Cecilia Minden - How to Write a Report

Published in the United States of America by Cherry Lake Publishing
Ann Arbor, Michigan
www.cherrylakepublishing.com Content Adviser: Jeannette Mancilla-Martinez, EdD, Assistant Professor of Literacy, Language, and Culture, University of Illinois at Chicago Design and Illustration: The Design Lab Photo Credits: Page 5, Olga Kadroff/Shutterstock, Inc.; page 6, Jarno
Gonzalez Zarraonandia/Shutterstock, Inc.; page 9, Dmitriy Shironosov/
Dreamstime.com; page 16, EpicStockMedia/Shutterstock, Inc.; page 20,
iStockphoto.com/laflor Copyright 2012 by Cherry Lake Publishing
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or utilized in
any form or by any means without written permission from the publisher. Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Minden, Cecilia.
How to write a report/by Cecilia Minden and Kate Roth.
p. cm.(Language arts explorer junior)
Includes bibliographical references and index.
ISBN-13: 978-1-61080-105-8 (lib. bdg.)
ISBN-10: 1-61080-105-9 (lib. bdg.)
1.

Language arts (Elementary) 2. English languageComposition and
exercisesStudy and teaching. 3. Report writingJuvenile literature. I.
Roth, Kate. II.

Title.
LB1576.M534 2011
372.62'3dc22 2011000169 Cherry Lake Publishing would like to acknowledge the work of The Partnership for 21st Century Skills. Please visit www.21stcenturyskills.org for more information. Printed in the United States of America
Corporate Graphics Inc.
July 2011
CLFA09

Your teacher has asked you to write a report . You must conduct research to find more information on the topic you will be writing about. Your report will organize and explain your research for others to read. It will tell people what you have learned.

A report must do three things to inform the reader about your topic:

1. A report focuses on one part of the topic.
2. A report organizes information.
3. A report shows the research.

A report would be long and boring if it listed everything about a topic! Instead, you should choose a few main points to write about. Lets say your new neighbors are from Peru. You want to learn more about their country. A graphic organizer called a web can help you decide which information to include. ACTIVITY Make a Web! HERES WHAT YOULL NEED: A pencil and paper INSTRUCTIONS: 1. 2. 2.

Write the topic in the middle of your paper draw a circle around it. 3. Think of six categories that deal with your main topic. 4. Write the categories in the space around the main topic circle each subtopic category and draw a line connecting it to the main topic. 5.

Highlight at least two categories that you plan to focus on in your report.

The next step is to conduct your research. This is when many writers use a graphic organizer called a KWL chart. KWL stands for what you know, what you want to know, and what youve learned. This chart helps you see where you need to do more research to complete your report. draw a straight line across the top of your paper. 2. draw two straight lines through your first line all the way to the bottom of the paper You should now have three columns. 3. label the first column with a K, the second with a W, and the third with an l. 4. 4.

In the first column, write a list of facts you already know about your topic. 5. In the second column, make a list of what you want to learn. 6. The third column is where you will list what you learn Fill this column in as you conduct your research.

Conduct your research by looking at books, magazines, newspapers, and DVDs that discuss your topic.

You can also conduct research online. Be careful! Just because information is onthe computer does not mean it is true. Have an adult help you decide which Web sites to visit. Write any important facts and statistics you find on note cards. Also mention where you found your information. Make sure you do not simply copy what other people have said.

You can either state information a different way or explain that you are quoting someone else. ACTIVITY Research Your Topic! HERES WHAT YOULL NEED: Books, magazines, newspapers, and DVDs A pencil Note cards INSTRUCTIONS: 1. Gather your research materials. 2. Write each new fact and statistic you find on a note card. on the bottom of each card, record where you found the information.

Surfing in Lima, Peru The weather in Lima is good for surfing because it is usually warm. Surfing in Lima, Peru The weather in Lima is good for surfing because it is usually warm.

There is also not much rain. Peru Surf Guides
www.perusurfguides.com Next you must decide what information to use from your research. Go back to your KWL chart. Filling in the chart will help you organize your facts and statistics. ACTIVITY Organize Your Information! HERES WHAT YOULL NEED: Note cards Your KWl chart A pencil INSTRUCTIONS: 1. 2. 2.