KWL and Data Charts
KWL is a three-column organizer in which students record what they already Know about a topic, what they Want to know, and, after reading or inquiry, what they Learned (Ogle, 1986). A data chart extends the same logic into a research matrix, with rows for subtopics or guiding questions and columns for multiple sources, so students can gather, compare, and synthesize information across texts before writing. Used together, the two tools make the full arc of inquiry visible and concrete: activating prior knowledge, setting a purpose for reading, and consolidating new learning into organized notes that scaffold a report or response. The pairing reflects Ogle's own extension of KWL into concept mapping and summarization for content-area writing (Carr & Ogle, 1987).
How it’s typically applied
- 1Choose a content-rich topic and create the KWL chart on chart paper, a slide, or a shared digital doc so the whole class can see it and add to it.
- 2Open the K column by inviting students to brainstorm what they already know; accept contributions in English, the home language, drawings, or labeled images, and record everything without correcting at this stage.
- 3Build the W column by helping students turn curiosities into questions; model question stems (What is...? Why does...? How do...?) and use student wonderings to set a clear purpose for reading or investigation.
- 4Have students read, watch, listen to, or investigate sources, pausing to note answers to their W questions and any surprising new information.
- 5Complete the L column together, returning to the W questions to mark which were answered, flag questions that remain, and add unexpected discoveries.
- 6Transition to a data chart for multi-source inquiry: list the guiding questions or subtopics down the left side and the sources across the top, then guide students to fill each cell with short notes, key words, or sketches drawn from that source.
- 7Use the completed data chart as a writing plan, reading across rows to compare what sources say and down columns to draft organized paragraphs, then revisit the KWL to confirm what was learned.
Why it works for emergent bilingual students
Emergent bilingual students arrive with rich funds of knowledge and conceptual understanding built in their home language, and KWL makes that prior knowledge a visible, valued starting point rather than treating the lesson as a blank slate. Because conceptual and academic knowledge developed in one language can transfer to a new language, prior knowledge expressed in the home language supports new learning in English, so the K column can be populated through the home language, translanguaging, or drawings, giving every student an entry point regardless of English proficiency (Cummins, 1979; García & Kleifgen, 2018). Activating and building background knowledge in this way is a core mechanism for making grade-level content comprehensible, which the SIOP model identifies as essential for English learners (Echevarría et al., 2017). The W column gives students an authentic purpose and ownership over their own questions, and the L column plus the data chart provide structured, scaffolded formats for producing academic language in reading and writing, with a KWL chart serving as a tool teachers can use to both assess and build students' background knowledge (Rowland, 2023).
Adapting it across proficiency levels
Pre-Production
Students can participate fully without producing extended English. Invite them to contribute to the K and L columns by pointing, drawing, sorting picture cards, or naming ideas in their home language, and provide topic vocabulary with images so they can match labels to pictures. A bilingual peer, a visual, or a translation tool can capture their prior knowledge so it is honored on the chart.
Beginning
Provide sentence frames and a word bank (I know..., I want to know about..., I learned that...). Students complete cells with single words, short phrases, labeled drawings, or copied key terms, and may write in the home language alongside English. Keep the data chart small (two or three sources, a few questions) and pre-fill some cells as models.
Intermediate
Students generate their own W questions using modeled stems and write short sentences in the K and L columns. They take notes across two to four sources on the data chart and begin comparing what sources say, using connecting words (also, but, because) with continued sentence-frame support for synthesis.
High Intermediate / Advanced
High Intermediate and Advanced students formulate higher-order, inference-based questions, integrate information across multiple sources on the data chart, and use it to plan multi-paragraph writing with academic transitions and source-based evidence. They self-monitor by returning to unanswered W questions and can extend the chart with a 'still want to know' column for further inquiry, needing only minimal linguistic support.
In the classroom
In a fifth-grade science unit on ecosystems, the teacher starts a class KWL chart. In the K column, a Pre-Production student draws and labels "árbol/tree" and "rana/frog," a Beginning student writes "Animals eat plants" using a frame, and an Advanced student adds "Energy moves from the sun to plants to animals." For the W column, students ask "Why do some animals only eat plants?" and "What happens if one animal disappears?" Students then read a leveled article, watch a short video, and study a diagram, recording answers on a data chart with rows for their questions and columns for the three sources. Reading across the rows, they see where sources agree, and they use those notes to write an organized paragraph about food chains. The class closes by completing the L column, confirming which questions were answered and noting one they still want to explore.
Research basis
KWL is a three-step teaching model (Know, Want to know, Learned) that activates prior knowledge and develops active, purposeful reading of expository text.
Ogle, D. M. (1986). K-W-L: A teaching model that develops active reading of expository text. The Reading Teacher, 39(6), 564-570. [link]
KWL Plus extends KWL with concept mapping and summarization, helping students organize and synthesize information from content-area text into writing.
Carr, E., & Ogle, D. (1987). K-W-L Plus: A strategy for comprehension and summarization. Journal of Reading, 30(7), 626-631. [link]
Building and activating background knowledge is an essential SIOP component for making grade-level content comprehensible to English learners and linking new concepts to what students already know.
Echevarría, J., Vogt, M. E., & Short, D. J. (2017). Making content comprehensible for English learners: The SIOP model (5th ed.). Pearson.
Conceptual and academic knowledge developed in a learner's first language can transfer to the second language (linguistic interdependence), so prior knowledge in the home language supports new learning in English.
Cummins, J. (1979). Linguistic interdependence and the educational development of bilingual children. Review of Educational Research, 49(2), 222-251. [link]
Naming students emergent bilinguals reflects a strengths-based view in which home languages and bilingualism are resources for learning, supporting translanguaging practices that use the home language as a scaffold for English and content.
García, O., & Kleifgen, J. A. (2018). Educating emergent bilinguals: Policies, programs, and practices for English learners (2nd ed.). Teachers College Press.
A KWL chart can be used to both assess and build English language learners' background knowledge at the start of a lesson.
Rowland, C. (2023). How KWL charts can help assess and build ELLs' background knowledge [Video]. Colorín Colorado. https://www.colorincolorado.org/video/how-kwl-charts-can-help-assess-and-build-ells-background-knowledge [link]
Beginning in 2026-2027, the Texas ELPS proficiency level descriptors expand from four to five levels (Pre-Production, Beginning, Intermediate, High Intermediate, Advanced) to support more targeted, content-area instruction.
Texas Education Agency. (2024). English language proficiency standards (ELPS) update: 2026-2027. https://www.txel.org/media/atraqi0g/elps-update-2026-2027.pdf [link]
Sources reviewed by an independent second-language-acquisition specialist and an adversarial citation audit.
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