K-W-L Strategy Definition: "The K-W-L strategy chart is to help readers activate their prior knowledge about a topic." (Ogle, 1986) It's used to guide students through a specific piece of text. First, the student brainstorms everything they know about the topic. Then, students generate a list of questions they want to know about the topic. Last, but not least, Students answer questions that are in the W column. This is put under the L, meaning new information they've learned. "The strategy sets a purpose for reading and to monitor comprehension." (NEA, 2014) Below is an example of the K-W-L strategy.
K-W-L Research: Research shows there is evidence for effectiveness as a learning enhancement with this strategy. "Prior knowledge has a large influence on student performance, explaining up to 81% of variance in the posttest scores." (Dochy, Segers, & Buehl 1999) There is also a correlation between prior knowledge and reading comprehension. Research also shows students use K-W-L charts to guide their inquiry and publish their results in a collaborative manner with the whole class.
How you may use it: This strategy can be used by having the teacher post a large K-W-L chart on the classroom wall, labeling it "What we know" "What we wonder" "What we learned". At the beginning of the unit the teacher will ask the students to brainstorm what they know about the topic. Students can come up to the front of the room and write their information in the K column. If students suggest information that isn't correct; these statements should be turned into questions and added to the W column. Next, teachers write questions students suggest in the W column and continue to throughout the unit. Then, at the end of the unit students reflect on what they have learned, and is recorded in the L column. This strategy keeps students engaged throughout the unit. Students work together as a class to collect new information and expand on their prior knowledge. This strategy can also be used by having the teacher let the students in groups create their own K-W-L chart using different texts for each group. After, the students can use Reader's Theater and present their K-W-L in front of the class. The students can project their K-W-L or transfer it over onto the Smart Board to be interactive.
How it will benefit student learning: This strategy will benefit student learning because it's a great resource to activate background knowledge and engage the students into a new topic. Additional media sources can be used for engagement such as; youtube, google images, article, and more. K-W-L also benefits student learning because it encourages students to be active thinkers while reading; giving them specific things to look for and reflect on what they've learned. "Students are using their meta-cognition skills of self-questioning to ensure they comprehend the text." (Ogle, 1987) Most importantly, it's an opportunity for students to set their own learning objectives. Overall, it's a beneficial strategy that students can use throughout their education to comprehend texts and other reading material.
Writing component of the strategy: W.6.4 Produce clear and coherent writing in which the development, organization, and style are appropriate to task, purpose, and audience. Writing is tied into the strategy because students fill out a graphic organizer that has three columns. The three columns are "what we know" "what we wonder" "what we learned". Under each column students will first use their prior knowledge to write about what they know. Then, students will write under the second column questions they have or want to know. Last, under the third column students will write about new information they learned that was answered from the questions they asked under the second column.
2 videos with short summary: The first video Using a KWL Chart for Pre-Assessment has a professor discuss how the KWL can be used for pre-assessment. It's great for student engagement because the class is engaged as a whole whereas they brainstorm together, share prior knowledge, develop questions, and discover new learning. It's exemplary instruction because it's student centered. The teacher scaffolds and prompts students to share what they know, want to know, and new learning. The teacher isn't lecturing; therefore it's the best kind of instruction for the strategy because students are learning from one another's background knowledge and present new learning together. The professor thinks the KWL chart is a great pre-assessment tool because the K column tells the teacher what specific students already know. Students can brainstorm something under the K column and put their name in the corner of the paper that is taped to the chart so the teacher knows specifically who brainstormed what piece. As a whole class, the teacher can see what students already know about the topic. Therefore, it helps the teacher learn what material he or she has to cover the most or spend more time on so the students are meeting the learning objective.
The second video has the teacher work through a math problem using the KWL chart. I really enjoyed this video because it focused on math, which is my content area. The teacher starts off with a math word problem. She goes through it step by step solving it using K-W-L. First, she writes the information she knows. She gets this information from the math problem. Next, she underlines in the math problem and write sunder the W column how much money is spent together? Then, under learn she adds the money together to show her work and new learning. This is awesome for student engagement because students can be hands on learning by coming up to the Smart Board to underline important information in the math problem, fill out the columns, and solve the math problem. It's exemplary for instruction because it's student centered where the teacher scaffolds students through the problem and chart, but the students are doing the work on the Smart Board and thinking when they aren't up at the board writing. This would be a great assessment because the teacher can have students raise their hands to share the answer under each column. The teacher can pick a student. Then, the student will share their information. The teacher can have students raise their hands to see if they agree with that information. The show of hands will tell the teacher which students are on the right track solving the problem and which ones need extra help. The teacher could also assess students in small groups to solve the problems at the board. This would also show the teacher which groups and students in the groups understood solving the problem, who needed guidance, and who struggled quite a bit.
How you may use it: This strategy can be used by having the teacher post a large K-W-L chart on the classroom wall, labeling it "What we know" "What we wonder" "What we learned". At the beginning of the unit the teacher will ask the students to brainstorm what they know about the topic. Students can come up to the front of the room and write their information in the K column. If students suggest information that isn't correct; these statements should be turned into questions and added to the W column. Next, teachers write questions students suggest in the W column and continue to throughout the unit. Then, at the end of the unit students reflect on what they have learned, and is recorded in the L column. This strategy keeps students engaged throughout the unit. Students work together as a class to collect new information and expand on their prior knowledge. This strategy can also be used by having the teacher let the students in groups create their own K-W-L chart using different texts for each group. After, the students can use Reader's Theater and present their K-W-L in front of the class. The students can project their K-W-L or transfer it over onto the Smart Board to be interactive.
How it will benefit student learning: This strategy will benefit student learning because it's a great resource to activate background knowledge and engage the students into a new topic. Additional media sources can be used for engagement such as; youtube, google images, article, and more. K-W-L also benefits student learning because it encourages students to be active thinkers while reading; giving them specific things to look for and reflect on what they've learned. "Students are using their meta-cognition skills of self-questioning to ensure they comprehend the text." (Ogle, 1987) Most importantly, it's an opportunity for students to set their own learning objectives. Overall, it's a beneficial strategy that students can use throughout their education to comprehend texts and other reading material.
Writing component of the strategy: W.6.4 Produce clear and coherent writing in which the development, organization, and style are appropriate to task, purpose, and audience. Writing is tied into the strategy because students fill out a graphic organizer that has three columns. The three columns are "what we know" "what we wonder" "what we learned". Under each column students will first use their prior knowledge to write about what they know. Then, students will write under the second column questions they have or want to know. Last, under the third column students will write about new information they learned that was answered from the questions they asked under the second column.
2 videos with short summary: The first video Using a KWL Chart for Pre-Assessment has a professor discuss how the KWL can be used for pre-assessment. It's great for student engagement because the class is engaged as a whole whereas they brainstorm together, share prior knowledge, develop questions, and discover new learning. It's exemplary instruction because it's student centered. The teacher scaffolds and prompts students to share what they know, want to know, and new learning. The teacher isn't lecturing; therefore it's the best kind of instruction for the strategy because students are learning from one another's background knowledge and present new learning together. The professor thinks the KWL chart is a great pre-assessment tool because the K column tells the teacher what specific students already know. Students can brainstorm something under the K column and put their name in the corner of the paper that is taped to the chart so the teacher knows specifically who brainstormed what piece. As a whole class, the teacher can see what students already know about the topic. Therefore, it helps the teacher learn what material he or she has to cover the most or spend more time on so the students are meeting the learning objective.
The second video has the teacher work through a math problem using the KWL chart. I really enjoyed this video because it focused on math, which is my content area. The teacher starts off with a math word problem. She goes through it step by step solving it using K-W-L. First, she writes the information she knows. She gets this information from the math problem. Next, she underlines in the math problem and write sunder the W column how much money is spent together? Then, under learn she adds the money together to show her work and new learning. This is awesome for student engagement because students can be hands on learning by coming up to the Smart Board to underline important information in the math problem, fill out the columns, and solve the math problem. It's exemplary for instruction because it's student centered where the teacher scaffolds students through the problem and chart, but the students are doing the work on the Smart Board and thinking when they aren't up at the board writing. This would be a great assessment because the teacher can have students raise their hands to share the answer under each column. The teacher can pick a student. Then, the student will share their information. The teacher can have students raise their hands to see if they agree with that information. The show of hands will tell the teacher which students are on the right track solving the problem and which ones need extra help. The teacher could also assess students in small groups to solve the problems at the board. This would also show the teacher which groups and students in the groups understood solving the problem, who needed guidance, and who struggled quite a bit.