KWL Chart

[Unregistered]

Could someone give me a good definition of what a KWL chart is used for and what is it's purpose?

[Unregistered]

The purpose of a KWL chart is to activate prior knowledge for the subject you are discussing. The title stands for: K = Knows , W= Want to know, and L = Learned. With kindergarteners, I make three columns on chart paper with the above as headings. As a class we discuss and list what we already know about a new subject or unit I am about to teach, for example, "winter". They might say things like, "its cold" or "its a season". Then we list want we want to know. My kindergarteners wanted to know about snow flakes. At the end of the unit we review the KWL chart and list what we learned. I find it very helpful in informing my instruction. I hope this helps.

Kardaly

[Unregistered]

A KWL chart stands for:

What you "know" about a specific topic.
What you "want" to know/learn about a specific topic.
What you "learned" from the lesson.

Basically, teachers use this method to get a feel of where their students are at (or how much they know about a certain topic). It gives the teacher a starting point, they become aware of what their students already "know" about a certain topic.

If displayed in the classroom, it can also provide a visual map for students of how much they have learned.

It's usually set up as a three columned chart:

What you Know... What you want to know.... What you learned...

Hope this helped!
Jen

[Unregistered]

When I learned how to use KWL charts they were always shown oriented vertically. I find that by orienting the chart horizontally (W under K, L under W) the kids have more response room. I generally use a large font for the K, W, and L- but I also write what the initial stands for in a smaller font. KWLs are a wonderful tool for introducing anything new! You can also use the past tense of the words (what I knew, etc) to review.

[Mary Ann- Grade 6]

I find that my students really benefit from using K-W-L s. It is part of our normal routine.

[awaxler]

KWL charts work great at all levels of education. It is vitally important that teachers tap into a student's prior knowledge before reading about a subject. KWL charts are a great way to do that.

When I use KWL charts, I have my students have filled in their K and W columns and then I have them read for a certain amount of time. When time is up, I then have the students fill in their L coloumn.

After that though, I have the students pair and share their L columns. This gives the students a chance to interact with each other and discuss what they have learned. It also allows all readers to read at their own pace. (I may repeat the process a couple of times depending on how long the reading is)

Good Luck,
Adam Waxler
http://www.teaching-teacher.com

[Unregistered]

KWL charts work well not only as an assessment and activator of prior knowledge, but also a graphic organizer throughout the study. They are often displayed throughout the study and added to or amended by the students' discoveries. This makes it a "living" activity, rather than a one-time review. We've also added columns to the chart, especially when used with older students, where the 'source' of the information charted is listed. We find this to be a great lead-in to validating "research" and helps the children establish the idea of 'checking' information. It also provides a good resource when we ask them to begin writing about the topic. So, the columns would typically be: K - Source - W - L - Source [ K ] [Source] [ W ] [ L ] [ Source ]

We refer to this as a KWL Plus chart.....have fun...

Michael Jordan
Fresno CA

[Unregistered]

The best idea I have seen with this is adding an "H" to the KWL so it becomes KWHL. The H stands for "How" - how will we find the information we want? It adds a planning element I think is really great!