Three columns make up this KWL chart for a 3rd grade unit on inherited traits and the environment. Students fill in the K column (what I know) and the W column (what I want to know) at the start, then return to the L column (what I learned) at the end. The prompt asks what they know and wonder about how plants and animals get their traits, which ties the chart to NGSS 3-LS3-1 and 3-LS3-2.
3-LS3-1
“Analyze and interpret data to provide evidence that plants and animals have traits inherited from parents and that variation of these traits exists in a group of similar organisms.”
The K and W columns capture what students already think about traits passed from parents before any data work begins.
3-LS3-2
“Use evidence to support the explanation that traits can be influenced by the environment.”
The L column, filled in at the end of the unit, is where students record what they learned about the environment's effect on traits.
Students record what they already know about how plants and animals get their traits before the unit starts.
The middle column holds their questions about how plants and animals get their traits, written or drawn at the same sitting.
The third column is saved for the end of the unit, when students return to the same sheet.
Day one of the unit
Give ten minutes for the K and W columns and collect the charts. Read the W column that night to find questions you can answer in later lessons.
Final lesson
Hand the charts back for the L column. Ask students to cross out anything in K that turned out to be wrong, such as thinking every sibling looks the same.
Class version
Draw the same three columns on chart paper and add sticky notes from the class. Keep it on the wall for the whole unit.
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