Know, What to Know, and Learned Strategy (KWL)
Definition:
"K-W-L (Ogle, 1986) is an instructional reading strategy that is used to guide students through a text. 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," ("K-W-L," 2014).
Steps to Implement this Strategy:
"K-W-L (Ogle, 1986) is an instructional reading strategy that is used to guide students through a text. 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," ("K-W-L," 2014).
Steps to Implement this Strategy:
- Decide on a passage for the students to read.
- Give students a KWL chart, or have them create one in their notebooks.
- Have students fill out the Know column before reading the passage. In this column, students will fill out what they already know about the topic.
- Next, have the students fill out the W column. In this column, students will fill out what they want to learn or predict what they will learn about from the reading.
- Students should read the text. This can be done individually or in a group setting.
- Have the students fill our the L or learned column. In this column, students will write what they learned from the content, ("Strategies for Reading Comprehension: K-W-L," 2012).
Benefits of this Strategy:
- Activates students' prior knowledge.
- Assesses comprehension.
- Gives a purpose for the reading, ("K-W-L," 2014).
Video 1: This video shows a teacher and student going through a K-W-L chart. At the beginning of the video, the teacher explains to the student the activity they are going to be doing. The instructor tells the student what a K-W-L chart is and how they will use it. Next, the student fills out the "K" or "know" column stating which she already knows about the book. The student also fills out the "L" column stating what she wants to learn from the book. After these columns are filled in, the student reads the book. After reading, the student writes one thing that she learned from the book. The teacher in this video walks the student through each of these steps. This is a nice, simple example of the correct way to use a K-W-L chart. In the last part of the video, the instructor talks about other graphic organizers.
Video 2: This video shows a teacher going through the K-W-L strategy with a small group of students. The students are given a handout with some text on it. The teacher explains they will be doing the K-W-L strategy for this reading. She has the students draw a K-W-L chart on their papers. Next, the students discuss what they already know about the topic, and they fill in the "K" column. Then, the class discusses what they want to know about the topic, and they fill out the "W" column. The teacher uses this as a pre-reading strategy, so the video does not show the students reading the text or filling our the "L" column stating what they learned.
Writing Component:
The K-W-L chart itself would be the writing component in this strategy. The "know" column is important in assessing the students' prior knowledge, and the "learned" column is important in assessing the comprehension of the passage.
Writing Standard Addressed:
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.CCRA.W.8
Gather relevant information from multiple print and digital sources, assess the credibility and accuracy of each source, and integrate the information while avoiding plagiarism
The K-W-L chart itself would be the writing component in this strategy. The "know" column is important in assessing the students' prior knowledge, and the "learned" column is important in assessing the comprehension of the passage.
Writing Standard Addressed:
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.CCRA.W.8
Gather relevant information from multiple print and digital sources, assess the credibility and accuracy of each source, and integrate the information while avoiding plagiarism
Sources:
Jones, R. (2012). Strategies for Reading Comprehension: K-W-L. Retrieved July 17, 2014, from
http://www.readingquest.org/strat/kwl.htm.
K-W-L (Know, Want to Know, Learn). (2014). In National Education Association. Retrieved July 17, 2014, from
http://www.nea.org/tools/k-w-l-know-want-to-know-learned.html.
Jones, R. (2012). Strategies for Reading Comprehension: K-W-L. Retrieved July 17, 2014, from
http://www.readingquest.org/strat/kwl.htm.
K-W-L (Know, Want to Know, Learn). (2014). In National Education Association. Retrieved July 17, 2014, from
http://www.nea.org/tools/k-w-l-know-want-to-know-learned.html.