K-W-L StrategY Chart
One of the strongest ways to activate and build upon student background knowledge is thought a K-W-L Chart. According to the National Education Association, A K-W-L chart is an instructional reading strategy that is used to guide students through a text.
According to Reading Rockets, the purpose of the K-W-L procedures is to help students become good readers by learning to do the things that good readers do. Specifically it helps students learn to activate their background knowledge and to set purposes for reading. According to page 57 of Dr. Mimi Miller and Nancy Veatch in their 2011 book entitled Literacy in Context (LinC): Choosing Instructional Strategies to Teach Reading in Content Areas for Students Grades 5-12, Students begin by brainstorming everything they Know about a topic. This information is recorded in the K column of a K-W-L chart. Students then generate a list of questions about what they Want to Know about the topic. These questions are listed in the W column of the chart. During or after reading, students answer the questions that are in the W column. This new information that they have Learned is recorded in the L column of the K-W-L chart. |
Common Core Standards
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.6.2 Write informative/explanatory texts to examine a topic and convey ideas, concepts, and information through the selection, organization, and analysis of relevant content. |
Video Examples
In this lesson the teacher leads class through a K-W-L Chart about the three levels of government. She scaffolds learning by referring to text cues and communicates with students throughout the lesson and asks leading questions when necessary. Students engagement increases throughout the lesson while some students do additional research and report back to the class or answer questions about the topic.
|
In this lesson students the teacher builds student comprehension to frame lessons at the high school level. It elicits student connotatoins of poverty. The purpose is to articulate their common knowledge. At the end they will evaluate what they thought they knew. The teacher annotates and shows the viewer how to use the chart.
|
Miller and Veatch's 2011 Guide to:
Creating a K-W-L Strategy Chart
1. Choose appropriately leveled text that covers the concept needing to be taught.
2. Make a K-W-L Chart on a white board, chart paper, overhead, or Interwrite board that can be seen by all students.
3. Distribute paper and have students fold it into three columns, with appropriate headings. Students should each have her or his own K-W-L Chart on prepared paper or paper that has been folded burrito style (trifolded) with the appropriate headings. (If students do not have individual charts, they will be less likely to use the strategy independently and will be less engaged with the text.)
4. Introduce the topic to the class and ask students to review the text. Model how to read captions under pictures and maps, boldfaced vocabulary terms, and headings and subheadings.
5. Ask students to record words, phrases, and terms they are familiar with about the area of study under the K column on their own individual K-W-L Chart. Students should record items on their charts; usually three to five is a reasonable goal.
6. After most students have recorded as many items as they can think of, encourage students to share their ideas with the class. Record their shared ideas under K on the classroom K-W-L Chart.
7. Next, have students record questions they have about the area of study on the W column of the chart. Again, encourage students to record at least three to five questions they have. Teachers may allow students to record short statements instead of questions.
8. After most students have written several questions or statements on their own K-W-L Chart, have individuals share their ideas with the class. Write them under the W on the classroom K-W-L Chart. There often are very similar questions or statements noted within this section.
(The “W” activity can guide future instruction and increase motivation by giving students a purpose for reading.)
9. With the chart hanging on the wall, have students read the selection.
10. After the text has been read, students use the L column on their individual charts to record five to seven concepts that they learned while reading. (Teachers can have the students record concepts after reading the entire section or each subsection as was shown in Figure 4.2.)
11. Have the class share ideas from individual charts to complete the K-W-L Chart posted in the classroom.
12. Conduct a Think Aloud. The teacher shares orally what had been known prior to the reading (K), and then compares the questions or statements (W) with the concepts learned (L). It is important for the teacher to highlight or circle questions or statements (W) that were not answered in the reading of the text. This teaches students to monitor their own comprehension, identify knowledge that has been acquired, and plan for future inquiries.
13. Students who have an interest in pursuing an unanswered question can conduct research. This extension activity creates an opportunity for self-directed learning and further reading practice around the focal topic.
14. As appropriate, move from modeling the K-W-L Strategy Chart, to guiding student practice, to allowing students to complete it independently
2. Make a K-W-L Chart on a white board, chart paper, overhead, or Interwrite board that can be seen by all students.
3. Distribute paper and have students fold it into three columns, with appropriate headings. Students should each have her or his own K-W-L Chart on prepared paper or paper that has been folded burrito style (trifolded) with the appropriate headings. (If students do not have individual charts, they will be less likely to use the strategy independently and will be less engaged with the text.)
4. Introduce the topic to the class and ask students to review the text. Model how to read captions under pictures and maps, boldfaced vocabulary terms, and headings and subheadings.
5. Ask students to record words, phrases, and terms they are familiar with about the area of study under the K column on their own individual K-W-L Chart. Students should record items on their charts; usually three to five is a reasonable goal.
6. After most students have recorded as many items as they can think of, encourage students to share their ideas with the class. Record their shared ideas under K on the classroom K-W-L Chart.
7. Next, have students record questions they have about the area of study on the W column of the chart. Again, encourage students to record at least three to five questions they have. Teachers may allow students to record short statements instead of questions.
8. After most students have written several questions or statements on their own K-W-L Chart, have individuals share their ideas with the class. Write them under the W on the classroom K-W-L Chart. There often are very similar questions or statements noted within this section.
(The “W” activity can guide future instruction and increase motivation by giving students a purpose for reading.)
9. With the chart hanging on the wall, have students read the selection.
10. After the text has been read, students use the L column on their individual charts to record five to seven concepts that they learned while reading. (Teachers can have the students record concepts after reading the entire section or each subsection as was shown in Figure 4.2.)
11. Have the class share ideas from individual charts to complete the K-W-L Chart posted in the classroom.
12. Conduct a Think Aloud. The teacher shares orally what had been known prior to the reading (K), and then compares the questions or statements (W) with the concepts learned (L). It is important for the teacher to highlight or circle questions or statements (W) that were not answered in the reading of the text. This teaches students to monitor their own comprehension, identify knowledge that has been acquired, and plan for future inquiries.
13. Students who have an interest in pursuing an unanswered question can conduct research. This extension activity creates an opportunity for self-directed learning and further reading practice around the focal topic.
14. As appropriate, move from modeling the K-W-L Strategy Chart, to guiding student practice, to allowing students to complete it independently
Examples
Resources
Foundation for Teaching Economics. (2015). What is poverty? – A KWL exercise. Retrieved from http://www.fte.org/teacher-resources/lesson-plans/is-capitalism-good-for-the-poor/what-is-poverty/
Miller, M., & Veatch, N. (2011). Literacy in context (LinC): Choosing instructional strategies to teach reading in content areas for students grades 5-12. Boston: Pearson.
Reading Rockets. (2015). Strategies that promote comprehension. Retrieved from http://www.readingrockets.org/article/strategies-promote-comprehension
Teaching Channel. (2015) Structure Learning with KWL chart. Retrieved from https://www.teachingchannel.org/videos/structured-learning-teaching-tip
University of North Carolina School of Education. (2010). Strategy lesson: KWL. Retrieved from http://www.learnnc.org/lp/pages/2839
Foundation for Teaching Economics. (2015). What is poverty? – A KWL exercise. Retrieved from http://www.fte.org/teacher-resources/lesson-plans/is-capitalism-good-for-the-poor/what-is-poverty/
Miller, M., & Veatch, N. (2011). Literacy in context (LinC): Choosing instructional strategies to teach reading in content areas for students grades 5-12. Boston: Pearson.
Reading Rockets. (2015). Strategies that promote comprehension. Retrieved from http://www.readingrockets.org/article/strategies-promote-comprehension
Teaching Channel. (2015) Structure Learning with KWL chart. Retrieved from https://www.teachingchannel.org/videos/structured-learning-teaching-tip
University of North Carolina School of Education. (2010). Strategy lesson: KWL. Retrieved from http://www.learnnc.org/lp/pages/2839