Our PLUS units and STEM-CIP curriculum modules utilize a 5E (Engagement, Exploration, Explanation, Elaboration, and Evaluation) teaching, learning, and assessing cycle based on research evidence that students learn science best by doing. Our inquiry-based instruction is both hands-on and minds-on. Each module includes lessons and activities that vary from teacher-centered activities to independent student-centered investigations. By utilizing this 5E cycle, we promote different levels of inquiry, progressing from confirmatory, to structured, to guided, to open.