Name: ________________________________________

Per. _________

Date:___________________________

K-W-L Chart
Directions:
You will read a pamphlet from the Cornell College of Agriculture and Life Sciences. This
pamphlet is an informational read about genetic engineering, what foods have been and
are genetically modified, why it is done and the possible risks. To help you organize your
thoughts, you will create a K-W-L chart (a Know-What-Learn chart). To do this you will
draw a table in your interactive notebook that has the title: K-W-L: GENETICALLY
MODIFIED ORGANISMS (GMO) Pamphlet.
Then divide the table into 3 columns.
At the top of the first (1st) column, you will write What I Know. At the top of the second
(2nd) column, you will write What I Want to Know. At the top of the
*Note: You must have at least 3 sentences or questions in the What I know and What I
Want to Know columns, and at least 5 sentences in the What I Learned column.
1. Before reading the pamphlet, please think and write what you know about
genetically modified organisms (GMOs).
2. Next, before reading the pamphlet, please write your own questions or
comments about what you would like to know about GMOs.
3. After reading the pamphlet, write down what you learned from the information in
the pamphlet.
If you need guidance on how to create the K-W-L chart, then please refer to the second
(2nd) page of the instructions.

K-W-L: GENETICALLY MODIFIED ORGANISMS (GMO) Pamphlet

THIS IS ONLY AN EXAMPLE, PLEASE DO NOT COPY!
What I know
What I Want to Know
What I Learned
1. I know that genetic
engineering
changes an
organisms DNA.
2. I know that circular
DNA is called a
plasmid and can be
moved from one
organism to
another.
3. I know that we use

1. I want to know which

foods that I eat are
GMOs.
2. How long have we
been using GMOs?
3. Am I going to get sick
from eating foods
that have been
genetically modified?

1. I learned that
moving DNA from
one organism to
another is called
gene splicing.
2. I learned that GMOs
were first sold in
1990 and they were
in cheese and yeast
for baking.
3. I learned that

genetically modified

scientists are trying

organisms (GMOs)

to solve problems

in food and drug

like energy with

use.

GMOs.
4. I learned that a risk
of making GMO
crops is that they
might spread into
the wild.
5. I learned that the
only way I can make
sure that I do not eat
GMO foods is if I buy
organic foods.