Unwind: Pre-Reading Strategy, K-W-H-L

Readers of Neal Shusterman's young adult science fiction novel, Unwind, engage in a silent discussion, posting their responses to a series of statements about characters in the story.

Before beginning The Things They Carried, class members are asked to use a KWHL chart to record what they know about war, what they want to know, and where they might find answers to their questions. Groups then research...

Whether new to the KWHL strategy or not readers of Briar Rose will benefit from the detailed procedures and templates designed for Jane Yolen’s novel. Links are provided for research into the Holocaust and activities reveal the many...

Have you ever attended a boarding school? Do you know anyone that has? Before beginning Jane Eyre, have your class use the KWHL chart included to explore the topic of boarding schools. What makes this chart unique is the H portion, which...

Your class has just begun reading Jacob Have I Loved, and they're coming upon the fifth chapter. Pause their reading and have them complete a KWHL chart (not included) to detail what they've learned from the novel's beginning. An example...

Class members use a KWHL graphic organizer to record what they know, want to know, and what they need to learn as they read Lois Lowry’s Newbery Medal winning novel about a Danish Jewish family.

A K-W-H-L chart is a great way to scaffold prior knowledge. As class members begin their reading of Out of the Dust, Karen Hesse’s 1998 Newbery Medal winning verse novel, they chart what they already know about the Great Depression...

As part of a study of Juliet Marillier's Wildwood Dancing, class members create a KWHL chart listing what they know, what the want to know, how they will find information, and what they have learned about prejudice.

Readers of I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings are asked to craft an essay in which they compare how Maya Angelou uses figurative language to depict herself and Mrs. Flowers. 

If your class is gearing up to read MAUS by Art Spiegelman, consider having them complete this KWHL chart as a prereading activity. They record what they know, what they want to learn, how they will find the information, and what they...