Purpose
A K-W-L, which stands for Know, Want to Know, and Learned, is a type of graphic organizer that provides students with a structured introduction to a theme or text. These are used to activate student prior knowledge about a topic as well as to help students determine their own understanding by examining what they do know and what they do not yet know.
Procedures
To develop a K-W-L chart, students simply need to create a graphic organizer that contains three columns. In the first column, labeled Know, students will list information that they are already familiar with regarding the topic. The second column, labeled Want to Know, students have the opportunity to list any questions they have about the topic that they would wish to investigate. The third column, which is labeled Learned, is reserved for after the reading when students can reflect on the material and explain what they have learned through reading. A variation of this strategy is the K-W-L-S chart, which contains a fourth column, labeled What Do I Still Want to Know? Here students have the opportunity to further research any questions that may have remained unanswered after their reading.
Example
Below is an example of a K-W-L chart that could be used by students during an introductory lesson on satire.
Know
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Want to Know
|
Learned
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References: Central High School, 2012; McLaughlin, 2010