KWL: Know, Want to know, Learned)
KWL charts are a great strategy to make students use their prior knowledge. It gives the students a purpose while reading. First, the students should brainstorm what they already know about the given topic and write those ideas in the K (know) column. Then, the students should think about what they would like to know about the topic and write those ideas under the W (want to know) column. Finally,, the students read the section of the textbook and they write down what they learned from the text. This strategy helps students use their prior knowledge to bridge together new information. It also gives them a purpose for reading. Below is a blank KWL chart on the left and on the right is an example one from a math class.
Hinchman Text Pg. 125