OWIC Sentence Stems – Observe, Wonder, Infer, Connect

This resource provides a set of clear and supportive sentence stems to help pupils think deeply and respond thoughtfully using the OWIC approach: Observe, Wonder, Infer, Connect.

The prompts guide children through each stage of thinking: first encouraging them to observe closely, then ask questions, make inferences and finally connect ideas to prior knowledge or wider contexts. These sentence starters help structure responses and promote more meaningful discussion and written work.

Ideal for use across the curriculum, this resource works particularly well in reading, writing and enquiry-based learning. It supports pupils in developing comprehension, critical thinking and oracy skills.

The stems can be used during whole-class discussions, partner talk, or independent tasks and also work well as a display or desk prompt.

A simple but powerful tool to deepen thinking and improve the quality of pupil responses.