KWL
Created by Donna Ogle, 1986

What Is K-W-L?
K-W-L is a 3-column chart that helps capture the Before, During, and After components of reading a text selection.

• K stands for Know
What do I already know about this topic?
• W stands for Want
What do I want to know about this topic?
• L stands for Learned
What have I learned about this topic?

Process:
1. On the chalkboard, on an overhead, on a handout, or on students' individual clean sheets, three columns should be drawn.
2. Label Column 1 K, Column 2 W, Column 3 L.
3. Before reading, students fill in the Know column with everything they already know about the topic. This helps generate their background knowledge.
4. Then have students predict what they might learn about the topic, which might follow a quick glance at the topic headings, pictures, and charts that are found in the reading. This helps set their purpose for reading and focuses their attention on key ideas.
5. Alternatively, you might have students put in the middle column what they want to learn about the topic.
6. After reading, students should fill in their new knowledge gained from reading the content. They can also clear up misperceptions about the topic which might have shown up in the Know column before they actually read anything. This is the stage of metacognition: did they get it or not?
7. After students fill out what it is they learned, have them to categorize what they learned. Examples include people, important dates, places, etc.

This lesson can be used when you want to motivate students and make them responsible for their own learning. They actively participate by sharing what they already know, they are in charge of what it is that they want to learn, and they are responsible for what they learned. This is a great way to encourage students to be in charge of their own learning!

Download and Print a KWL chart

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