In this activity we work on thinking routines. The teacher asks some questions to their students about junk food.

1. Module 4 - Task 2 - Thinking routines for
assessment
A really powerful tool for assessment specially the process during the unit are the
Thinking Routines. They could help you to know where your students are, how they are
starting the lesson, what they have understood, or sometimes just what they like to
know about the topic.
Most of the Thinking routines were created and designed by the Project Zero of
Harvard University. In the following link you have lots of them. For this task we want
you to choose one, explain it, resources you will need to use it and how are you going
to use it for assessment with your students. Let’s use the following chart.
TITLE OF THE THINKING ROUTINE
What are the consequences of eating junk food every day?
EXPLANATION
I will show them a picture where a girl is eating a hamburger and chips while she is
working on the computer. On a cardboard they will complete this chart (annex 1).
Individually, they will look at the picture and they will answer what they see, what they
think and what they wonder. For example in see’s column: “I see a plate plenty of
fats”. In think’s column: “I think this is an unhealthy diet”. And, finally, in wonder’s
column: “I wonder if she knows how unbeneficial is for her health eating hamburgers
every day”. To avoid repeated answers, they will take notes in a paper about their
thoughts to share them once they are finished.
Once they exposed their ideas, we will ask them these questions in a whole group.
- What is junk food?
- Is it beneficial for our body? Why? Why not?
- Do you think eating junk food is one of the reasons for the obesity?
- How can we reduce the amount of junk food?
- Do you know restaurants where they serve this kind of food? Have you ever
been?
- Could you think on a campaign in favour of healthy food?
- Why do you think these restaurants have popularity and are accepted by
society if we know that their foods are harmful to our health?
RESOURCES
Annex 1- look at the picture and complete the chart

2. Projector and computer
HOW ARE YOU GOING TO USE IT?
I will use this routine when I introduce a new content (junk food) of the unit healthy
lifestyle. This routine will help me and students during the unit to remember the
starting point and to ask more complicated questions taking into account their
observations and thoughts written on the cardboard. During the activity, they will
have to think about what a balanced diet is and also it will be very useful for the
teacher to know how they interact between them, the previous knowledge and how to
continue the lesson. I will use this routine again to link the beginning of the unit with
the conclusions and ideas exposed in a final debate about the benefits and drawbacks
of eating junk food to compare the evolution of their learning.
Annex 1
Picture
I see…
I think…
I wonder if…