Show Me What You Thought
A mostly silent, pass-the-paper activity that lets students see their own thinking change.
What the activity does
Students write a first thought about a big question, pass their sheet so classmates can reply in writing, and then record how their thinking changed. Everyone writes, so everyone has a voice, and the finished sheet is a record of thinking from start to finish.
The question used here is "Why do people follow rules?" Any open question that students have opinions about will work.
This activity matches Project Zero's thinking routines. Step 3 uses their "I used to think... Now I think..." routine, and the whole activity is built around making thinking visible.
What you need
- One sheet of paper and a pen for each student
- About 20 minutes
- Students stay at their own desks. Nothing to stick, tape, or lay out.
The steps
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Write silently (2 min)
Write your name at the top. Finish this sentence: "I think people follow rules because..."
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Pass and reply silently (6 min)
Pass your sheet to the person on your left. Read it and write one reply underneath. Your reply can be a question, "Yes, and...", or "What about when...?" Initial your reply. Pass again, once or twice more.
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Rethink silently (3 min)
Your sheet comes back to you. Read the replies. At the bottom, write: "I used to think... Now I think..."
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Talk to a neighbor (3 min)
Turn to a neighbor and tell them how your thinking changed and what caused the change.
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Back to silence (3 min)
Pass your sheet one last time. Read the sheet you receive, then write one line at the bottom: "Something that stood out to me..."
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Class discussion (4 min)
Look at the sheets as a class. What do these sheets show that a quiz wouldn't?
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Hand in (1 min)
Hand in your sheet on your way out. Each sheet shows one person's thinking from the first thought, through the replies, to what changed.
Keep the silent steps truly silent. The quiet is what gives every student time to think and a chance to be heard in writing. If you need to trim the activity, Step 5 is the easiest one to cut.
Why it works
- Everyone answers, including students who rarely speak in a whole-class discussion
- Replies in writing keep the focus on ideas, not on who is talking
- The sheet makes thinking visible: the first thought, the responses, and the change
Resources
- PZ's Thinking Routines Toolbox (opens in new tab): the full library, including "I Used to Think... Now I Think..."
- Visible Thinking (opens in new tab): Project Zero's overview of the research behind thinking routines