Notice & Wonder

We all know that critical thinking is the "new thing". Early this year a teacher at my school (thanks, Jeanne) introduced us to a quick and easy strategy to encourage and have kids practice using critical thinking. Ask the two questions: What do you notice? and What do you wonder?  

You know as well as I do, that when we ask kids, "Do you have any questions?" and "What do you think?", the responses are few and far between. By asking, "What do you notice?", the kids are motivated to get involved and tell you what they see. As the discussion continues, 'see' moves into a deeper 'notice'. By posing "What do you wonder?", the kids naturally make connections between what they have noticed and their prior knowledge and extend upon it. By using these two simple questions, you'll have kids thinking critically, and they won't even know it!

And the great thing about "Notice & Wonder", is that it can work for ANY subject. You can use it for Math problems, Science experiments, or while using primary resources or even reading a text in Social Studies. Since I'm a reading teacher, I have lots of ideas on how to use it in Reading :)

Anyways, as I was perusing Pinterest, I came across some great photos pinned by Suzy Brooks. She mentioned using them for a journal prompt. As I started thinking about how I could use them in my classroom, I suddenly thought of "Notice & Wonder". These photos will be great for giving students the chance to think critically, ask questions, dig deeper, and make connections. I can see them working for a journal prompt or a discussion.

    Photos retrieved from http://media-cache-ec0.pinimg.com/originals/b2/54/1f/b2541f2d3ca9cdc548802a33a3122407.jpg,  http://www.moillusions.com/elevator-optical-illusion-in-london.html/elevator4-1/, http://media-cache-ec0.pinimg.com/originals/01/bb /3d/01bb3d0cca1adc337e9b726567aaef84.jpg   respectively