A foundational professional development launch and comprehensive 8-session series framework for Edgewood 4th-6th grade educators. Connects Anita Archer's explicit instruction architecture with John Hattie's Visible Learning research to elevate student outcomes across ELA, Math, Social Studies, and Science.
Gains made solely through natural student aging.
d = 0.15–0.40
Typical Teacher
Standard baseline gains without intentional explicit levers.
d > 0.40
Desired Zone
High-leverage Tier 1 strategies that double learning rate!
Interactive Prompt: Why must universal Tier 1 instruction live exclusively in the Zone of Desired Effects? Table Share
Tier 1 Instructional Rhythm
Anita Archer’s 6 Teaching Functions
1. Daily Review
Activate prerequisite knowledge in the first 5 minutes to anchor today's Tier 1 objective.
2. Presentation ("I Do")
Teach in small steps with clear demonstrations and transparent think-aloud modeling.
3. Guided Practice ("We Do")
Lead students through practice with prompts, high dialogue, and constant checks for understanding.
4. Feedback & Correction
Intercept errors immediately. Praise what is correct and promptly reteach misunderstandings.
5. Independent ("You Do")
Students practice only when ready, achieving 90–95% accuracy while you actively circulate.
6. Cumulative Review
Weekly and monthly distributed retrieval to lock learning into permanent memory.
Fist-to-Five Check: How consistently do you implement Function 3 (Guided Practice "We Do") before releasing students to independent work?
Show Hands (0–5)
Pedagogical Guardrails
Archer’s 6 Principles of Effective Instruction
1. Optimize Academic Learning Time
Maximize engaged minutes. Cut dead time during transitions.
2. Promote High Levels of Success
Engineer 80–90% success in Tier 1 guided work before independent tasks.
3. Prioritize Critical Content
Dedicate the lion's share of Tier 1 time to power standards.
4. Dynamic Grouping Structures
Use flexible, responsive groupings based on real-time checks.
5. Scaffold Complex Cognitive Tasks
Provide structured sentence stems, graphic anchors, and faded cues.
6. Address All Forms of Knowledge
Balance Declarative (what), Procedural (how), and Conditional (why).
Reflection Pause: In Principle 2, if students leave the rug with only 50% success, what happens during independent work? Quick Jot
High-Leverage Alignment
The 16 Elements Linked to Hattie Effect Sizes
d = 0.82
Active Discussion
Element 11: Unison choral responses, think-pair-share, and write-and-show boards.
d = 0.75
Teacher Clarity
Elements 5 & 8: Explicit goal statements and concise, distraction-free language.
d = 0.70
Targeted Feedback
Element 13: Immediate affirmative feedback and real-time error correction.
d = 0.65
Spaced Practice
Element 16: Distributed cumulative retrieval warm-ups across units.
d = 0.60
Metacognition
Element 7: Transparent internal cognition through teacher think-aloud modeling.
d = 0.58
Scaffolding
Elements 3 & 10: Chunking complex skills and fading guided prompts.
Interactive Scan: Which of these 6 levers would provide the biggest immediate lift in your classroom? Signal with Fingers 1–6
Collaborative Action
Departmental Breakout: Tier 1 Action Lab
Step 1: Target Standard
Identify 1 upcoming priority standard in your curriculum where Tier 1 failure rates have historically been high.
Step 2: Functions Audit
Diagnose: Are students struggling due to rushed modeling ("I Do") or skipped guided practice ("We Do")?
Step 3: Plan Active Routine
Design 1 unison active response routine (choral, gesture, or dry-erase) to ensure 100% participation tomorrow.
Duration: 20 Minutes • Work in Departmental Teams (ELA, Math, Science, Social Studies) Record in Participant Guide
The Path Forward
The 8-Session Journey to Tier 1 Excellence
Session 1 (Today)
Tier 1 Launch & WHY
Functions, Principles & Hattie Hinge Point.
Session 2 (Next)
Curriculum Alignment
Elements 1–4: Fidelity to Curriculum & Practice.
Session 3
Elements 5–7
Clear Goals & Think-Aloud "I Do" Modeling.
Session 4
Elements 8–10
Concise Language & Guided "We Do" Practice.
Session 5
Elements 11–12
Active Engagement & Vigilant Monitoring.
Session 6
Element 13
Immediate Affirmative & Corrective Feedback.
Session 7
Elements 14–15
Brisk Pacing & Graphic Organizers.
Session 8
Element 16 & Capstone
Cumulative Review & Department Showcase.
Upcoming: 30-Minute Session 2 on Curriculum Alignment & Fidelity Edgewood Community Schools
Never jump from "I Do" directly to independent work without explicit "We Do".
1 Target Standard Identification (Content-Area Focus) Which upcoming standard shows historical ILEARN struggles?
2 Function Analysis: Where Does Cognitive Overload Occur? Examine: Review, Modeling, Guided Practice, or Independent Work?
3 Micro-Routine Design: Unison Active Response Routine Effect Size d = 0.82
Script the exact teacher cue, think-time pause, and student response prompt (Choral, Partner Stem, or Gesture):
Inter-Session Implementation Commitment
Before Session 2
My Peer Observation Partner:
Target Implementation Date & Period:
"I commit to testing my unison active response routine during daily instruction and engaging in a 15-minute peer observation debrief prior to Session 2."
Edgewood Community Schools • Academic Professional Development Page 2 of 2 • Departmental Action & Commitments
Element 4: Design Organized Lessons
Eliminate instructional drift. Anchor the lesson with a crisp opening, deliberate gradual release, and rapid cumulative check.
Reflection Poll: Which element (1, 2, 3, or 4) requires the most intentional planning in your current curriculum? Signal 1, 2, 3, or 4
Practical Decision Tool
The "Keep, Enhance, Replace" Alignment Filter
KEEP
Core Curricular Assets
• Core reading passages & anchor texts
• Priority math problem sets
• Essential unit vocabulary & labs
ENHANCE
Instructional Delivery
• Add live think-aloud modeling ("I Do")
• Add choral / whiteboard checks ("We Do")
• Add immediate affirmative praise
REPLACE
Passive Habits
• Replace "read silently alone" with choral
• Replace single-student calling with unison
• Replace premature independent work
"We honor our curriculum not by following every printed suggestion blindly, but by ensuring every child learns its content."
Interactive Collaboration 10-Minute Department Sprint
Departmental Alignment Lab (Grades 4–6)
ELA Department Task
Look at next week's adopted reading lesson. Where will you chunk the text into 3-sentence segments and script an explicit think-aloud?
Mathematics Department Task
Examine the upcoming textbook problem set. Convert the first 3 textbook problems into teacher-modeled and guided worked-examples.
Science Department Task
Review the upcoming lab/unit text. Create an explicit vocabulary choral-pronounce routine and a structured Claim-Evidence frame.
Social Studies Department Task
Select the upcoming primary source or historical text. Build a 2-minute daily retrieval warmup of previous concepts.
Team Deliverable: Identify 1 specific lesson next week where you will apply the "Enhance" filter. 1 Spokesperson Per Team
30-Minute Synthesis
Whole-Room Debrief & Classroom Commitment
The 60-Second Department Whip-Around
Each department spokesperson shares: "In next week’s unit, we are keeping [Curriculum Asset] and enhancing our delivery by [Archer Element 1–4 Routine]."
Individual Commitment Before Session 3
Deliver at least one enhanced curriculum lesson using Elements 1–4. Note student engagement and success rates during the "We Do" guided practice phase.
Next Up: Session 3 • Elements 5–7 (Masterful "I Do" Think-Alouds) Edgewood Community Schools
