Thinking Routines / I See, I Think, I Wonder
I See, I Think, I Wonder
Three questions that stop a class jumping to the answer: what is actually there, what it might mean, and what they still want to know.
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What is the See, Think, Wonder thinking routine?
See, Think, Wonder is a thinking routine in which a class describes what they can observe, then what they think it means, then what it makes them curious about. Keeping the three apart is the point: it stops children leaping to an interpretation and calling it an observation.
How do you run See, Think, Wonder with a class?
Show the stimulus and take only observations first, refusing anything that starts with 'I think'. Write them up. Then take interpretations, and make each one point back to an observation already on the board. Finish with the questions it raised. Ten minutes is plenty.
What makes a good stimulus for See, Think, Wonder?
Anything with more in it than one idea. Paintings with several things happening, photographs of unfamiliar places, historical objects, a graph with a strange spike. Avoid pictures that give up their meaning at a glance — there is nothing left to think about once the class has named it.
The single change that made this work in my classroom was refusing the word 'because' in the first column. As soon as one child says 'I see a sad man because his shoulders are down', everyone else follows and the whole routine collapses into interpretation. So I stop them, write 'shoulders down' in the See column, and hold 'sad' back for the next one. It feels pedantic for about ninety seconds and then the class starts policing it themselves, which is when you know it has landed. Year 3 and 4 take to it fastest.
Which subjects does See, Think, Wonder suit?
It works anywhere there is something to look at closely.
- History — a photograph of a street, an artefact, a page from a diary.
- Science — a specimen, a piece of equipment, a graph with a strange shape.
- English — a book illustration, a film still, the cover before they read it.
- Art and geography — a painting, an aerial photograph, a landscape that raises a question.
What usually goes wrong with See, Think, Wonder?
Two things. The class treats the first column as a warm-up and races through it, which leaves the interpretations with nothing to stand on. And one confident child sets the reading for everybody else, so take three observations in silence before any discussion starts.
Which year groups is See, Think, Wonder for?
See, Think, Wonder works from Year 1 upwards, which is kindergarten in the US. Younger children need a picture with an obvious subject and lots of pace. By Year 5 the interesting part is the disagreement, so leave time for it rather than rushing to the last question.
What do you do with it afterwards?
Photograph the board. The Wonder column is a ready-made list of research questions, and the Think column is a record of what the class believed before you taught anything — which is worth putting back up at the end of the unit so they can see what changed and what did not.
How often should you use See, Think, Wonder?
Weekly is about right. It is a routine rather than a lesson, and the value comes from a class knowing the three steps well enough that you no longer have to explain them. Used every day it goes stale; used once a term it never becomes automatic.
| Year group | US grade | What to change | How long |
|---|---|---|---|
| Years 1–2 | Grades K–1 | One clear subject. Accept single words; ask 'where can you see that?' | 5 min |
| Years 3–4 | Grades 2–3 | A busy scene. Insist observations carry no opinion. | 10 min |
| Years 5–6 | Grades 4–5 | Something ambiguous. Let them disagree and make them cite the picture. | 15–20 min |
See, Think, Wonder compared with What Makes You Say That?
Both routines slow a class down before it interprets. See, Think, Wonder separates the three moves into three lists, which suits a first lesson. What Makes You Say That? pins each interpretation to its own evidence, which is harder and better once the habit exists. Teach this one first.
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Where this routine comes from: the I See, I Think, I Wonder 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.