How do thinking moves deepen student engagement in KnowAtom lessons?

Why thinking moves matter

Learning science research is clear: learning happens when students engage in thinking, not just when they complete tasks. Ron Ritchhart and his colleagues at Harvard’s Project Zero found that teachers often use the word think frequently without articulating what mental work they expect from students (Ritchhart, Church & Morrison, 2011). Students may equate “thinking” with finishing a worksheet or recalling facts, which leads to compliance rather than curiosity. To move beyond this, the Making Thinking Visible project identifies eight thinking moves—such as observing closely, reasoning with evidence and making connections—that underlie deep understanding (Ritchhart et al., 2011). When teachers build lessons around these moves, students become active sense-makers rather than passive receivers.

Integrating thinking moves into your lesson routine

These strategies are not add-on activities but ways to frame the existing KnowAtom lesson sequence. Each suggestion fits naturally within the routine of connecting to a phenomenon, developing a concept map, investigating, analyzing and discussing. The aim is to name and notice thinking moves as the lesson unfolds rather than tacking on an extra step at the end.

• Post and name the moves. Create a classroom anchor chart or poster that lists the eight thinking moves. Refer to it during the concept-mapping and Socratic dialogue stages so students internalize the vocabulary and understand that thinking is an action, not a vague directive.
• Model with think-alouds. When introducing a phenomenon or reading a text, verbalize your own thinking: “I’m going to start by describing what I notice about this diagram”. This demonstrates how to engage in the moves and lowers the barrier for students within the routine.
• Use sentence starters. Provide prompts such as “I notice…”, “One reason is…”, “This reminds me of…”, and “I wonder…”. These scaffolds help students practice reasoning with evidence, making connections and asking questions during discussions and analysis.
• Allocate reflection time. Build brief pauses into the debrief where students record which thinking moves they used and how those moves helped them understand the phenomenon. Reflection journals or exit tickets reinforce metacognition as part of the routine.
• Align assessments. When you evaluate student work, note which thinking moves are evident. Provide feedback that highlights strengths (e.g., “Your explanation uses evidence from your data table”) and identifies opportunities to use additional moves.

What students hear when we say “think”

Many students are conditioned to ask, “Can’t you just tell me what you want me to do?” when confronted with a challenging question (Watson, 2025). This plea reveals that learners often interpret “think” as “give me the right answer quickly” rather than as an invitation to explore. Ritchhart et al. (2011) note that teachers rarely specify the mental actions they want students to engage in; as a result, students may not know how to respond. By naming and modeling thinking moves—such as “describe what you notice before making a prediction”—we give students concrete steps they can take. This clarity shifts the classroom focus from task completion to sense-making.

Applying thinking moves across grade spans

The power of thinking moves becomes evident when we apply them within KnowAtom’s phenomena-based lesson structure. Every KnowAtom unit follows a consistent cadence: connect to a phenomenon, develop a concept map through Socratic dialogue, identify problems and questions, build an investigative model, execute the investigation, analyze data, and engage in class discussion to refine thinking. Thinking moves anchor each stage. Below are examples across grade spans drawn from KnowAtom lessons and instructional supports (file names indicate grade level and unit).

Kindergarten: Exploring pushes and pulls

In “Making Things Move”, kindergarten students explore how forces cause motion. After connecting to the phenomenon of a toy car rolling down a ramp, the teacher uses a See-Think-Wonder routine to prompt the thinking move observe and describe. Children notice the slope of the ramp and the speed of the car, then wonder how changing the ramp’s height will affect the motion. In the concept-mapping stage, students make connections between pushes, pulls and movement. When teams build and test different ramps, they use evidence (“The car went farther when the ramp was higher”) to explain and interpret why some designs work better than others. During the class debrief, the teacher asks, “What’s the most important thing you learned about making things move?” to encourage capturing the essence.

Embedding thinking moves

• Use the kit materials intentionally. The KnowAtom kit for this unit includes ramps and cars of varying sizes along with recording sheets. Your job isn’t to gather supplies—everything you need is already in the kit—but to organize these materials so students can observe and describe what they see and then reason with evidence. For example, set the ramp angles side by side so children can notice differences in speed and distance.
• Facilitate See-Think-Wonder. Give each child a sticky note to jot down one observation and one question. After students share, cluster the notes on a board to make connections visible.
• Highlight vocabulary. During the concept-map discussion, use arrows and simple symbols to connect “push,” “pull” and “movement,” and invite students to suggest other examples from recess or home.
• Prompt reflection. At the end of the lesson, ask students to draw or dictate one thing they learned and one thing they still wonder. Add these to a classroom Wonder Wall to revisit in future lessons.

Grades 1–2: Investigating light and sight

In “Sight and Light”, students investigate how light interacts with materials. After reading about how eyes detect light, students examine a collection of objects (mirrors, wax paper, colored cellophane) and predict which will let light through. The Think-Puzzle-Explore routine supports wondering and asking questions: first-graders recall what they think they know, identify puzzles (“Why can I see through the wax paper a little but not through the foil?”), and plan ways to explore. During the investigation, students reason with evidence by shining a flashlight on each object and recording whether light passes through, reflects or scatters. In the class discussion, the teacher invites perspective-taking by asking, “How might a nocturnal animal like an owl experience light differently from humans?” connecting science content to real-world contexts. The routine helps students form conclusions and recognize that understanding grows from questioning and testing.

Embedding thinking moves

• Streamline rotation cues. During the investigation stage, use simple labels—“Predict,” “Test,” and “Record”—on your whiteboard or chart paper to cue where students are in the process. No additional materials are needed; you can position the provided kit items within reach at tables so groups know when to make predictions, test with the flashlight and record observations.
• Use a Wonder Notebook. Have each student maintain a small notebook where they log their predictions and puzzles. Encourage them to draw what they see and use sentence starters like “I think…” and “I wonder…”.
• Facilitate perspective-taking. After testing materials, project an image of an owl’s eye or a nocturnal scene. Ask students to brainstorm how animals might experience light differently and write responses on chart paper. This builds empathy and deeper understanding.
• Connect to everyday life. Invite students to share examples of transparent, translucent and opaque materials from home and to explain, using evidence, why they categorize them that way. This reinforces reasoning with evidence outside the classroom.

Grades 3–5: Energy and motion

In “Energy in Motion”, students design and build prototypes to convert stored energy into motion. The unit begins with a phenomenon: a rubber-band–powered car. Students use a concept-mapping routine to make connections between potential energy, kinetic energy and everyday experiences (like riding a bike uphill). During the hands-on investigation, teams adjust variables such as the number of winds on the rubber band. They engage in the move reasoning with evidence by collecting data on how far their car travels and discussing why some variables increase distance. When analyzing results, the teacher encourages students to uncover complexity: “What parts of your design worked together to make the car go farther?” This pushes learners to dig deeper into the interaction of parts and forces. In the final class discussion, students capture the essence of their learning by summarizing how energy changes form and how this knowledge could apply to designing playground equipment.

Embedding thinking moves

• Provide design constraints. Before students build their rubber-band cars, present a real-world problem such as “design a car that travels at least 2 meters.” This anchors their thinking in purpose and invites wondering and asking questions.
• Introduce data tables. Show students how to create simple tables to record the number of winds and distance traveled. Ask them to look for patterns and discuss their reasoning with teammates.
• Encourage student questioning. After initial tests, pause and have each group generate one question about how a variable might affect performance. Use these questions to plan second-round tests, making thinking visible.
• Use exit tickets. At the end of the lesson, invite students to jot on a small piece of paper (or the reflection section of their investigation notes) which thinking move they used most and how it helped them understand energy. Because KnowAtom provides note-taking pages, you don’t need to create extra forms. Reviewing these comments will help you decide which moves need more practice.

Grades 6–8: Atoms to organisms

In middle school, thinking moves help students grapple with abstract concepts. In “Atoms and Molecules”, students build models of molecules using kits. The teacher begins by asking students to describe the parts and relationships in a water molecule, engaging observe and describe. During Socratic dialogue, students make connections between the arrangement of atoms and properties like melting point. As they test how temperature affects the state of matter, they reason with evidence by graphing temperature and volume data. Students also engage in perspective-taking when they consider how a chemist might view molecules differently from a chef.

Embedding thinking moves

• Use modeling kits intentionally. Before students build molecules, ask them to sketch what they think the arrangement will look like. After building, have them compare and discuss differences. This engages the observe, describe and explain moves.
• Facilitate Socratic dialogue. Encourage students to debate why certain atoms bond in particular ways. Provide sentence stems like “I agree because…” or “My evidence suggests…”. This practice embeds perspective-taking and reasoning with evidence.
• Integrate graphing technology. During experiments on states of matter, use digital tools or graph paper to plot data. Discuss trends and anomalies; challenge students to interpret what the graph tells them about molecular motion.
• Encourage cross-unit transfer. When discussing cell membranes or energy, ask students to connect their understanding of diffusion or heat transfer to prior knowledge about atoms and molecules. Promote questioning by asking, “How might this process be different in plants or bacteria?”

In “From Molecules to Organisms”, students investigate how the structure of cell membranes regulates transport. They design a model cell using dialysis tubing and predict which molecules will pass through. The Claim-Support-Question routine supports explain and interpret: students state a claim about which molecules will diffuse, support it with observations, and ask questions about unexpected results. In the debrief, the teacher prompts students to capture the essence: “Why does the cell membrane matter for the life of the organism?” linking this understanding to future studies of genetics and evolution.

Embedding thinking moves

• Clarify the investigative question. Before students design model cells, lead a discussion about what variables matter (molecule size, membrane structure). This ensures students know what to wonder and how to frame their claims.
• Guide Claim-Support-Question routines. Have students write their claim on a whiteboard, list evidence from their observations, and then pose at least one question about anomalies. Use these questions to plan follow-up investigations.
• Link to real organisms. Show images or videos of different cell types (e.g., plant vs. animal cells) and ask students how membrane structure might differ. This invites perspective-taking and uncovers complexity.
• Encourage transfer. After the lesson, ask students to reflect on how the thinking moves they used (explaining, reasoning, questioning) could help them in future units on genetics or ecology. This solidifies metacognition and agency.

Bringing it all together

Thinking moves give students a common language for engaging with phenomena and help teachers plan instruction that prioritizes thinking over task completion. When students know that “thinking” involves observing, explaining, connecting, questioning and digging deeper, they are less likely to plead for shortcuts and more likely to embrace the productive struggle of sense-making. KnowAtom’s phenomena-driven lessons provide a natural home for these moves, and when we model them explicitly across grade levels, we nurture lifelong learners who can transfer their thinking skills to new contexts.

References

• Ritchhart, R., Church, M., & Morrison, K. (2011). Making Thinking Visible: How to Promote Engagement, Understanding, and Independence for All Learners. Jossey-Bass.
• Ritchhart, R. (2015). Creating Cultures of Thinking: The 8 Forces We Must Master to Truly Transform Our Schools. Jossey-Bass.
• Watson, A. (2025). Finding flow in the classroom: how to teach productivity strategies to students. Truth For Teachers Blog.
• Moser, T. (2022). What Thinking Moves and Routines Can Help Students to be Successful Learners? KnowAtom Blog.