Thinking Routines / The Explanation Game
The Explanation Game
Four questions that turn a one-word answer into a paragraph. Name it, explain it, give the reasons, and then answer the hardest one of the four — so what?
Opens on the whiteboard to model with the class · no sign-up · printing is optional
The sheet it prints — optional
What is The Explanation Game thinking routine?
The Explanation Game is a thinking routine that builds an explanation in four steps: name the thing, explain what it is, give the reasons it is that way, and say why it matters. Each answer feeds the next, so the last one is doing real work.
How do you run The Explanation Game with a class?
Put the object or picture up and take each rung in turn, refusing to move on until the current one is properly answered. The temptation is to rush to 'so what?' — do not. A weak explanation makes the significance impossible to see.
Why does the 'So what?' step matter?
Because it is the difference between describing and understanding. Children can usually name and describe. Asking what would be different if this did not exist forces them to work out what the thing is actually for, which is the point of the lesson.
It looks like a writing frame and it is not one, which took me a while to work out. The first few times I ran it as four written boxes and got four disconnected sentences. It works far better spoken, as a whole class, with me scribing — because the reasons step only produces anything good when three or four children argue about it. Write it up afterwards if you want it in books. Year 5 and 6 get the most out of it.
Which subjects does The Explanation Game suit?
Strongest on a single object or mechanism you can point at.
- Science — a piece of equipment, a structure, an adaptation.
- History — an artefact whose purpose is not obvious.
- Design and technology — why a thing is shaped the way it is.
- Art — a technique, a material, a choice the artist made.
What usually goes wrong with The Explanation Game?
Rushing to the last rung. 'So what?' is the interesting question, so classes want to get there — but it is unanswerable on top of a weak explanation. Hold them on 'give reasons' until the reasons are actually good, even when it feels slow.
Which year groups is The Explanation Game for?
The Explanation Game suits Year 4 upwards, grade 3 in the US. Four steps is a lot to hold for younger children; with Years 2 and 3, run the first three and stop. The 'so what?' question needs enough knowledge to have an opinion about.
What do you do with it afterwards?
Read the four boxes aloud in order. If it holds together as one paragraph, the explanation is sound; if it lurches, you can see exactly which rung was weak. It also turns straight into a written explanation without needing a separate planning stage.
How often should you use The Explanation Game?
Every couple of weeks. Four rungs takes twenty minutes to do well, so it works as a lesson rather than a starter. It suits the point in a topic where children can name things confidently but have not yet been asked why any of it matters.
| Year group | US grade | What to change | How long |
|---|---|---|---|
| Years 4–5 | Grades 3–4 | First three rungs only. Scribe for them. | 15 min |
| Year 6 | Grade 5 | All four, spoken first, then written. | 20–25 min |
| Year 7 and up | Grade 6+ | Independent, then compare 'so what?' answers. | 30 min |
The Explanation Game compared with Claim, Support, Question
The Explanation Game builds understanding of something nobody disputes — how a thing works, why it looks like that. Claim, Support, Question is for material a class can genuinely disagree about. Pick by whether there is an argument to be had.
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Where this routine comes from: the The Explanation Game 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.