What is a KWL chart?

• A. Graphic organizer where students identify what they know about a topic, what they want to know about a topic, and what they learned about a topic
• B. Lesson plan
• C. Rubric
• D. Survey

Answer: (A)

A KWL chart is a graphic organizer that helps students connect what they already know to what they want to learn and what they actually learn after exploring a topic. It uses three columns labeled Know, Want to know, and Learned. Before starting, students fill the Know column with prior knowledge and the Want to know column with questions or curiosity about the topic. After the learning activity, they complete the Learned column with new information or understandings gained. This approach encourages curiosity, sets learning goals, and makes thinking visible by tying past ideas to new discoveries and reflections. It isn’t a lesson plan, a rubric, or a survey—those serve different purposes. A lesson plan structures activities, a rubric defines scoring criteria, and a survey gathers opinions; the KWL chart specifically tracks knowledge before, questions to guide inquiry, and what is learned afterward.