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It is important to identify students' prior knowledge about a topic in order
to build on that knowledge rather than simply repeat it - and bore them to
tears.
It is also important to identify what the students don't know in order to
prepare learning activities that will enable all students to learn the
content competently.
Organise the class into small groups of 3-4. Provide each group with one
large (A2) sheet of newsprint and large felt pens or crayons.
Each group divides the newsprint into three columns (folding will do nicely)
and heads column one: What we Know; column two
What we Think we know; and
column three What we Don't know.
Tell them the topic is Gallipoli - and ANZAC Day.
Give them five minutes (more or less) to fill in their chart.
After five minutes have two groups merge and share their ideas.
Bring the whole class back together and discuss their findings.
It is a good idea to either collect the newsprint in and/or summarise the
class's findings on an OHT or large sheet of cartridge paper (that can be on
display throughout the unit) for future reference.
At the end of the topic refer back to the summary of the Don't know column
and check whether or not the students' knowledge gaps have been filled in.
Another version of this graphic organiser is the
KWHL Chart.
This material has been produced by UNITEC Institute of Technology
under contract to the Ministry of Education.
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