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“I Do, We Do, You Do” is one of the most effective instructional strategies for introducing new concepts and skills in the classroom. Chances are, even if you’re not calling it by name, you might already be using this model for instruction.
Today, we’re looking at what this model is, how to apply it in your classroom, and what benefits you and your students can get from following the steps.
[What is the “I Do, We Do, You Do” model?](id-what)
The “I Do, We Do, You Do” model gradually shifts responsibility for learning from the teacher to the student. Also called the Gradual Release of Responsibility (GRR), it helps students learn through observation, collaboration, and demonstration.
The framework, initially developed by researchers Doug Fisher and Nancy Frey, is structured but also highly flexible, making it easy to use across grade levels and subjects.
[3 steps of the “I Do, We Do, You Do” model](id-steps)
Key Takeaways:
“I Do” incorporates modeling and explicit front-of-class instruction.
“We Do” incorporates guided practice and collaborative student learning.
“You Do” asks students to work and practice skills independently with minimal outside assistance.
Let’s break down the three main phases of the model in sequential order to show how knowledge and responsibility for learning transfer from teachers to students:
1. I Do - Modeling and explicit instruction
The “I Do” phase serves as the foundation of a lesson. The teacher is the knowledge deliverer, and students watch and listen to learn. Showing students how to do a skill, sharing key information about a topic, and demonstrating thinking processes are all key activities during this phase. To get the most out of the “I Do” phase, try:
Demonstrating and explaining concepts: Show students how to do a new skill, try a new strategy, or understand a new idea with explicit teaching. Use manipulatives, examples, or experiments where possible.
Using think-alouds: Vocalize your reasoning and processes to students during demonstrations and explanations. This makes your thought process visible and understandable for students, helping them learn how to think when working independently.
Chunking material: To prevent working memory overload, break down new material into small, digestible steps.
Focusing on quiet concentration: Encourage students to watch and listen during this phase rather than taking notes. This allows them to focus on what’s being taught and be present in the lesson rather than trying to copy it all down for later.
2. We Do - Guided practice and collaborative learning
At this phase, also called the “extended handover” phase, the teacher and students work together and share the responsibility for learning. The teacher’s role here is to guide students closer to independent learning. You can do that by refreshing students' memories about specific information, asking guiding questions, and providing additional reteach opportunities.
To get the most out of the “We Do” phase, try:
Scaffolded support: Work through new examples together with the class to provide additional scaffolding, prompting, and guidance.
Collaboration: Encourage whole-class work, partner projects, or small-group work to practice the new skills. This allows students to work together and the teacher to provide more targeted help to students who need it.
Prioritizing formative assessments: Ask questions constantly during this phase to informally evaluate what students are learning. This immediate feedback can help you decide if you need to do more guided practice, pivot back to explicit instruction, or move on to independent work.
3. You Do - Independent application and practice
In this phase, students take on the majority of the responsibility for applying their learning. The teacher’s role here is to answer questions and provide feedback on activities, projects, or assessments.
To get the most out of the “You Do” phase, try:
Goal alignment: Ensure that independent practice activities align with lesson objectives and standards. The “You Do” phase measures previously taught material and shouldn’t be used to introduce extension activities that teach new skills.
Classroom circulation: Even when students work independently, circulate the room, monitor their efforts, and provide feedback. Circulating can also help you see which students may need more support.
Differentiation: Match tasks to students’ needs. Independent practice should demonstrate what students can do on their own and be challenging without being overwhelming.
Varied contexts and modalities: Offer opportunities for students to apply their skills in various ways, such as through writing, traditional assessments, or project-based learning.
Accessibility: Structure independent assignments for accessibility. Chunk complex instructions, provide English language learner (ELL) supports, and provide in-class practice time instead of just homework to ensure access to necessary resources.
[What are the benefits of using the “I Do, We Do, You Do” model in the classroom?](id-benefits)
Key Takeaways:
Gradual release of responsibility helps move new information into long-term memory and boosts retention.
The build-up to independent learning increases confidence and encourages students to take ownership of their learning..
“I Do, We Do, You Do” aligns with learning science, potentially increasing the chances of success and achieving desired learning outcomes.
The “I Do, We Do, You Do” model supports how students naturally learn best. Other benefits of using this model in the classroom include:
Boosting retention
Guided and independent practice helps move new information from working memory into long-term memory. This improves fluency and automatic recall. Once it’s in long-term memory, the lesson is more likely to stick! Breaking down lessons into smaller steps and providing models can help minimize the pressure on students’ limited working memory, too.
Encouraging independence
This process helps students take ownership of their learning. Scaffolding instruction helps students build confidence, problem-solving skills, and self-discipline. The “I Do, We Do, You Do” method lets students test out knowledge and skills in a lower-stakes environment rather than trying to skill-and-drill it all before a big test.
Aligning with learning science
The “I Do, We Do, You Do” method closely aligns with proven learning science, especially Barak Rosenshine’s Principles of Instruction. This research combines three distinct areas of study—cognitive science, classroom practices, and cognitive support—to show how they complement each other. Key areas where the method and research overlap include:
Presenting new material in smaller chunks.
Providing models and worked examples during lessons.
Using scaffolding for difficult tasks.
Asking questions during guided practice to check for understanding.
Designing tasks to achieve a high success rate.
[What does the “I Do, We Do, You Do” model look like in different subjects?](id-subject)
Here are a few examples of how you can use the “I Do, We Do, You Do” method to teach knowledge and skills across core subjects:
ELA
Concept: Annotating a text
I Do: Read a text excerpt and model how to annotate it, showing key details and explaining why you’re highlighting or underlining them.
We Do: Ask the class to annotate a similar passage in small groups using highlights, sticky notes, or digital tools. Ask guiding questions to inform their decisions.
You Do: Students receive a new passage to annotate independently and apply their skills.
Social studies
Concept: Understanding rules and laws
I Do: Read a text about rules or laws and model thinking aloud about their purpose.
We Do: Brainstorm classroom or school rules as a whole group and discuss the purposes of each one.
You Do: Ask students to create a new classroom rule and explain its importance.
Science
Concept: Photosynthesis
I Do: Show a video about the process of photosynthesis and use a think-aloud to demonstrate how to approach investigating a new phenomenon.
We Do: In pairs, students can practice putting the steps of photosynthesis in order with a matching activity.
You Do: Students create their own diagrams or models that illustrate the process of photosynthesis.
Math
Concept: Multi-digit multiplication
I Do: Demonstrate the steps of multiplying, like ensuring place value is lined up. Vocally explain each step as you work through the problems.
We Do: Present a new problem and invite students to work through it as a whole class, prompting them to explain the steps.
You Do: Students work on problems independently while you circulate the room and monitor for gaps in instruction.
[What would happen if you flipped the model to “You Do, We Do, I Do?”](id-flipped)
Could this model actually work in reverse? With “You Do, We Do, I Do,” you can encourage more student exploration and agency. The role of the teacher shifts from knowledge deliverer to learning facilitator, creating a rapid release of responsibility that helps students build persistence, resilience, and resourcefulness.
The flipped model works like this:
You Do: Introduce a problem, challenge students to ponder it, and work toward solutions without prior teaching or modeling.
We Do: Students move from individual exploration to collaborative work to share and refine their thinking.
I Do: Synthesize learning based on the methods students have already explored.
[How to do “I Do, We Do, You Do” with Formative](id-formative)
Key Takeaways:
Formative’s Lesson View for “I Do” allows you to present to students at the front of the class at your own pace.
Formative assessments and activities help collect data on student readiness during the “We Do” phase.
Student practice sets provide additional opportunities for students to work and learn independently.
Create end-to-end lessons on Formative that allow you to tackle every part of the “I Do, We Do, You Do” method using just one tool. Here’s how:
“I Do” with lesson delivery
Formative’s lesson view gives a presentation-style layout that shows each item of your lesson on its own slide. Add images, videos, text, and interactive questions to help you with modeling and explicit instruction. As part of this view, you can also use Lesson Blocks to generate questions and activities for targeted lesson progression.
With teacher-paced presentation mode, you can control the pace of the lesson so the whole class can process together.
“We Do” with formative assessments
Focus on formative assessments during the “We Do” phase. Generate activities from scratch, use AI to generate questions or content, or select premade activities from the Formative Library. Add these activities or assessments right to your lesson presentation so they’ll appear automatically as you present content to your class.
“You Do” with independent practice
Get students working on their own by assigning activities or creating independent practice sets.
Develop a Formative activity and assign it in student-paced mode for independent classwork or homework. Provide instant feedback and get an overview of how independent learning looks for individual students or the whole class.
You can also create student practice sets for any subject to help students review key terms, solve math problems, or review concepts. Try it in flashcard, match, quiz, or writing mode.
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