A KWL table, or KWL chart, is a graphical organizer designed to help in learning. The letters KWL are an acronym, for what students, in the course of a lesson, already know, want to know, and ultimately learn. It is a part of the constructivist teaching method where students move away from what are considered traditional methods of teaching and learning. In this particular methodology the students are given the space to learn by constructing their own learning pace and their own style of understanding a given topic or idea. The KWL chart or table was developed within this methodology and is a form of instructional reading strategy that is used to guide students taking them through the idea and the text. A KWL table is typically divided into three columns titled Know, Want and Learned. The table comes in various forms as some have modified it to include or exclude information.

It may be useful in research projects and to organize information to help study for tests.

Classroom introduction

The KWL chart was created by Donna Ogle in 1986. A KWL chart can be used for all subjects in a whole group or small group atmosphere. The chart is a comprehension strategy used to activate background knowledge prior to reading and is completely student centered. The teacher divides a piece of chart paper into three columns. The first column, 'K', is for what the students already know about a topic. This step is to be completed before the reading. The next column, 'W', is for students to list what they want to learn about the topic during the reading. This step is also to be completed before the reading. The third column, 'L', is for what the students learned from the reading. This step, of course, is done after finishing the reading. The KWL chart can also be used in reading instruction at the beginning of a new unit.

Here is what the KWL chart can look like:

{| class="wikitable"

|-

! K

What I know

! W

What I wonder

! L

What I learned

|-

| Write the information about what the students know in this space.

| Write the information about what the students want to know in this space.

| After the completion of the lesson or unit, write the information that the students learned in this space.

|-

|}

Implementation considerations

Materials required can vary on the type of classroom activity the teacher intends to carry. For a classroom activity if the teacher divides the class for a particular topic then 1 paper with KWL chart per group shall be given. But if the teacher wants every individual child to brainstorm on the given topic then every individual shall have their own student paper copy.

In the 'K' column, the teacher has to make sure that she or he has all the questions ready for the students to brainstorm on the particular idea that needs to be taken care in that class. The questions help the students to be prompted to think in specific directions that will lead them to the first step of brainstorming. Also ask the students the reason of their answers. By this the teacher makes them aware of their associations to the answers. The questions like "what made you think like that?" shall guide them well.

In the 'W' column, ask associating questions or liking questions to make them come to the thinking. questions like, "what would you like to learn more about this idea?" can help them to analyze and think more. The teacher here has to come prepared with her/his own set of questions that will link the students' questions to the idea in the text. This is done so that the student shall not lose the flow of the text as well as not lose the purpose of the activity.

In the last column 'L', help the students to come out with their own creative ideas and analysis. Also in this particular column, the teacher shall ask the students to differentiate between the answers to their questions and ideas in other columns and the idea they found interesting. At last, the teacher shall help the students to consult other sources which would answer their questions which are not mentioned in the text.

KWL charts are used by elementary teachers from literature to science. They are also used to teach historical content at the elementary level.

Study tool

A KWL chart can be used as a study tool for an individual, group, or entire class. It is a way to synthesize information into a visual aid. The students are also able to keep track of what they have done and what they still would like, or need to do. Due to the visual nature of the KWL chart it can also be beneficial for young learners such as preschoolers. Words may not be necessary, and pictures can be used to express the chart's ideas. is an extension of the traditional KWL chart to include a column for "Further Wonderings" at the end of the table. This allows for the students' knowledge to continue beyond what they have learned within the classroom. The idea behind this extra column is to encourage the students to continue to learn. The KLEW chart was developed by a group of people with various backgrounds including an elementary school teacher, a professor and a professional development specialist. From this knowledge the teacher is then able to gear their lessons based upon this information. The KWL chart can be completed when starting a new topic and be added to throughout the unit. Further, the teacher is able to find out what the students have learned by the end of their lessons.

KWL charts work well in order to examine the individual student or the entire class in order to understand their thinking and learning.

According to Glazer(1998), students fail to enjoy the text or content because they fail to understand it. Hence, KWL increases their comprehension skills as the activity goes through each topic step by step.

According to Szabo(2006), a KWL table uses a strategy of before-during-after for the students to enhance their comprehension skills. The students start by brainstorming the prior knowledge about the topic and then eventually develop curiosity about the topic. This builds their interest in the topic and they would want to learn more about the topic. KWL chart gives an opportunity to the individual to build up self-motivation regarding the topic. Through KWL table, the students go through self-evaluation as they know what they intend to learn and what they really understood. Hence, KWL gives the students some space to explore the topic through other sources and build up their knowledge.

See also

  • SQ3R
  • PQRST

References

Bibliography

  • McKenna, M. (3) Help for struggling readers: strategies for grades 3-8. New York: The Guilford Press.
  • Valmont, W. (2006). Technology for literacy teaching and learning. New York: Houghton Mifflin Company.
  • Allington, R. and Cunningham, P. (2004). Classrooms that work. Boston: Allyn and Bacon.
  • Padak, N. and Rasinski, T. (2004). Effective reading strategies: teaching children who find reading difficult. New Jersey: Pearson Education, Inc.
  • Buehl, D. (2006). Classroom strategies for interactive learning. Delaware: International Reading Association.
  • Jones, R. (2007). "Readingquest strategies"
  • Conner, J. (2006). "Instructional reading strategy: KWL "
  • Maks K. (2023) "KWL chart template: KWL"
  • Student Handouts "Printable KWL Chart for Elementary"