KWL 2.0
What is it?
A strategy to help students set a clear purpose for reading, driven by their curiosity and to support students in following through on their questions after reading.
"With KWL 2.0, the imprecise question "What do I want to know?" becomes a more specific question..." "What do I want to know about this?" and asks students to build directly off of their prior knowledge.
How do I use it?
Don’t assume these steps are self-explanatory. Explain and model each one thoroughly, making sure to think aloud as you work your way through sample texts. Continue modeling the process until students are clear about how to use this strategy.
Although KWL 2.0 is framed as a graphic organizer, it could also be implemented as a classroom conversation.
For a full guide to this strategy, check out Reading Nonfiction, Beers and Probst. All direct quotes are from the book.
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Present the topic of the reading to students (you can also use this at the beginning of a unit).
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Give students a few minutes to talk with a partner about anything they have heard or read about the topic.
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Bring the class back together and collectively add their responses to the first column (What do I know?)
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As a class, work through each point under "What do I know?) and ask " What are you wondering? What more do you want to know about that?". Write these responses in the second column (What do you want to know about...?). Don't worry if some comments from column 1 don't have many comments.
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Time to read!
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After students read, return to the chart. In column 3, put answers to the questions. In column 4, add information that students have learned that is not related to their questions.
Questions you might have:
What if kids don't ask questions that I know they need to think about as they read?
First, pay the most attention to the questions they do ask. They are showing you what interests them about the topic. Second, remember that you are a member of the class. If you need to, you can add something to columns 1 and 2. But we try to keep our own comments and questions to a minimum.
What if kids come up with incorrect information for "What I know"?
That happens. If what they know is correctable at that moment, we do it... Other times, what students are saying is so wrong that to leave it in our "What I know" column would be a distraction. For example, in a unit on a frog's life cycle, one sixth grader said "Frogs are reptiles." We said, "That's not right, but something has given you that idea. Let's put it here, and put a circle around it. As you read, be looking for the information that will help you clarify that thought."