Notice, Wonder, Connect is a teaching routine that invites students to make observations and ask questions about a phenomenon. This routine can be used at the beginning of a lesson or throughout a unit of study. It helps activate student thinking and curiosity, engages students in the content, and guides them through unpacking problems.
The use of phenomena is a key strategy in teaching using the three dimensions of the Next Generation Science Standards. The storyline curriculum I have been using has great phenomena. However, I have struggled to get students to ask good questions using Driving Questions Boards. This spring, Joel Donna from the University of Wisconsin River Falls introduced me to the Notice, Wonder, Connect routine, and I had an ah-ha moment. This was the structure I was missing in my classroom discussions. I intuitively incorporated this, but now I have a metacognitive tool that allows my students to wrap their thinking around with intention.
Dr. Joel Donna shared this example of the routine with me at a workshop. https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1xb6-YjI9lwXu_f8dNWJQ5ZkHkhzS-T-O_HAl_GptfNo/edit?usp=drive_link. You can find his full presentation notes in the additional resources below. Here is another example from the Cal Academy of Science that uses an image as a phenomenon. https://www.calacademy.org/educators/lesson-plans/notice-and-wonder. Another application I hope to apply in my upcoming classes is integrating this routine into Natural Journaling. John Muir Laws has an excellent example in this lesson plan. https://johnmuirlaws.com/njc-episode-2-i-notice-i-wonder-it-reminds-me-of/
Dr Donna shared two resources to help teachers apply this routine. The Short Form https://docs.google.com/document/d/1LCsCetW5GwFiHoOJ8Y_dXIJO3IlEMYq-1tuI-sHcQmw/edit?usp=drive_link and a longer version, https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1TDY5TpvWC7WCsTn0GL6qdy4idKFg2YvF/edit?usp=drive_link&ouid=114868583057001791211&rtpof=true&sd=true
Below are some additional intriguing resources. If you have resources to share, please contact me, and I will add them to my growing list.
Additional Resources
- Notice and Wonder: Iowa Science – https://youtu.be/jRhs_ONk1r0?si=UahZCoLYjjo9YyT3
- The Lawrence Hall of Science Notice, Wonder, It Reminds Me of Lesson Example – https://beetlesproject.org/resources/for-field-instructors/notice-wonder-reminds/
- Example from Artful Teaching – http://www.artfulteaching.org/artstories/category/erosion
- Joel Donna’s Presentation Notes – https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1TDY5TpvWC7WCsTn0GL6qdy4idKFg2YvF/edit?usp=drive_link&ouid=114868583057001791211&rtpof=true&sd=true
