The See Think Wonder routine encourages students to:

• • make careful observations
  • make thoughtful interpretations

It helps to:

• • stimulate curiosity
  • set the stage for inquiry

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Documenting Thinking

In this routine, students are generally sharing their thinking at each step along the way before moving on to the next one. This allows the class to build on the group's thinking and often results in richer discussions.
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It can be very useful to document the thinking at each stage, although this is not always necessary. If you are wanting to document thinking as your students engage with the routine ​See Think Wonder then this template may be useful.

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THE ROUTINE IN ACTION

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The See Think Wonder thinking routine (Ritchhart et al, 2011) is one of the first routines I introduce to students to help them unpack their thinking and wonderings about different stimuli. It is a highly versatile routine that works really well with visual images, short clips, artifacts, patterns, small texts or picture books.
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Read the blog post Using the See Think Wonder Routine to read about how I use and adapt this thinking routine in the classroom. 
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In my new book The Thinking Classroom: Supporting educators to embed critical and creative thinking, I talk about using the See Think Wonder routine across the curriculum, sharing puzzles of practice from my classroom over the last 6 years. Click the book image to order your copy from my publisher Amba Press.

Order your copy of The Thinking Classroom today

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Adapting the Language
You can make adjustments to the language of the See Think Wonder routine based on the type of stimulus you are using and the end goal of using the routine with your students. 

I often add observing and noticing to the language of seeing.

I also prompt my students to explore beyond thinking just about what they think is going on by asking them to think about the why. Asking for justification of thinking, requires students to show depth of understanding and provide reasons for their current thinking. 

​This becomes a great assessment tool for examining what level of knowledge students have and highlights opportunities to identify where to take student understanding and thinking next. 

A template to explore geographical knowledge

Adapting the See Think Wonder routine in Mathematics to explore fractions

A template to explore digital texts

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Here are some additonal examples of how this routine can be used across the curriculum:​​

• English: to explore images or text
• History: to examine images from a particular point in history, e.g. The Gallipoli Campaign 
• Mathematics: to explore mathematical concepts represented using visuals or concrete materuals 
• Science: to explore scientific theories and investigations 
• Geography: to examine images, artifacts, photographs of different environments, places, natural disasters etc.

Examining images from the Gallipoli Campaign in History

Examining objects in Science

Interpreting data in a table in Mathematics