flint is never used to train AI models.
Not shared
Flint does not share student data, or any other user data, with third parties.
Kept separate
Each school's data is kept apart from every other school's, and the AI providers Flint runs on can't reach it.
Signed agreements, on request
Flint signs a data processing agreement with any school that needs one, written to US state law and EU GDPR.
What teachers say about Flint
"Flint promotes inquiry-based learning, fosters independent scientific thinking, and [leads] to deeper student engagement and more meaningful reflections in scientific inquiry."
Aldo Hutagalung
MYP Science and DP Physics at Changchun American International School
"While I have successfully integrated other platforms for lesson planning and content creation, Flint's student-centered approach is what truly sets it apart."
Phillip Rustamov
STEM, ICT, CS, and Robotics Teacher at the Canadian School of Tashkent
"[Flint] is very useful for differentiating instruction in the classroom. Each student has their own needs and can progress at their own pace, which adapts to the level of each learner."
Marina López Gémez
MYP Science Teacher at Changchun American International School
Frequently asked questions
What is the 5E model?
A way to sequence a lesson in five phases: Engage, Explore, Explain, Elaborate and Evaluate. Students explore an idea before the teacher explains it. BSCS Science Learning has used the model since the late 1980s and traces it to an earlier science learning cycle.
Is the 5E lesson plan generator free?
Yes. Teachers use it for free, with no cap on the number of 5E plans.
Can it fill in my 5E lesson plan template?
Yes. Attach your school's template as a Word file or PDF, or bring it in from Google Drive or OneDrive, and ask Sparky to use it. Without a template, Sparky lays the plan out with an objective, materials and the five phases in order. For a blank 5E template to print, download the Word file on our lesson plan templates page.
Why did Sparky write the plan in the chat instead of a document?
Sparky often writes a 5E plan in the chat, or asks about your class first. Ask for a printable plan or a document, as in "a printable 5E lesson on moon phases", and Sparky puts the plan in a document you can print.
Can I print it or save it as a Google Doc, Word file or PDF?
The buttons above the plan copy it, print it, open it as a Google Doc in your Drive, or download a Word file. To get a PDF, pick Save as PDF from the plan's Download menu, or from your browser's print window after pressing Print.
Does the 5E model work outside science?
Yes. The model began in science, but math, social studies and English lessons can follow the same order: students try a problem, read a source or look at a text before you teach the idea. Tell Sparky the subject and it plans the Explore phase for it.
How is this different from the AI lesson plan generator?
This tool always plans in the five 5E phases, with exploration before explanation. The AI lesson plan generator plans in any format, like gradual release or your school's own layout.
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