Description: KWL PLUS is designed to foster active reading of expository text. The basic three-steps consist of: K – What do I already know?, W – What do I want to know?, and L – What did I learn? The “plus” is the extension or connection of the learning. KWL provides a structure for activating and building prior knowledge, for eliciting student input when establishing purposes for reading, and for personalizing the summarization of what was learned. It is a method that students can use independently and master in various settings. The process mirrors what good readers should always do. A complete KWL chart can help students reflect and evaluate their learning experience as well as serve as a useful assessment tool for teachers. The key to this strategy is using the KWL organizer.
Step-by-Step
- Identify ideas and concepts that students must get from a reading assignment and structure the lesson to ensure that students are led to an understanding of these points.
- Introduce the KWL and model how to use it with a new topic or reading assignment.
- Individually, in pairs, or in small groups, students brainstorm what they already know about the KWL Plus topic. Emphasize the tentative nature of what we remember by encouraging reluctant students to try to remember what they think they know.
- The information is recorded and displayed for the whole class. During class discussion, model how to organize and categorize information.
- Lead the class into the next phase where students generate a list of what else they WANT to learn or questions they want answered. Continue to demonstrate how to organize and categorize their responses and how to use this information to set purposes for their reading.
- Students read with the purpose of discovering the information to answer their questions or to verify their knowledge. They record what they learned in the L column.
- Record and display information gained after reading, modeling how to reflect upon the entire learning experience.
Encourage students to decide what other information they would like to know about the topic and discuss why they are interested in this information.
KWL template- http://www.readwritethink.org/files/resources/printouts/KWL%20Chart.pdf
Interactive template- http://www.readwritethink.org/classroom-resources/student-interactives/creator-30846.html