Alysha Jolley

EDRG 4020-01

KWL CHARTS:

Supporting Comprehension Into, Through, and Beyond Reading

 

K

W

L

(What I KNOW)

 

(What I WANT to know)

(What I LEARNED)

 

Steps to Introducing the KWL Chart in a Group Situation:

    1. Display a three section chart labeled K (Know), W (Want to Know), and L (Learned).
    2. Introduce an informational book by asking students to predict what the book will be about (look at the title and cover).
    3. Ask students what they know about the topic and write their responses under the label K in the first section. Write the responses even if they are incorrect. Students will be able to correct misconceptions after reading.
    4. Walk students through the book by pointing out headings and subheadings. Ask them what they think they will learn from reading this book.
    5. Ask students to formulate questions about the things they would like to learn or things they think they will learn by reading this book. Write their questions under the section on the chart marked W (Want to know).
    6. Read the book aloud. Stop whenever a question on the chart is encountered. Ask the students to state the answer to the question and write their statement under the L (Learned) section on the chart.
    7. If there are errors in the K section, the correct answer is listed under the L section and discussed.

Step to Teaching the Use of the KWL Chart in Individual Reading:

    1. Distribute blank individual KWL charts to each student.
    2. Give a brief introduction of the topic being studied and assign the reading.
    3. Ask students to write down any information they know about the topic under the K column.
    4. Encourage students to look through the reading material and formulate questions. Have students write their questions in the W column.
    5. Give students instructions to follow as they read. They should write down new information in the L column, and look for answers to the questions they wrote in the W column. They should also underline (or mark) any new information that corrects a misconception they had before reading.
    6. After reading and completing the KWL, lead a discussion that invites students to share their experiences. They will see that all KWL charts are different.

 

* On page 145 of our text, Guided Comprehension, there is a master copy of a KWL chart.