Look and wonder
Notice, Think, Wonder
Study a strange little alien, then sort your ideas into what you notice, what you think and what you wonder.
Thinking sheet · Look and wonder
Before It Was a Pencil
Every object has a past. Trace a pencil, a T-shirt or a cookie back through what it used to be.
- Grades
- 1–5
- Time
- about 25 minutes
- Topic
- Look and wonder
- Kids practice
- where things come from, sequencing, curiosity
What kids do
“Before it was a pencil, it was a… and before that?”
- My object:
- Go back in time
- The most surprising step was…
How to run it
- Model it: pencil ← factory ← wood and graphite ← tree and rock.
- Research one step together.
- Fill the timeline from right to left.
Talk about it
- Which object has the longest story?
- How many people helped make it?
- What will it become after you’re done with it?
Take it further
Add a box: what it will be in the future.
Pairs well with
Free for home and classroom use. Print as many copies as you need.
More thinking sheets
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A mystery shadow. Use clues to guess who it belongs to, then draw what you think it really looks like.
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Zoom In, Zoom Out
Pick one object. Draw a tiny part of it huge, then draw the whole thing small in its place.
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Same and Different
A cartoon velociraptor and a robot T. rex. Sort what they share and what makes each one special.
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