KWL-PLUS

KWL-PLUS

A.     What’s KWL Plus ????

            KWL Plus is a classroom activity that can be used in lessons involving MPR content. Teachers of social studies, literature, science, math, and all other subject areas will find such activities to be especially effective for training students to be successful independent readers of electronic texts, as well as other classroom materials.

            The KWL-Plus procedure (Ogle, 1986; Carr and Ogle, 1987) works especially well with providing a structure for thinking while reading and learning. KWL is an acronym for Know, Want to Know, and Learned. This activity parallels the proficient reading strategies outlined above, and thus conditions students to engage in these thinking behaviors when they independently access electronic texts. The KWL-Plus activity includes pre-reading, during reading, and after reading phases for student learning.

            For example, students studying viruses in a science class might be reading the Minnesota Public Radio story "West Nile Virus Reaches Minnesota." How could the KWL-Plus activity be used to create a successful lesson to support student learning from this informative article?

            The KWL-Plus activity is centered around a three column graphic organizer designed to guide student thinking as they read. The graphic organizer could be created as an individual student worksheet or the entire class can participate as the teacher outlines the grid on the chalkboard or overhead transparency.

Follow the steps below and refer to the Sample KWL Grid.

Students record these items in the K column, as the teacher models with the entire class. For example: It is carried by mosquitoes; People can die from this disease; Birds can be infected by the virus.

1.      Step one Identify What You Know or Think You Know—The K

            Students contribute what they know, or think they know, about this topic. One technique is to ask each student to take a couple of minutes and, independently, make a list. Ask students what they currently know about the subject, what they have heard or read. Student contributions are recorded in the first column (K-What We Know).

·         How would a person know if they had it?

·         How deadly is this virus to people?

·         What areas of the world have the most cases?

·         Is there an effective treatment or medicine if you get it?

2.       Identify What We Want to Learn—The W

            Sharing information is likely to bring out questions that students have about the topic. Some questions might be about the accuracy of the information recorded in the "Know" column. Other questions may be things students are wondering about. Record these questions in the middle column (W-What We Want to Learn).

3.       Categorize the K and W

            Guide the students with determining meaningful categories for the items in the K and W columns. Under "Categories of Information We Expect to Use" students might decide upon the following categories: location, causes, effects, prevention.

Organizing information is the first step toward being able to effectively summarize it.

            This step is especially important to help students see that their lists do not merely contain isolated snippets of information, and it helps them sort information as they read.

4.      Read the Article

            While they read the story, students lookout for information that answers their questions or expands their understanding of the topic. When they encounter specific answers to questions and new information, they use the third column (L-What We Have Learned) to record their notes.

5.      Identify New Information

            After reading, we identify new information discovered from our reading, which is also included in the third column. New information is integrated into the previously identified categories and additional categories may need to be added.

6.      Create a Concept Map

            After completing the KWL grid, students work individually or in groups to create a concept map which connects all the information under each category into a visual display.

            The concept map allows students to see the big picture from the article, and helps them summarize and synthesize what they learned from reading this material. Information is organized for student writing assignments, test preparation, or other projects.

Let’s see example :

7.      Identify Further Investigation

After completing the concept map, students clarify what they know and make decisions as to how to obtain additional information. Questions from the middle column (Want to Know) that are not answered by the reading provide impetus for further investigation.

Sample of Lesson

Students studying viruses in a science class might be reading the Minnesota Public Radio story "West Nile Virus Reaches Minnesota." How could the KWL-Plus activity be used to create a successful lesson to support student learning from this informative article?

West Nile virus reaches Minnesota
By Tom Scheck
Minnesota Public Radio
July 24, 2002

State epidemiologist Harry Hull says he's not surprised West Nile virus has shown up in the state. It's already been found in 32 other states. He says the virus has been steadily moving west and south after it first appeared in New York City in 1999. Hull says reports of cases in surrounding states made him anticipate the first case would surface in Minnesota this year.

Hull says the virus carrying crows were found in Golden Valley and Isle, which sits on the south shore of Lake Mille Lacs.

"This is exactly what we expected. We suspect that the risk will continue through August and early September, until we get our first freeze and the mosquito population dies off," he says.

Hull says West Nile virus is spread by mosquitoes which feed on infected birds. Those infected mosquitoes then infect other animals, mainly other birds, horses and people. The virus can only be spread by mosquitoes. There's no danger of human infection through exposure to other infected animals or birds.

	West Nile virus is spread by mosquitos that feed on infected animals. It was first detected in the U.S. in 1999, in New York City. New York health official Kristine Smith talked to MPR's All Things Considered host Lorna Benson about how it was discovered. Listen to the interview. (Photo by Jeff Hahn/courtesy of U of M Extension)

Hull says less than 1 percent of the population who are infected by a mosquito will develop West Nile encephalitis, which causes swelling of the brain. The Centers for Disease Control in Atlanta says 152 people have been infected with West Nile encephalitis since 1999, leading to 18 deaths.

There's no known treatment, but the virus is most dangerous to people with weak immune systems and the elderly. Hull says people who contract West Nile virus experience flu-like symptoms, headaches, a high fever and convulsions.

"The risk to individuals is low. You're unlikely to contract the virus, and even if you do you're unlikely to get ill," he says.

Hull says he expects more cases of West Nile virus. He says Minnesotans should not be alarmed, but advises people to take precautions to try to avoid mosquito bites. He recommends wearing long-sleeved clothing and mosquito repellant, and avoiding outdoor activities at dusk and dawn.

	Jim Stark with the Metropolitan Mosquito Control District says his agency will increase its testing for the virus in captured mosquitoes. He doesn't believe the district will increase spraying, unless the virus turns up in a larger number of animals or mosquitoes. (MPR Photo/Tom Scheck)

Jim Stark with the Metropolitan Mosquito Control District says his agency will increase its testing for the virus in captured mosquitoes. He doesn't believe the district will increase spraying.

"We've got one bird here in the metro area, so we haven't found a wide range of birds being infected. We haven't found any mosquitoes being infected with West Nile. So the next step would be finding numerous birds and mosquito pools that have the virus in them," says Stark.

Animal health officials say over 100 different birds are known to carry the virus. They say poultry are generally safe, since chickens and turkeys produce natural antibodies if they're infected.

But horses are a different situation. The University of Minnesota's Will Hueston says one-third of the unvaccinated horses who contract West Nile virus die from it. He says many horse owners in the state vaccinated their horses for West Nile encephalitis when it was first reported in 1999. However, he urges all horse owners to have their animals vaccinated with the annual treatment.

"We know now that West Nile has been identified in crows, so the vaccine won't be 100 percent protection at this point. You need to have enough time for the body to develop its immune system to respond to the virus. But that having been said, vaccinating now is better than nothing," says Hueston.

There was a shortage of vaccine earlier this year, but Dr. Kathy Ott, a veterinarian with the Equine Medical Center in Lakeville, says it's now close to full supply. She predicts that a number of horses will be infected with West Nile virus this year.

"I would certainly believe that there's horses in Minnesota that will come down with it. Maybe not so much in the Twin Cities - primarily because the level of education and knowledge, and the value of the horses, has prompted most of the owners in this area to vaccinate their horses this spring," Ott says. "But in some of the outlying areas people aren't as up on their vaccinations, and those are probably the horses - in northern Minnesota, that type of thing - where you'll see more of the cases."

Meanwhile, Hull says the Health Department will increase testing of dead birds to see if the virus is spreading. He says department officials are concerned about the virus, but more worried about other health problems, mainly E. coli poisoning and bioterrorism.

Topic: West Nile Virus
"West Nile Virus Reaches Minnesota"

K (Know)	W (Want to Know)	L (Learned)
Is carried by mosquitoes Is a disease that can kill people Crows can be infected Carried to US from Africa Has appeared in the Midwestern US You should use lots of mosquito spray You can get a high fever You get sick like you have the flu They have it in Minnesota now	Is there an effective treatment or medicine? How can you tell which mosquitoes have it? If you get it once, can you get it again? Can you get it from a diseased bird? How deadly is this virus to humans? Does the virus affect animals other than birds? What part of the US or world has the most cases?	P-long-sleeved clothes, insect repellant, avoid outdoors dawn & dusk E-100 types of birds have it; poultry have natural antibodies P-horses should have vaccination E-1/3 unvaccinated horses die from it L-1st found in New York in 1999 L-found in 32 states C-only spread by mosquitoes that feed on infected birds E-infects birds, horses, people C-can't get it from infected animals E-1% of people get encephalitis, swelling of brain, can die P-no treatment E-hits elderly & weak immune systems E-usually like flu: headache, high fever, convulsions E-low risk to people

Categories of Information We Expect to Use:

1. Where is it located (L-Location)
2. What causes it (C-Causes)
3. What impact it has (E-Effects)
4. What can be done about it (P-Prevention)