THOUGHTFUL CLASSROOM PROFESSIONAL LEARNING SUITES

A Professional Learning Suite

The Five Episodes of Effective Instruction

Tools and strategies for designing powerful lessons and units

Featuring Dr. Harvey Silver, today’s leading expert on instructional tools and strategies

Better Design = Deeper Learning

Great learning experiences rarely just happen; great learning is designed. As instructional expert Dr. Harvey Silver says, “The best lessons and units are the ones that are designed by teachers for their students.”

At the heart of this suite is a simple design framework called the Five Episodes of Effective Instruction that makes it easy for all teachers to design lessons and units that increase student engagement, make learning active, and promote deep understanding. In addition, the suite presents a wide range of tools and strategies for meeting key goals and addressing common challenges of instructional design.

The Five Episodes framework is designed around the research-based principles of the science of learning. Click here to learn more.

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What Tools & Strategies Will I Find In This Suite?

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MODULE ONE: Introducing the Five Episodes

Introduction – Dr. Harvey Silver presents an overview of the Five Episodes and how they support the science of learning.
Sample Five Episode unit designs developed by teachers
Access to an ASCD EXPRESS article featuring the Five Episodes framework

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MODULE TWO: Tools and Strategies for Instructional Design

For each of the Five Episodes, you’ll find these components to help you achieve the instructional goals of each episode:

Design Considerations – Brief video tutorials highlighting simple design principles for achieving the goals of each episode
Focus Tools (Video Tutorials) – Expert-guided walkthroughs of tools and strategies that best address the design principles
Additional Tools (PDFs) – Full-text tools for addressing specific design goals and challenges (excerpted from our award-winning Tools for Today’s Educators® book series
Episode in Action (Classroom Video) – Footage showing what the episode looks and sounds like in real classrooms

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MODULE THREE: Planning and Implementation Resources

Learning Window (Tool & Organizer) – A simple process for unpacking standards and clarifying instructional purposes before planning
Five Episodes Planning Template
Pre-Implementation Troubleshooting Guide
Learning from Student Work – A collaborative process ideal for helping teams and PLCs analyze student work and use it to guide instructional decision-making
Reflecting on My Learning Sequence: A Self-Assessment Guide

Click above for an advance organizer of the tools and strategies in this suite.

Your Path to Improvement Starts Here

Check Out a Sample TOOL Tutorial

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Testimonial: Mary Belcher: Suites 2

“These on-demand suites empower both instructional leaders and teachers to use tools and strategies to improve instruction, engage students in deeper learning, and customize each teacher’s own professional growth path.”

Mary Belcher

Instructional Lead and Learning Acceleration Specialist,

Kentucky Valley Educational Cooperative (KVEC) • Hazard, KY

Testimonial: Mike McQueen

“The Thoughtful Classroom Online Suites naturally and easily expanded my ability to deliver tailored and targeted professional development for my teachers. These suites have been a driving force in my school’s improvement process.”

Mike McQueen

Principal,

C.W. Davis Middle School • Flowery Branch, GA

Testimonial: Sharon Paver-Nepote

“The Thoughtful Classroom Online Suites naturally and easily expanded my ability to deliver tailored and targeted professional development for my teachers. These suites have been a driving force in my school’s improvement process.”

Dr. Sharon Paver-Nepote

Principal,

Wagoner Elementary School • Sauk Village, IL

Testimonial: Mary Belcher: Suites

“Together, the Four Cornerstones and Instructional Designer’s Toolbox suites provide the professional learning foundation that has made it possible for us to build a large-scale PD initiative focused on deeper learning.”

Mary Belcher

Instructional Lead and Learning Acceleration Specialist,

Kentucky Valley Educational Cooperative (KVEC) • Hazard, KY

Check out all of the

Thoughtful Classroom Professional Learning Suites

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Turn everyday lessons into inquiry-based learning experiences—no matter what content or grade level you teach.

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Improving Reading Comprehension

Equip students with the reading tools and skills they need to make meaning of challenging texts and understand new content deeply.

TOOLS and Strategies for Active, In-depth Learning

Unlocking the Power of Comparative Thinking

Capitalize on the untapped power of comparison: Use it to design better lessons, enhance classroom discussions, nurture creativity, and improve students’ decision making.

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Moving From Note Taking to Note Making

Help your students become active note makers who can process new learning, manage and summarize information, and use their notes to achieve various learning goals.

Using Feedback to Advance Student Learning

Create a “feedback culture” in your classroom that inspires improvement, leads to deeper learning, and helps all students develop a growth mindset.

The Five Episodes of Effective Instruction

Make the work of instructional design easier and more effective by addressing five universal goals, or episodes, that define all successful learning sequences.

The Four Cornerstones of Effective Classrooms

Learn the essential elements that characterize all effective classrooms—and use them to promote better student behavior and higher levels of thinking and learning.