Explicit Instruction Sequence Builder (I Do / We Do / You Do)

What This Skill Does

Generates a complete gradual release of responsibility sequence for teaching a specific skill: a scripted "I Do" (teacher models with think-aloud), a structured "We Do" (guided practice with teacher-student interaction), and a designed "You Do" (independent practice with monitoring points). The output includes checking-for-understanding moments at each transition and a timing guide. AI is specifically valuable here because effective explicit instruction requires the teacher to make invisible expert thinking visible — breaking down a skill they perform automatically into discrete, teachable steps with articulated reasoning. This decomposition of expert performance is cognitively demanding and is where most explicit instruction falls short.

Evidence Foundation

Rosenshine (2012) synthesised decades of research into ten Principles of Instruction, with explicit instruction at the core: begin with a short review, present new material in small steps with practice after each step, provide models, guide student practice, check for understanding, and obtain a high success rate. Pearson & Gallagher (1983) formalised the gradual release of responsibility model — the teacher begins by carrying all cognitive load (I Do), progressively shares it with students (We Do), then transfers it entirely (You Do). Archer & Hughes (2011) operationalised explicit instruction for practitioners, emphasising that the "I Do" phase must include not just demonstration but articulation of the decision-making process — students need to hear why each step is taken, not just see it done. Hattie (2009) found direct instruction has an effect size of 0.59, consistently among the highest-impact teaching approaches. Engelmann & Carnine (1982) established that the sequence and structure of examples in explicit instruction dramatically affects learning — examples must be carefully selected to highlight critical features and minimise ambiguity.

Input Schema

The teacher must provide:

• Skill to teach: The specific skill or concept. e.g. "Writing a topic sentence for an analytical paragraph" / "Converting between fractions, decimals, and percentages" / "Setting up a Bunsen burner safely"
• Student level: Year group and prior knowledge. e.g. "Year 8, can write paragraphs but don't structure analytical writing" / "Year 7, first time using lab equipment"
• Lesson time: Available minutes. e.g. "50 minutes" / "60 minutes"

Optional (injected by context engine if available):

• Common misconceptions: Known errors with this skill