Teaching Strategies

16 KWL Chart: Know, Want to Know,

Learned
Purpose The KWL chart (Ogle, 1986) is a three-column graphic that can be
used as a pre-assessment tool for the teacher and as a study guide as
students read and review. This process acknowledges the language
structures and vocabulary the students already know (Echevarria, Vogt,
& Short, 2000). It also prepares them with questions for checking their
predictions and for learning new information about a topic.
Target learning strategies
• Activating prior knowledge • Predicting
• Generating questions • Organizing learned material

Procedure 1. Give students a prepared KWL chart or have them draw three
columns and write the following headings at the top of each column:
What I Know; What I Want to Know; What I Learned.
2. Ask students to list what they already know about the theme or topic
in the “Know” column of their papers. Provide learners with needed
language structures, such as The causes of . . . are . . .; There are . .
. in . . .; The people from . . . are . . .; They live. . .; and They have.
. . . After two to five minutes of independent thinking and writing,
ask students to share what they know with the class. List what they
say in the “Know” column of a class chart. Have students add new
information from their peers to their own charts.
3. Ask students what they want to know about the topic. Write their
questions in the second column, the “Want to Know” column of the
chart. Help learners use language structures such as What are . . .?;
Are all . . .?; When did . . .?; and Why did . . .? Assign individuals or
pairs specific questions to answer.

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4. After the reading or unit of study has been completed, ask students
to tell you what they have learned. Students might use language
structures such as I learned that . . . ; Often . . .; Most . . .; and
Some. . . . List what students learned on the class chart. Correct
misinformation that they “knew” before their study. An example of a
KWL chart is shown below.

Example
What I Know What I Want to Know What I Learned
• Mount Saint Helen is a • Where are most • Most volcanoes are in the
volcano. volcanoes located? “Ring of Fire,” the Pacific
Ocean.

• Mount Fuji in Japan is an

active volcano.

T24 Modified Lesson Plans for English Learners

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