Using K-W-L to confirm what you know

Students will learn to use a K-W-L to activate their prior knowledge and help them set a purpose for reading and recording what they learned. They will also extend their K-W-L chart to confirm the accuracy of their prior knowledge and of what they learn.

A lesson plan for grade 2 English Language Arts and Science

By Kathleen Neff

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Related topics

• Learn more about KWL, critical thinking, environmental science, language arts, meteorology, prediction, read-alouds, science, thinking skills, and weather.

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Learning outcomes

This lesson will:

• guide students’ engagement and interaction when they are reading informational text.
• activate students’ prior knowledge.
• teach students to use facts and details from their reading to confirm the accuracy of their prior knowledge.

Teacher planning

Time required for lesson

25 minutes

Materials/resources

• Student copies of the K-W-L chart
• Fall Is Not Easy by Marty Kelley
• The Same Day in March by Marilyn Singer
• Other non-fiction books about weather to be used in small groups
• Green pens (class set)

Technology resources

Overhead with the K-W-L chart transparency to write on.

Pre-activities

• Students will need to be familiar with the K-W-L strategy before this set of lessons. The first lesson would begin on day two after a brief discussion of weather, based on the book The Same Day in March. The students will brainstorm all the facts they think they know about weather and any questions they may have. Continue the lesson, whole group, using the book Fall Is Not Easy to teach the K-W-L strategy.
• The second lesson would occur at the end of the first week to confirm and add to the K-W-L chart. Steps in Lesson 2 may need to be repeated again if many facts are not confirmed and questions are still unanswered.
• The third lesson would be taught at the end of the unit to complete and summarize the information on the K-W-L chart.

Activities

Lesson One

1. We began our study of weather by reading the book, The Same Day in March.
• What: “Today you will learn how to use a K-W-L chart to verify whether the facts that we think we know about the weather are really true.”
• Why: “Many of the facts we think we know are not always true. Good readers always check their information for accuracy and use a variety of sources to verify the truth of their facts.”
• How: The class will brainstorm things they think they know about seasons and the teacher will list them under the first column: What We Think We Know (K).
2. Tell the class, “Just because someone says something is true doesn’t mean it really is true. A fact is something that can be verified using at least two sources. For example, just because I say that it is snowing outside doesn’t make it true. You would want to confirm that it really is true from two different people, or sources. I’ve added two additional columns to our K-W-L chart after the K column, titled Confirm and Source. We will use these two columns when the information in the What We Think We Know (K) column has been confirmed using two additional sources. If it is confirmed we will put a check mark in the Confirm column and write down where we found it in the Source column.”
3. The class will then brainstorm questions they want to know about weather. The teacher will write the questions in the second column What We Want to Know (W). As the students generate the list of information and questions about weather the teacher will underline key words that maybe be used throughout the unit. Underlining the key words will help focus attention on words the students can refer to as they read other informational text.
4. When the students begin working in their groups and independently they will be given a pad of Post-it notes and a K-W-L chart. The students will learn to use the Post-it notes as a class. They will then use the Post-It notes to make references as they work independently. As they read and confirm the information in the What We Think We Know (K) column, they will write the name of the book (or source) and the page number on the Post-it note. If they find answers to the questions posed in the What We Want to Know (W) column, they will fill in the answer on their individual K-W-L chart and present the information during group discussion (Lesson 2 and 3). Discuss and then write the answers in the What We Learned (L) column of the class K-W-L chart.
• Example One: The teacher will show the class the picture book Fall Is Not Easy and then tell the class the book is about the seasons. Prior to reading the book, the teacher will ask the students what they think they know about the seasons. “Using the K-W-L chart will help you organize and guide your thinking as you brainstorm what you think you know about the seasons.” Using the K-W-L chart (on the overhead) the teacher will fill in what the students think they know about seasons under the first column What We Think We Know (K). The students may have you write the names of the seasons or anything that can happen during those seasons.
• Before beginning to read, the teacher comments on all the things the students think they know about the seasons, and then asks them if there is anything they want to know about the seasons? “We are going to record what we want to know in the fourth column titled What We Want to Know (W).” The teacher explains that they are going to skip the next two skinny columns (Confirm and Source) and come back to them after they have read the book. The teacher then fills in what the students want to know in the fourth column (W) of the K-W-L chart.
• Example Two: The teacher passes out a Post-it note pad to each student. The teacher explains that each time a student finds a fact or an answer to a question that is put up on the K-W-L chart they should write the page number and the name of the book (or source) down on the Post-it note and mark the page with the Post-it note. The teacher reads page 1 of the book, Fall Is Not Easy, to the class while the K-W-L chart is visible to the students. The teacher stops and has the students look at the K-W-L chart. “Were there any facts or questions on the K-W-L chart from page one that we can confirm?” Have a student restate what the pages were about and look down column one, What We Think We Know (K), to confirm any facts that the students may have listed. The students confirm that winter is a season. Everyone uses the Post-it note to write down the name of the book and the page number. Teacher directs the students’ attention to column four, What We Want to Know (W), and asks if any of the questions were answered. The teacher reads pages 3, 4, and 5, stopping to model the steps. As the teacher continues reading, she states the page number and then begins reading the information on each page. When finishing each page, the teacher pauses to allow students time for confirming facts or finding answers to questions.
• Example Three: “We have collected information about the seasons that has confirmed facts in the What We Think We Know (K) column and even answered some questions we have in the What We Want to Know (W) column. Since we found answers to confirm our facts and questions we can now say we know a lot about seasons. If we look at our K-W-L chart, what facts have been confirmed and what questions have been answered?” The teacher shows the students that there is one column titled Confirmed and two columns titled Source that they need to use to record their findings in. “On page 1 we confirmed that winter is a season. Hold up the Post-it note with page one on it. Look at our K-W-L chart in the second column titled Confirmed. We will place a check mark next to the fact, winter is a season, that is written in the What We Think We Know column. In the third column titled Source, write the name of the book (or other source) and the page number the fact was found on. Did anyone find information to confirm our facts or answer our questions on page 2? What about page 3? Page 4? Page 5? One of the questions the students asked in the What We Want to Know column was ‘What season do the leaves grow on trees?’ This fact was found on page 6.”
• The students go back to page 6 to locate the answer. In column five titled What We Learned, they write the answer next to the question listed in the What We Want to Know column. The students also use the Post-it note that marked the page with the information to write the book title (or other source) and the page number under the second column titled Source.
• The teacher explains that the first Source column is used to confirm facts from the What We Think We Know column. The second Source column is used to show where they found the answer to the question they had in the What We Want to Know column and the answer they wrote in the What We Learned column.

Lesson Two

• What: “We will use the resources to confirm the accuracy of the information on the class K-W-L chart and add any new questions we may have. We will use Post-it notes and individual K-W-L charts to share the information confirmed and record it to our class K-W-L chart.”
• Why: “Just because we think something is true doesn’t mean it is true. Using the K-W-L chart will help to organize the information so checking for accuracy is made easier. As we work together as a class, and record our individual findings, we will be able to share and discuss the accuracy of the information we have.”
• How: Begin with the first item on the chart and ask if anyone has found information that would confirm what they think they know. If information is located, read and discuss whether it confirms the statement. If it confirms, list the page number and the source. Continue down each item on the list and determine if text has been identified to support the statement or answer the question.

Steps in Lesson Two may need to be repeated again later in the unit if there are many questions still unanswered.

Lesson Three

• What: “Today you will use the K-W-L strategy in small groups to confirm the accuracy of the information on the class K-W-L chart. We will use Post-it notes and individual K-W-L charts to share the information confirmed and record it to our class K-W-L chart.”
• Why: Ask students to explain why this strategy is helpful when reading informational text. (To help organize and confirm the accuracy of the information they are reading).
• How: “I am giving each group a different book that they will use to find answers to the unanswered questions left on the K-W-L chart. Each of you received a green pen. Use your Post-it note pads and the green pen to mark the page numbers where the information was found. Also, use the green pen to write the answers to any questions that can be answered in the What We Learned (L) column.”

Assessment

The students work in their groups referring to the K-W-L chart when reading a text to confirm an item or add to the What We Learned column. Using the green pen helps the teacher to see what new information the group was able to confirm or add on their own. The teacher also uses a checklist to note:

• Participation in the discussions, both small and whole group
• Understanding of the application of the strategy
• Using the chart as a reference for finding specific information
• Marking the appropriate pages using a Post-it note
• Adding answers to the What We Learned (L) column
• Correctly filling in the K-W-L chart

If the teacher notices a student having difficulty with any of the tasks necessary to complete the K-W-L strategy, the teacher conferences individually with the student to ensure understanding and promote success.

Supplemental information

See attached K-W-L Chart.

• Column 1: What We Think We KNOW (K)
• Column 2: Confirm
• Column 3: Source
• Column 4: What We WANT to know (W)
• Column 5: What We LEARNED (L)
• Column 6: Source

Adapted from Sampson, M. B. (2002). Confirming K-W-L: Considering the Source. The Reading Teacher, 55, 528-532.

Comments

This lesson plan can be adapted for grades 3–8.