A three-column KWL chart that opens and closes a 1st grade Light and Sound unit. Before any teaching, students write what they already know about light and sound and what they want to find out. The third column, What I LEARNED, stays empty until the very end of the unit. There are no questions and no answer key. Because the chart spans all four NGSS standards from 1-PS4-1 to 1-PS4-4, it gives you a before-and-after record of the whole unit.
1-PS4-2
“Make observations to construct an evidence-based account that objects can be seen only when illuminated.”
A student who writes in the What I KNOW column that we need light to see gives you a starting point for this standard.
1-PS4-3
“Plan and conduct an investigation to determine the effect of placing objects made with different materials in the path of a beam of light.”
Scan the What I WANT to know column for questions about what light can pass through, and build your materials investigation around them.
1-PS4-4
“Use tools and materials to design and build a device that uses light or sound to solve the problem of communicating over a distance.*”
The What I LEARNED column is where students can record any light or sound signal they design later in the unit.
Students write what they already know about light and sound at the start of the unit.
The middle column collects their questions about light and sound before any teaching.
The last column stays empty until the very end of the unit, when students come back and fill it in.
First lesson
Fill the K and W columns on day one. Collect the charts afterward so none go missing before the unit ends.
Shared writing
For early writers, copy the three headings onto chart paper and scribe the class's ideas. Students can draw in their own What I KNOW column.
Last lesson
Hand the charts back for the What I LEARNED column. Setting it beside the K column shows each student how far their thinking has moved.
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