K-W-L (Know, Want to Know, Learned)

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Article Sections
 Description
 Purpose
 How to use the K-W-L strategy
 Example

Description

K-W-L (Ogle, 1986) is an instructional reading strategy that is used to guide students through a
text. Students begin by brainstorming everything they Know about a topic. This information is
recorded in the K column of a K-W-L chart. Students then generate a list of questions about what
they Want to Know about the topic. These questions are listed in the W column of the chart.
During or after reading, students answer the questions that are in the W column. This new
information that they have Learned is recorded in the L column of the K-W-L chart.   

Purpose

The K-W-L strategy serves several purposes:

 Elicits students’ prior knowledge of the topic of the text.

 Sets a purpose for reading.
 Helps students to monitor their comprehension.

How to use the K-W-L strategy

1. Choose a text. This strategy works best with expository texts.

2. Create a K-W-L chart. The teacher should create a chart on the blackboard or on an
overhead transparency. In addition, the students should have their own chart on which to
record information. (Below is an example of a K-W-L chart.)

K W L
     

 
  

3.
4. Ask students to brainstorm words, terms, or phrases they associate with a topic. The
teacher and students record these associations in the K column of their charts. This is
done until students run out of ideas.

K Column Suggestions

o Have questions ready to help students brainstorm their ideas.

Sometimes students need more prompting than, “Tell me everything
you know about _____,” to get them started.

o Encourage students to explain their associations. This is

especially important for those associations that are vague or unusual.
Ask, “What made you think of that?”

Ask students what they want to learn about the topic. The teacher and students record
these questions in the W column of their charts. This is done until students run out of
ideas for questions. If students respond with statements, turn them into questions before
recording them in the W column.

  W Column Suggestions

o Ask an alternative question for generating ideas for the W

column. If, in response to “What do you want to learn about this
topic?” your students are either having trouble coming up with
ideas, or are saying, “nothing,” try asking one of the following
questions instead:

“What do you think you will learn about this topic from the text you
will be reading?”

Choose an idea from the K column and ask, “What would you like
 to learn more about this idea?”

o Come prepared with your own questions to add to the W

column. You might want students to focus on ideas in the text on
which the students’ questions are not likely to focus them. Be sure
not too add too many of your own questions, however. The majority
of the questions in the W column should be student-generated.

5. Have students read the text and fill out the L column of their charts. Students should look
for the answers to the questions in their W column. Students can fill out their L columns
either during or after reading.

L Column Suggestions

o In addition to answering the W column questions, encourage

students to write in the L column anything they found especially
interesting. To distinguish between the answers to their questions
and the ideas they found interesting, have students code the
information in their L columns. For example, they can put a check
mark next to the information that answers questions from the K
column. And they can put a star next to ideas that they found
interesting.

o Have students consult other resources to find out the answers

to questions that were not answered in the text. (It is unlikely that all
of the students’ questions in the W column will be answered by the
text.)

6. Discuss the information that students recorded in the L column.

Ogle, D.M. 1986. K-W-L: A teaching model that develops active reading of expository text.
Reading Teacher 39: 564-570.

Example

Following is an example of a completed K-W-L chart that students might complete if they were
reading a text about gravity.
 Topic: GRAVITY

     

 K  W  L

     
It keeps us What is gravity?  Gravity is the force that pulls objects
from floating towards Earth. 
around.

It makes Why is there less The amount of gravity there is

things fall. gravity on the moon? depends on the masses of the objects
involved. The moon is a lot less
massive than the earth, so there is
less gravity on the moon than there is
on earth.

How did Newton

There is less discover gravity?
gravity on the
moon.
What determines
Isaac Newton how fast something Air resistance determines how fast
discovered will fall to the something will fall to the ground.
gravity. ground? (teacher
question)