How do I create thinking routines in science from thinking moves?

Why build routines from thinking moves?

Thinking moves are the mental actions students use to make sense of phenomena—observing closely, reasoning with evidence, wondering, connecting ideas, taking perspectives, uncovering complexity, capturing the essence and drawing conclusions. On their own, these moves can feel like isolated exercises. A thinking routine, however, sequences a small set of moves into a repeatable pattern that becomes part of classroom culture. Project Zero researchers describe thinking routines as “simple structures,” such as a set of questions, that are used repeatedly to reveal students’ thinking and make those moves more available to them in other contexts. Routines don’t add another layer of activity; when used regularly they enhance learning because students know what mental work is expected and can focus on the content at hand.

In a phenomena-based classroom like KnowAtom’s, routines provide a shared process for sense-making. They align naturally with the lesson cadence—connecting to a phenomenon, developing a concept map, investigating, analyzing and discussing—because they simply name and sequence the thinking moves students already need to engage in. When a routine is used consistently, students internalize it and can transfer it to new situations. This builds agency and metacognition: students know how to think, not just what to do.

How to combine thinking moves into a routine

Creating a thinking routine starts with identifying the type of thinking you want to promote. Do you want students to look closely and describe? To analyze evidence and make inferences? To generate questions? Once you have a goal, choose two or three thinking moves that will get students there. Sequence them in a logical order (e.g., observe → interpret → question) and design short prompts to support each move. Keep the routine concise so it can be used repeatedly—routines become powerful only when they are part of the fabric of classroom life.

As with any routine, make it visible. Post the prompts, refer to them during lessons and model your own use of each move. Encourage students to document their thinking—on chart paper, in journals or on lab pages—and revisit these notes to see how their ideas evolve. Over time, students will need less prompting and will begin to internalize the sequence, using it independently during investigations and discussions.

A picture-thinking routine: See-Think-Wonder

One of the most versatile thinking routines is See-Think-Wonder. Designed by Project Zero’s Visible Thinking researchers, this routine invites learners to engage with an image, object or artifact by moving through three distinct moves:

1. See: Students make careful observations of the image. The purpose is to “make careful observations” —to describe exactly what they see without interpretation. Giving students quiet time to look closely encourages noticing details they might otherwise overlook.
2. Think: Students articulate what they think is going on, based on their observations. Teachers can use follow-up questions such as “What else is going on here?” or “What do you see that makes you say that?” to push students toward evidence-based interpretations.
3. Wonder: Students share what they are curious about. They articulate questions that remain for them and use these to drive further inquiry.

This sequence turns a simple picture into a launchpad for inquiry. It uses the thinking moves observe and describe, reason with evidence and wonder and question in a consistent order. Because it is repeated with different phenomena, students begin to anticipate the moves: they know to slow down, look closely, justify their interpretations and generate their own questions. According to Project Zero (2022), thinking routines like this become part of the “fabric of classroom culture” when they are used over and over.

KnowAtom’s Picture Thinking Routine and wows-and-wonders

While See-Think-Wonder is a widely used routine, KnowAtom’s curriculum begins each lesson with its own Picture Thinking Routine (PTR). The PTR invites students to think and reflect on what they notice in the photographs printed in their KnowAtom student readers. They complete part of a graphic organizer before reading, noting what they notice and what they think the image might tell them about the upcoming lesson, and then revisit their thinking after reading in a section called clarifying reflection. This pre-reading strategy helps students connect visual content to vocabulary and concepts and encourages them to re-evaluate their thinking based on new evidence from the text, hands-on activities and their classmates. Because students share their observations and reflections with peers, the routine promotes intellectual risk taking and collective knowledge building. In KnowAtom’s five-part lesson sequence, the PTR anchors the connection phase and sets the stage for the Socratic dialogue.

During the Socratic dialogue that follows, teachers use a wows-and-wonders prompt to unpack students’ reactions to the phenomenon. Students share what surprised or excited them (their “wow”) and what they still wonder about, along with any connections they notice. Recording wows and wonders on the concept map helps the class surface diverse perspectives and shapes the questions that teams will investigate next. These routines—PTR before reading and wows-and-wonders during discussion—ensure that thinking moves are visible from the very start of each KnowAtom lesson.

Embedding picture routines in KnowAtom lessons across grade spans

Every KnowAtom unit begins with students connecting to a phenomenon through text and visual artifacts, making picture-based routines a natural fit. The examples below show how See-Think-Wonder can be embedded at different grade levels using images and materials provided in KnowAtom kits. These are not extra activities; they are the way you frame the lesson’s opening and help students become active thinkers.

Kindergarten: Making Things Move

In KnowAtom’s “Making Things Move,” students explore forces by rolling toy cars down ramps. Because this example is pulled straight from the KnowAtom curriculum, the picture routine can be folded seamlessly into the lesson cadence. To launch the unit, show students a photograph from the kit of a toy car on a slope. Invite them to:

• See: Ask children to describe what they notice in the picture: the height of the ramp, the shape of the car, the direction it is pointing. Encourage them to point or draw rather than jump to explanations.
• Think: Prompt students to explain what they think will happen when the car is released. Follow up with “What do you see that makes you say that?” to connect their ideas to specific details in the image.
• Wonder: Ask students what they are curious about: “What questions do you have about how the ramp’s height affects the car’s motion?” Record their wonders on chart paper to revisit during the investigation.

Because the KnowAtom kit supplies ramps and cars, you can immediately transition from the image to hands-on exploration. As children test different ramps, refer back to their initial observations and questions, reinforcing that thinking moves guide their investigations.

Grades 1–2: Sight and Light

In KnowAtom’s “Sight and Light,” first-graders investigate how light behaves. To begin the lesson, start with a photo of sunlight streaming through a window and casting shadows on objects—an image included in the curriculum’s reader. Guide students through See-Think-Wonder:

• See: Students identify bright and dark areas, notice where shadows begin and end, and describe the materials involved (glass, curtains, tables).
• Think: Ask them to explain why some areas are lit while others are in shadow. Use prompts such as “What makes you say that?” to encourage evidence-based reasoning.
• Wonder: Invite students to generate questions like “Do all materials let light through?” or “Why is the shadow blurry?” These wonders lead naturally into the investigation where students test the transparency of materials provided in the kit.

By revisiting the students’ wonders during the concept-mapping and testing stages, you help them see how their questions drive scientific inquiry. The routine also supports vocabulary development as students use terms like transparent and opaque to explain their thinking.

Grades 3–5: Patterns in Light

In KnowAtom’s “Patterns in Light,” third-graders explore reflection and refraction. You can begin with a high-resolution image of a rainbow or light passing through a prism—materials referenced in the unit’s reader. Use See-Think-Wonder to unpack the phenomenon:

• See: Students describe the colors, shapes and angles of light in the picture. Encourage precision: “I see a band of red at the top of the spectrum.”
• Think: Ask students what they think causes the colors to separate. Follow up with “What do you see that makes you say that?” to connect their explanation to evidence in the image. Students might recall experiences with prisms or hose spray.
• Wonder: Have students pose questions such as “Would the colors look the same if we used a different material?” or “Do all light sources create rainbows?” These questions set up investigations with prisms, mirrors and flashlights from the kit.

Throughout the lesson sequence, refer back to the initial picture and the students’ recorded observations. During data analysis, ask students to compare their experimental results with what they saw in the image, helping them synthesize and organize ideas across contexts.

Grades 6–8: From Molecules to Organisms

In KnowAtom’s, “From Molecules to Organisms,” middle school students investigate cell membranes and diffusion. A picture routine can make these abstract concepts concrete. Show a micrograph of a cell membrane or an illustration from the unit’s text that highlights phospholipid bilayers and protein channels. Then:

• See: Students identify parts of the membrane—phosphate heads, lipid tails, embedded proteins—and describe patterns like the bilayer’s arrangement.
• Think: Ask what they think these structures do. Encourage students to support their ideas with evidence from the image (“I think the proteins allow molecules through because they create openings”).
• Wonder: Have students generate questions such as “Which molecules can pass through these channels?” or “How does the structure affect what gets in and out?” Their wonders become hypotheses for the model cell investigation using dialysis tubing.

By returning to the picture during the Claim-Support-Question routine, students can connect their experimental results to the membrane’s structure and refine their explanations. This exemplifies how a picture-based routine can be layered with other routines to deepen understanding.

Why thinking routines make moves stick

Thinking moves are the building blocks of student reasoning; thinking routines are the scaffolds that make these moves habitual. By sequencing a few moves into a routine like See-Think-Wonder, we help students slow down, look closely, reason with evidence and ask their own questions. Project Zero’s research notes that such routines become part of the classroom fabric through repeated use and do not take time away from learning. When embedded in KnowAtom’s phenomena-driven lessons, picture routines provide an inviting entry point for inquiry at any grade level. They align with the curriculum’s sequence—connecting to a phenomenon, concept-mapping, investigating and discussing—and leverage the images and materials already provided in KnowAtom kits. As students internalize these routines, they gain agency over their thinking and can transfer their skills to new contexts. To explore more ways to support student thinking, see our article How do thinking moves deepen student engagement in KnowAtom lessons?

References

• Ritchhart, R., Church, M., & Morrison, K. (2011). Making Thinking Visible: How to Promote Engagement, Understanding, and Independence for All Learners. Jossey-Bass.

• Project Zero. (2019). Thinking With Images. Harvard Graduate School of Education. The routine invites learners to identify correspondences between a topic and images, draw and evaluate inferences, and consider new ways of thinking.

• Project Zero. (2022). PZ’s Thinking Routines Toolbox. Thinking routines are simple structures used repeatedly to reveal students’ thinking and become part of classroom culture.

• Project Zero. (2022). See, Think, Wonder. The routine encourages careful observation, thoughtful interpretation and curiosity.