Which pre-instruction question helps reveal students' prior knowledge and curiosity?

• A. K-W-L
• B. Exit ticket
• C. Quiz
• D. Observation

Answer: (A)

Assessing what students already know and what they’re curious about before starting a lesson helps tailor instruction to where they are and what motivates them. The K-W-L approach does just that: students share what they know, what they want to know, and later what they learned. This pre-instruction set of prompts reveals existing ideas, misconceptions, and questions, so you can plan activities that address those specific interests and gaps. It also engages students by linking the lesson to their own curiosity, which can boost motivation and ownership of learning.

In contrast, an exit ticket typically checks understanding after instruction, a quiz is a formal assessment after some learning, and observation is a broader, ongoing process that may not be structured to capture explicit prior knowledge and curiosity at the outset. So for uncovering what students already know and what they’re curious about before you teach, the pre-instruction prompts in K-W-L are the most direct fit.