Summary and benefits

The 5 Whys strategy is used to explore the underlying reasons behind a problem or issue. Using a series of 'why' questions, the student follows a problem or idea through the reasons behind a problem. It helps students move beyond surface-level explanations, developing their skills in reasoning.

Examples can be found in:

• 'Escape into the world of the novel' – 7.3, 'Phase 3, sequence 1 – engaging with the textual concept of genre (stimulus sequence)': students use the ‘5 Whys’ critical thinking method to consider why different genres appeal to different audiences
• 'Digital stories' – 10.4, 'Phase 3, activity 2 – learning new skills through interactive digital texts': students use the '5 Whys' thinking routine to deepen their understanding of the textual features used in an interactive documentary.

Summary and benefits

The Beauty and TruthExternal link thinking routine supports students to critically analyse information in a text, revealing the complexities and nuances in a representation. This routine encourages students to think more slowly about texts they engage with. Students are also encouraged to reflect on the ways literature and art use beauty to draw readers in and motivate them to learn more about an issue.

Examples can be found in:

• 'Speak the speech' – 7.4, 'Phase 4a, sequence 1 – investigating the impact of audience and composer': students prepare for a class discussion about how the beauty of language in speeches can be used to either reveal or conceal truth
• 'Shakespeare retold' – 10.3, 'Phase 4, sequence 4 – considering the legacy of Shakespeare’s 'star-cross'd lovers'': students are asked to consider why the idea of opposites attracting is popular in different types of storytelling.

Summary and benefits

The Circle of ViewpointsExternal link thinking routine encourages students to see and explore multiple perspectives. It supports students in developing an understanding of how a person’s perspective can influence the way they see and think about ideas and issues.

Examples can be found in:

• 'Speak the speech' – 7.4, 'Phase 3a, sequence 2 – experimenting with perspective (including integrated Phase 5 – responding critically)': students prepare for a writing activity by using this routine to think critically about perspective before experimenting in their own writing
• 'Shakespeare retold' – 10.3, 'Phase 4, sequence 6 – developing a personal understanding of composer values and attitudes': students are asked to compose a series of personal statements reflecting on the values and attitudes of two diverse composers.

Summary and benefits

The Compass PointsExternal link thinking routine helps students develop an idea or proposition and then evaluate it. It can be used to support students in exploring different sides or aspects of an idea prior to expressing an opinion on it. Student responses should be recorded to allow them to see how ideas have developed and explore the different aspects of a proposition.

Examples can be found in:

• 'The camera never lies' – 8.4, 'Phase 2, sequence 1 – issuing the assessment notification': students consider the strengths that they bring to their learning for this unit and for the assessment task
• 'Shining a new (stage) light' – 9.2, 'Phase 3, sequence 2 – issuing the assessment notification': students respond to the assessment notification task using the thinking routine.

Summary and benefits

The Connect, Extend, ChallengeExternal link thinking routine helps students connect new ideas to those they know. It encourages them to reflect upon how they have extended their thinking because of what they are learning about or experiencing. It can be used to close a discussion of a topic to help synthesise information.

Examples can be found in:

• 'Speak the speech' – 7.4, 'Phase 3a, sequence 1 – exploring the art of persuasion within a core text': students prepare for a class discussion about the rhetorical appeal of the core text using this thinking routine
• 'Shakespeare retold' – 10.3, 'Phase 3, sequence 7 – love at first … bite?': students demonstrate their understanding of how a contemporary composer extends on Shakespeare's representation of the 'love at first sight' trope.

Summary and benefits

Exit tickets are a form of formative assessment conducted at the end of a lesson, or a significant activity or learning experience. They are a quick understanding check to ascertain student learning. This strategy supports students’ self-reflection on their own learning processes.

Examples can be found in:

• 'Seeing through a text' – 7.2, 'Phase 2, sequence 2 – exploring how rising tension draws a reader into the world of a novel (core text sequence)': students complete an exit ticket to identify 3 things they have learned, 2 questions they have about their learning, and 1 reason why it is important to learn about these things
• 'Representation of life experiences' – 9.1, 'Phase 2, activity 7 – exit ticket': students consider the recursive writing process and demonstrate their understanding
• 'Novel voices' – 10.1, 'Phase 4 sequence 1 – reflecting on dreams as a narrative device': students write exit tickets to guide their reflection on reading experiences to inform a class discussion.

Summary and benefits

Gallery walks provide students with an opportunity to co-create assessment criteria or assess a variety of works against agreed upon criteria. Students move around the classroom to explore or contribute to a range of different items. These items can be work that students have produced or a series of model texts. Students may respond to questions as they explore different items. This activity could be completed individually or in small groups. Students can also use this process to engage in feedback and reflection processes.

Examples can be found in:

• 'Seeing through a text' – 7.2, 'Phase 2, sequence 2 – comparing the role of images across a variety of news media': students move around the class to comment on the interactions between written text and images in a news reports they have composed
• 'Knowing the rules to break the rules' – 8.1, 'Phase 6, resource 7 – creating a gallery walk': students are explicitly introduced to the gallery walk strategy, working through several guided learning activities in preparation for this component of the task
• 'Novel voices' – 10.1, 'Phase 3, sequence 1 – engaging with the epigraph': students use a gallery walk protocol to engage with the rhetorical questions in the epigraph of the novel set for study.

Summary and benefits

The Generate-Sort-Connect-ElaborateExternal link thinking routine activates prior knowledge and helps to generate ideas about a topic. It also facilitates making connections among ideas. Concept maps help to uncover students’ mental models of a topic in a non-linear way. It can be used as a post or ongoing assessment routine to ascertain what has been remembered or connect to conceptual ideas.

Examples can be found in:

• 'Escape into the world of the novel' – 7.3, 'Phase 2, activity 8 – Neoma the 'anti-hero'': students use the Generate-Sort-Connect-Elaborate thinking routine to brainstorm and research definitions provided in the activity
• 'Shining a new (stage) light' – 9.2, 'Phase 4, activity 5 – analytical paragraph': students gather information from a text to prepare to write an analytical paragraph.

Summary and benefits

The I Used to Think … Now I Think …External link thinking routine involves students completing the sentences 'I used to think …' and 'Now I think …' to reflect on a topic or concepts discussed in class. When used to reflect on texts, this routine can be used to explore the impact of authorial decisions, or concepts such as characterisation or point of view.

Examples can be found in:

• 'Escape into the world of the novel' – 7.3, 'Phase 2, sequence 1 – exploring the emotional impact of different narrative structures': students reflect on how their understanding of the features of an engaging story has developed, informed by their engagement with the model text
• 'The camera never lies' – 8.4, 'Phase 2, sequence 2 – engaging with how meaning is created in short films': students compare the similarities and differences between texts and then complete Phase 2, activity 1 – 'I used to think … now I think ...' as an exit ticket
• 'Novel voices' – 10.1, 'Phase 4, sequence 5 – reviewing authorial intent to deepen characterisation': students are asked to review authorial intent to reflect on text and purpose.

Summary and benefits

The Jigsaw thinking routine is where students work in small groups. Students begin in 'home' groups, where they are each assigned one specific aspect of a topic (for example, different stanzas in a poem). Each member of the home group meets with members of other groups who have been assigned the same aspect as them. In this new 'expert' group, they collaboratively develop a shared understanding of their allocated aspect. Students then return to their ‘home’ groups, and each member teaches the material that they have become an expert on to their group.

Examples can be found in:

• 'Seeing through a text' – 7.2, 'Phase 6, activity 4 – features of an informative report jigsaw': students use jigsaw learning to work collaboratively to develop an understanding of the features of a multimodal report
• 'Representation of life experiences' – 9.1, 'Phase 3, sequence 5 – annotating language features of a text': students complete an annotation activity to create a different paragraph
• 'Novel voices' – 10.1, 'Phase 4, sequence 3 – Jigsaw analysis of letters to reveal characterisation': students work in pairs to examine the effect of a letter's inclusion in an epistolary text before sharing their findings with a peer who completed a different letter.

Summary and benefits

The Peer discussion and conferencing thinking routine allows students to share, discuss and build on the contributions of their peers through a range of discussion strategies. This strategy allows students to engage more intentionally in conversations about texts or ideas.

Examples can be found in:

• 'Transport me to the 'real'' – 8.2, 'Phase 1, sequence 1 – what does 'real' mean?': students are encouraged to use a range of sentence starters to structure contributions to peer, small group and whole class discussions
• 'From page to stage' – 8.3, 'Phase 2, sequence 1 – deepening understanding of where composers get their ideas for texts': students are encouraged to use a range of sentence starters to structure contributions to peer, small group and whole class discussions
• 'Reshaping the world' – 10.2, 'Phase 5, sequence 2 – assessing the impact of language devices': students select what they believe to be the 3 most important language devices used by a poet to influence their personal response to the poem.

Summary and benefits

Plus, Minus, Interesting (PMI) is a critical thinking tool used to generate discussion around the positives, negatives and interesting ideas associated with a particular idea or concept.

Examples can be found in:

• 'Transport me to the 'real'’ – 8.2, 'Phase 4, activity 3 – the 'real’ in 'Swimming with Dolphins'': students use a PMI table to help them reflect on their understanding of the ways the ‘real’ is represented in the text
• 'Novel voices' – 10.1, 'Phase 6, sequence 2 – co-constructing a thesis': students use a PMI tool to discuss the language, vocabulary and structure of an effective thesis, using a sample response and task to frame their observations and discussions prior to constructing their own thesis.

Summary and benefits

The See Think Me WeExternal link thinking routine encourages students to make personal connections to a text. To successfully use this routine, a trusting and respectful classroom environment should be established. Protocols for respectful conversations should be revisited before using this strategy

Examples can be found in:

• 'Escape into the world of the novel' – 7.3, 'Phase 4, sequence 1 – investigating how imagination shapes experiences with fiction (stimulus sequence)': students respond to an imaginative prompt (draw, write a poem) then swap work with a peer and review
• 'Shining a new (stage) light' – 9.2, 'Phase 3, activity 5 – See Think Me We': students explore their own personal responses to the text. They then reflect in pairs using prompt questions and share in a teacher-led classroom discussion.

Summary and benefits

The See, Think, WonderExternal link thinking routine encourages students to make observations and interpret a text or idea. It helps to stimulate curiosity. It is effective in introducing new ideas or topics, encouraging students to ask questions about the subject.

Examples can be found in:

• 'Seeing through a text' – 7.2, 'Phase 4, sequence 2 – using language to effectively express a response to a text': students make predictions based on prior knowledge using the cover of 'Core text 4 – Open your heart to country by Jasmine Seymour'
• 'Novel voices' – 10.1, 'Phase 6, activity 1 – how to isolate and deconstruct key terms of a question': students use the visible thinking routine See Think Wonder to ask.

Summary and benefits

The Take a StandExternal link thinking routine scaffolds perspective, taking in dilemmas that lack clear right or wrong answers. Students respond to prompts independently before sharing with a group and reflecting on their perspectives considering other people’s thoughts and feelings. Students use this refined idea to empathise by considering how it connects to similar, personal experiences.

Examples can be found in:

• 'The camera never lies' – 8.4, 'Phase 1, sequence 1 – engaging with the power of visual texts': students participate in a class debate about the statement ‘Picture books are only for children’ to ignite an understanding of the purpose of children’s picture books
• 'Novel voices' – 10.1, 'Phase 3, sequence 10 – evaluating the impact of point of view in positioning the audience': students are asked to take a stand on which method of author positioning, through point of view, was the most effective.

Summary and benefits

The think aloud strategy, also referred to as 'Modelled instruction' and by Quigley as 'Explain yourself' (2020 p169), involves the verbalisation and explanation of thinking. This is a strategy that can be used by teachers to model thinking processes for students. Alternately, students could be asked to demonstrate their own knowledge or understanding of something they have read or an activity they have completed through a think aloud.

Examples can be found in:

• 'Seeing through a text' – 7.2, 'Phase 1, sequence 4 – writing about visual texts using metalanguage': guides teachers to use a think-aloud to model reading pathways
• 'Digital stories' – 10.4, 'Phase 2, sequence 4 – initial exploration of K'gari': the real story of a true fake: students highlight the connection between the audio, visual and interactive elements in a hybrid text.

Quigley A (2020) Closing the Reading Gap, 1st edition, Routledge, Oxon and New York.

Summary and benefits

In the Think Pair Share thinking routine, students respond to a prompt or a problem in a range of ways. They begin by exploring the prompt or problem individually, allowing them to consider their own conceptual understanding. They then engage in a discussion with a peer, in which they share and clarify their initial response to the question and adjust their response based on their peer’s response. They finish by sharing to a larger group. This could be to the entire class, or with a larger group of students.

Examples can be found in:

• 'Escape into the world of the novel' – 7.3, 'Phase 2, sequence 9 – understanding how point of view and narrative voice invite us into the world of a novel': students use a Think Pair Share activity to reflect on the impact of characterisation
• 'The camera never lies' – 8.4, 'Phase 3, activity 5 – meet the director, Catriona McKenzie': students use the questions in to predict the perspectives and themes of the text
• 'Novel voices' – 10.1, 'Phase 1, sequence 1 – engaging with the opening chapter': students are asked to consider and discuss their expectations of the first chapter of a novel before engaging with the text.

Summary and benefits

The Think, Puzzle, ExploreExternal link thinking routine works to activate prior knowledge and generate new ideas. This routine works well when introducing a new topic or idea. It helps students identify what they already know and ask questions about what they want to find out.

Examples can be found in:

• 'Escape into the world of the novel’ – 7.3, 'Phase 2, activity 5 – think, puzzle, explore prompts': students use the routine to discuss their personal responses to the novel
• ‘Novel voices’ – 10.1, 'Phase 4, activity 10 – Think, Puzzle, Explore': students use the routine to consolidate their prior learning.