Teaching Strategies: Activate Prior Knowledge

This resource contains strategies appropriate for use across grade levels and learning styles to help you activate students’ prior knowledge, reinforce a variety of literacy skills, and give students an opportunity to self-assess at the end of an activity or investigation.

Prior Knowledge Strategies

KWL – Knowing, Wondering, Learning

A KWL chart is a teaching strategy used to activate prior knowledge. Use chart paper and make a three-column graphic organizer as illustrated in the example below. Students brainstorm everything they know about a topic. The teacher records this information in the “K” column. All student responses should be accepted and recorded. In the “W” column, the teacher should record what students want to find out about the topic. A KWL chart is a working document that should be referred to daily throughout the unit so new information can be added or misconceptions can be corrected as appropriate. This chart should be posted in the classroom where it is easily accessible and visible at all times. At the conclusion of the unit, revisit the KWL to correct any misconceptions that were listed under the “K” column and to fill out the “L” column with all the new information students learned.

K. What I Know	W. What I Want to Know	L. What I Learned
(Student Responses)	(Student Responses)	(Student Responses)

K. What I Know
(Student Responses)
W. What I Want to Know
(Student Responses)
L. What I Learned
(Student Responses)

KLEW – Knowing, Learning, Evidence, Wondering

A KLEW chart is a teaching strategy used to activate prior knowledge. Use chart paper and make a four-column graphic organizer as illustrated in the example below. Students brainstorm everything they know about a topic. The teacher records this information in the “K” column. All student responses should be accepted and recorded. The “L” column and the “E” column should be filled out at the same time. The “L” column should reflect what students learn as the unit progresses, and the “E” column should support these statements with evidence. A KLEW chart is a working document that should be referred to daily throughout the unit to add information or correct misconceptions as appropriate. This chart should be posted in the classroom where it is easily accessible and visible at all times. At the conclusion of the unit, use the KLEW chart as a tool to review the unit and then add to the “W” column what students are wondering now.(Sample Format)

K. What do we think we know?	L. What are we learning?	E. What is our evidence?	W. What are we wondering?
(Student Responses)	(Student Responses)	(Student Responses)	(Student Responses)

K. What do we think we know?
(Student Responses)
L. What are we learning?
(Student Responses)
E. What is our evidence?
(Student Responses)
W. What are we wondering?
(Student Responses)

KWL Q & A Map

Draw a large circle in the center of a piece of chart paper. Write what the students think they know about the topic in the circle. Draw lines radiating out from the original circle and slightly smaller circles at the end of each line. On the lines write what they want to find out. In the circles at the end of the line fill in the answers as the unit progresses.

T-chart Before and After

Lead a brainstorming session in which students generate questions about a new unit of study. Draw a two-column chart (t-chart) on your front board or chart paper. Record questions under the left column labeled “What I Want to Know.” As the unit progresses, students record answers to the questions under the right column labeled “What I Know Now.”

Prediction Walk

Copy key phrases and concepts from a unit of study onto index cards. Write one statement on each card. Make enough cards so every student has a different statement. Divide students into groups of three to four. Students walk around the classroom and share statements with each other. They should try to remember as much as possible, but they may not take any notes. Allow three to five minutes for students to walk around and share information before they return to their groups. Students should discuss what they learned from each other. Distribute a sheet of chart paper and markers to each group. Students record predictions about what they think the unit will be about. Lead a class discussion, permitting groups to share predictions. Discuss similarities and differences. Display the predictions in the classroom and revisit them as the unit unfolds.

Word Toss

Write four to six key words from an upcoming lesson on strips of an overhead transparency. Scatter the words on to the overhead projector so the students can read them in random order. Students work in groups of two to three to collaboratively write a sentence that reflects how the words are related. Lead a class discussion in which groups share sentences. Discuss similarities and differences.

List and Share

Students work independently to brainstorm words or phrases associated with a new topic. Lists should be recorded in science journals. Lead a class discussion where each student shares a fact about the topic. If students have the same fact they should mark it with a check. If it is a new fact, they should add it to their list. Students continue sharing facts until all have been read. Record facts on chart paper or front board as they are read for students to use as a model.

Anticipation Guide

Before	Statement	After
Agree Disagree	A balance scale measures mass.	Agree Disagree

Before
Agree Disagree
Statement
A balance scale measures mass.
After
Agree Disagree

Write 6-10 statements central to an upcoming unit of study. Statements should be a combination of true and false or fact and opinion. Make a ‘Before’ column and an ‘After’ column next to each statement. Copy for students as needed. Students answer agree or disagree for each statement. Anticipation Guides should be filled out once at the beginning of the unit and once at its conclusion. Compare student responses pre and post unit.

Pros, Cons, What I Wish

Generate a question that is central or related to a unit of study. Write the question across the top of a piece of chart paper. Divide the rest of the paper into three columns. Write “Pros” in the first column, “Cons” in the second column, and “Wish” in the third column.

Sample Question: What if I were a magnet?

Pros	Cons	Wish
I could stick myself to the refrigerator.	Everywhere I walked metal objects would stick to me.	I wish I could make a magnet.

Cons

Pros
I could stick myself to the refrigerator.
Everywhere I walked metal objects would stick to me.
Wish
I wish I could make a magnet.