See Think Wonder
Three prompts on an image: what you see, think, and wonder.
Observing & describingBuilding explanationsWondering & questioning
What is See Think Wonder?
Used to anchor close observation before interpretation. Show an image or object and walk through three prompts in order.
Setup: Show an image.
The prompts
- 1What do you see?Describe only what's literally there.
- 2What do you think is going on?What's your interpretation? What story explains this?
- 3What does it make you wonder?What questions surface for you?
Good moments for See Think Wonder
- Classroom warm-upSurface what students bring before introducing new content.
- After a reading or videoConsolidate big ideas without testing recall.
- Discussion starterResponses become the seed material for the room conversation.
- End-of-session reflectionCapture how thinking changed.
About Visible Thinking
Visible Thinking Routines were developed by Project Zero at the Harvard Graduate School of Education (Ron Ritchhart, David Perkins). They are short structured protocols for surfacing thinking, not assessments.
Project Zero website