Thinking Routines / Compass Points
Compass Points
Excited, worrisome, need to know — and only then, where do you stand? Four directions that stop a class deciding first and reasoning afterwards.
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What is the Compass Points thinking routine?
Compass Points is a thinking routine that examines an idea from four directions: what excites you about it, what worries you, what you still need to know, and what your stance is. The compass letters E, W, N and S carry the four questions.
How do you run Compass Points with a class?
Put the proposal up as a single sentence and work round in order, taking Excited first because it is the easiest way in. Refuse any stance until the other three are populated. Fifteen minutes, and it works far better spoken than written.
Why does Stance have to come last?
Because children decide almost instantly, and everything after that becomes a defence of the decision. Filling three boxes first means the stance is formed from what is on the board rather than from the first instinct, which is the whole exercise.
The direction that always stays empty is North — need to know. Children are not used to being asked what information they are missing, and the first few times you will get silence. What broke it for me was banning opinions in that box entirely: only questions allowed, and only ones with an actual answer somewhere. 'Would it cost a lot?' counts. 'I think it is unfair' does not. Once a class has that rule, North becomes the most useful direction on the board.
Which subjects does Compass Points suit?
Anywhere there is a proposal on the table.
- PSHE and citizenship — a school rule, a local decision, a change somebody has suggested.
- History — a decision somebody actually made, judged before you reveal what happened.
- Science — a technology with real trade-offs: plastics, nuclear power, gene editing.
- Geography — a development proposal, a flood defence, a new road.
What usually goes wrong with Compass Points?
The class jumps to Stance and spends the rest of the routine defending it. Take the directions strictly in order, and do not accept an opinion in the Need to know box — only questions that have an answer somewhere.
Which year groups is Compass Points for?
Compass Points suits Year 4 upwards, grade 3 in the US. Younger classes manage Excited and Worrisome easily but find Need to know abstract. With Years 2 and 3, run it as two directions and add the others once the habit exists.
What do you do with it afterwards?
The Need to know quadrant is a research list the class wrote themselves. Take two of those questions, find the answers, and run the Stance box again — a stance that changes when the information arrives is the best possible demonstration of why the information mattered.
How often should you use Compass Points?
Every few weeks, whenever a genuine proposal comes up. It needs something arguable to work on, so it suits the moment a decision appears in a topic rather than a fixed slot in the timetable.
Does the order of the directions matter?
Yes, and it is the one rule worth being strict about. Excited first because it is the easiest way in, Worrisome second while goodwill is still available, Need to know third, and Stance only when the other three are populated. Run it in any other order and you get a defence of a decision already made.
| Year group | US grade | What to change | How long |
|---|---|---|---|
| Years 4–5 | Grades 3–4 | Excited and Worrisome only, then vote. | 12 min |
| Year 6 | Grade 5 | All four. Ban opinions from the Need to know box. | 18 min |
| Year 7 and up | Grade 6+ | Groups take one direction each, then present. | 25 min |
Compass Points compared with Claim, Support, Question
Compass Points starts from somebody else's proposal and asks a class to weigh it. Claim, Support, Question starts from the class's own assertion. Use Compass Points when the idea is already on the table and the question is what to make of it.
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Where this routine comes from: the Compass Points thinking routine was developed by Project Zero, a research center at the Harvard Graduate School of Education. Sage Teachers is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or connected to Harvard University or Project Zero. The prompts and the wording on this page are our own.