9 Essentials for an Explicit Teaching Classroom
This guide outlines essential tools and displays for an explicit teaching classroom setup. Includes free templates to help you get started!
You have been instructed that the pedagogy at your school is explicit instruction.
It's all new to you and you don't know where to start. Here's a list of essential tools and displays to help you start your explicit teaching classroom setup.
Lesson Objective Posters
Lesson Objective posters display to the student what they are learning and how they can achieve success. There are multiple words or differing terminology used depending on your school, but they all serve the same purpose.
Lesson Objective posters include:
Learning Intention / Lesson Objective / We are learning to (WALT)
Success Criteria / What I'm looking for (WILF)
This is because (TIB)
Modelled Response / Exemplar / What a good one looks like (WAGOLL)
How to Use Lesson Objective Posters
Some teachers display these at the beginning of each lesson. Others prefer to display them on the wall for an entire unit. No matter your preference, this is my number one essential for an explicit teaching classroom setup.
You may choose to print and laminate a design you like. You can write on the laminated sheet, blu-tac it to the wall, and easily erase and reuse it.
You may also wish to print, laminate, and use magnetic tape to attach the posters to your whiteboard. This makes it easy to write the learning focus underneath and change it frequently.
👉Browse free lesson objective posters here
I Do, We Do, You Do Posters
Implementing the Gradual Release of Responsibility in explicit teaching can be difficult without clear boundaries. An effective teacher sets expectations and routines. Displaying “I Do, We Do, You Do” posters can support this.
These posters act as visual reminders for students to understand where they are in the learning process and what is expected of them at each stage.
You can use editable templates to suit your classroom needs.
Feedback Station
Feedback is an essential part of explicit teaching. While verbal feedback occurs during modelled and guided instruction, independent tasks require more structured feedback.
A feedback station gathers all your feedback tools in one place. This helps save time and keeps everything organised.
Your feedback station might include:
Unit success criteria / criteria sheets in student-friendly language
Checklists and exemplars
Quality work samples
A marking tray
Certificates
Stickers
Stamps
Coloured pens
Goal-Setting Display
Setting goals makes learning feel achievable and helps students celebrate progress. While it’s not a formal component of explicit teaching, it complements it well.
Link your goals to unit or lesson success criteria to give students ownership of their learning. Display these goals visibly in the classroom.
Unit Overview Display
For each unit, students need to know:
What they are learning
How they can succeed
How they will be assessed
What quality work looks like
Displaying this clearly in your classroom ensures students can always refer back to it when needed.
Data Wall or Progress Tracker
A visual tracker shows students how they’re progressing towards success criteria. This might be a data wall, a booklet, or an individual progress tracker.
It should include:
A list of unit success criteria
Each student’s progress (at, above, or below standard)
Ensure it’s fluid and updateable to reinforce that student progress is always possible.
Lesson Template
Explicit teaching lessons follow a consistent structure. Save time by using a pre-designed lesson slide deck that you can modify for each lesson.
This makes lesson planning faster and more consistent.
👉Click to download a free template
Whiteboards / Dry Erase Pockets
These are perfect for guided instruction. Students receive immediate feedback and can make corrections on the spot — without feeling like they made a “mistake.”
Graphic Organisers
Graphic organisers support guided instruction and independent tasks. Laminate and reuse them for year-round support.
Recommended for Maths:
Number lines
Place value charts
Tens frames
Part-part-whole mats
Hundreds charts
Problem-solving mats
Clock templates
Fact family charts
Comparing numbers charts
Recommended for English:
Paragraph planners
Writing plans (all genres)
Reading strategy prompts
Brainstorm charts
Mind maps
Phoneme charts
Venn diagrams
👉Find free graphic organiser templates here
Your Explicit Teaching Classroom Setup
In summary, these nine tools and displays are essential to an explicit teaching classroom:
Lesson objective posters
“I Do, We Do, You Do” displays
Feedback stations
Goal-setting boards
Unit overview displays
Data walls / progress trackers
Lesson templates
Reusable whiteboards
Graphic organisers
With careful planning and the right tools, you can implement explicit instruction effectively and maximise student outcomes.
Have Your Say
Which of these displays do you use in your explicit teaching?
What’s on your list of essentials for an explicit teaching classroom setup?