HOW TO WRITE REPORTS

TRANSACTIONAL WRITING FOR LEVELS 2-4+

Writing a report is not as daunting as it seems. All we need is to understand the six sections listed above and to understand the purposes of each section and how each section contributes to the report. The art of report writing then simply becomes following the template of Title; Content; Introduction; Main Section; Conclusions; and Appendix.

Why Report Writing is Important

A report is an important part of the genre of transactional writing - that is writing that is intended to convey factual information.A report can be …
- an account of an investigation into a chosen topic
- an argument to validify a point of view based on the collection of evidence to support this argument.

Learning to write effective reports is an important skill for students to learn and refine as they pay a major part in many areas including science, environment, technology, commerce, media and community involvement.

By providing students with a simple template we can greatly improve the quality of their report writing.

Regular positive peer analysis and appreciation of completed reports also provides a strong incentive to improve quality.

Getting Started

Find what the students know all ready about report writing, eg

- what is a report?
- why are reports written and who writes them?
- what does the dictionary say about reports?

Develop the idea that a report is the writing of facts, eg

what information does a school report give? Why is it useful for both students and parents?

Tell students that reports are very important as they can often provide solutions for real problems, eg the local district council could employ some traffic experts to investigate and write a report about traffic problems in the local district and suggestions for solving them.

Selecting an Appropriate 'Real Life' Topic

Choose topics that are within the understanding and interest of your class level, eg

- Yrs 5-6 students could select topics within the school
- Yrs 7 + students could widen their selection to include the local and wider community.

Have groups brainstorm topics that would be suitable for report writing and report back, eg

• litter problems at school and within the community
• better use of the playground and playground equipment
• wet weather activities during playtime and lunchtime
• classroom management
• Reasons and/or needs for introducing hobby clubs to the school programme
• How could we improve the physical appearance school grounds?

Providing a Template

Discuss the following template with your pupils making sure they are clear about the purpose of each section of the report.

Title Page - This contains the title of the report, the name of the authors and the date it was written

Contents - This lists the different part of the report and the page numbers

Introduction -This tells why the report was written and explains how the writers got their information.

Main Section - All the information that was gathered. This should be set out in separate sections. Each section should deal with only one topic.

Conclusion - This section reminds people briefly about the sections of the report. It gives the conclusions about what was investigated. It also lists any reccommendations on action that should be taken.

Appendix - This lists any additional information and could include names people who were interviewedand where their information came from.

Final Considerations

Provide regular time, both during the report writing and when the report is completed, for students to share their writing and research methods with each other and ask for comment on effectiveness. This will greatly improve the quality of the report.

Remember that presentation and good proofing is essential.

Students must know that their reports will be valued and acted upon, eg given to the Board of Trustees.