A Spin on KWL

Today I asked my students if they had ever heard of a "KWL Chart".  A few groaned. "Yes...it means Know, Want to Know, and Learn. But it's pretty pointless". I agreed with them.  True, the normal, 3-column organization of the KWL Chart that most teachers are familiar with may provide organization to a student's thoughts, but it is not very beneficial to students learning - at least from the students' point of view.

For a final assessment on my WWII unit, I reorganized the KWL Chart and brought the K section out on it's own.  I asked students to list five things they already KNEW on the subject.  This was a valuable pre-assessment for me as the teacher.  I put the W and L column together so that the students could more easily see the connection between the two.  Students were instructed to come up with five questions they had about World II. (What do they WANT to know?) For the L section of the Chart,  students are instructed to find answers to their questions. They can do this through participation in the lessons throughout our unit, or outside resources (textbook, Internet, etc.)

At the end of the unit, students will turn in this assignment.  I like it because it is a student-centered and student-directed assessment on a large topic. The students can decide ahead of time what they want to learn and develop a stronger ownership over their answers.

CLICK HERE for an editable copy of my KWL Chart. Fix it up for whatever topic or subject matter you'd like!