Visible Thinking Routine
Think–Puzzle–Explore.
Surface what's known, what's puzzling, and how to dig in.
N_prompt pattern
interpret
wonder
complexity
What is it
What is Think–Puzzle–Explore?
A starting routine for new topics. Maps what students bring vs. what they need to investigate.
Setup: Name the topic or question.
How it works
The prompts
-
01
What do you THINK you know about this?
Your current understanding — claims, beliefs, prior knowledge.
Response: Longtext
-
02
What questions or PUZZLES do you have?
Response: Longtext
-
03
How might you EXPLORE these puzzles?
What would you read, do, ask, or try?
Response: Longtext
When to use
Good moments for Think–Puzzle–Explore
- Classroom warm-up. Surface what students bring before introducing new content.
- After a reading or video. Consolidate big ideas without testing recall.
- Discussion starter. Responses become the seed material for the room conversation.
- End-of-session reflection. Capture how thinking changed.
Keep exploring
Other thinking routines
Browse all 21 routines in the gallery, filtered by the kind of thinking you want to surface — observation, perspective-taking, reasoning with evidence, or capturing the heart of an idea.