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K–12 teaching and learning · from the UNC School of Education

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KWL chart

Learn more about KWL chart

Do Spiders Live on the World Wide Web?
Through use of a fun and informative online story, students will explore the parts of the computer, as well as discover that words have multiple meanings.
Format: lesson plan (grade K English Language Arts)
Eco-tourism in the Outer Banks
In this lesson for grade 6, students will learn about the effects of tourists on the delicate ecosystems of North Carolina's Outer Banks. Students will explore careers related to tourism and will attempt to solve tourism/erosion problems in the Outer Banks from a career-based perspective.
Format: activity (grade 6 Science)
By April Galloway and Christine Scott.
Penguin paradise
Students will demonstrate their understanding of how to communicate statements of information through the composition of a one paragraph summary about a penguin.
Format: lesson plan (grade 1 English Language Arts and Science)
By Jovonne Shivers.
Perimeter of rectangles
In this lesson for grade seven, students practice measuring perimeter and discuss careers in which calculations of perimeter are important.
Format: lesson plan (grade 7 Mathematics)
By Peggy Dickey and Barbara Turner. Adapted by Sharon Abell.
Strategy Lesson: KWL
This lesson activates students' prior knowledge about famous North Carolinians and helps them organize thoughts and questions before they read biographies.
Format: lesson plan (grade 4 English Language Arts)
By Alisa McAlister, Sherry French, and Harnetha Hudgins.

Find all 47 resources in our collection.

Strategy in which students manage their learning by mapping out what they Know, Want to know, and Learned. KWL charts help students access prior knowledge and help teachers assess where students are in their learning.

See also graphic organizer.

Additional information

KWHL: Know, Want to find out, How to learn more, and Learned is a variation on the KWL chart, as elaborated by The Graphic Organizer. STW is another variation used for viewing illustrations: What do I See? What do I Think? and What do I Wonder?

Examples and resources

  • NCREL elaborates on KWL charts and provides a KWL template.
  • "Arachnid Anatomy!" is a second-grade science and English language arts lesson plan that uses a KWL chart for instruction and assessment.