Transcript The definition of a recount

The definition and purpose of
information reports
Reports are factual texts
which describe and classify
the way things are.
The things described and
classified can be a range of
phenomena in our natural or
cultural environment
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phenomena
natural
living
non-living
cultural
social
political
historical
technological
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The structure of information
reports
Reports, like all text types, have a
structural shape.
The stages in
the structure
of a report are:
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General classification where the phenomenon
is identified and assigned to a general
classification, e.g. Dolphins are mammals. This
opening statement may be expanded in some
following sentences
Description of the phenomenon in a series of
paragraphs each of which focuses on a feature, e.g.
*parts and their functions;
*qualities (e.g. appearance, size, colour, shape);
*habits / behaviours (or uses if a non-living
phenomenon). 4
Snakes
General
Classification
Description
Snakes are reptiles (cold blooded
creatures). They belong to the same group as
lizards but form a sub-group of their own.
Snakes have a scaly skin and no legs. They
can wriggle and slide out of their old skin and
grow a bright new one.
Female snakes lay eggs. When the baby
snakes hatch out of the eggs they are small,
sticky and have a bright scaly skin. They look
just like a tiny version of the mother. Baby
snakes have to look after themselves and find
their own food.
Some snakes kill animals such as frogs,
fish, rabbits, rats and mice. They can kill these
animals in two ways. Firstly by squeezing them,
to death and secondly by injecting them with
poison.
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presentation
Information reports are often accompanied by:
• tables/diagrams;
• illustrations with captions.
The information must be organised and
presented in a way that is clear.
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language features
generic (general) nouns,
e.g snakes
simple present tense
(unless report concerns
historical phenomenon)
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language features
• some action verbs especially when describing
behaviour, e.g. Some snakes kill animals
• the verb “to be” is used often in order to link
bits of information, e.g. Snakes are reptiles.
• the verb “to have” is also used often to
describe attributes of the phenomenon, e.g.
Snakes have a scaly skin and no legs.
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UNIVERSITY of CAMBRIDGE
Local Examinations Syndicate
Purpose and audience
• The way information is conveyed is affected by the audience.
Young audience:
• short blocks of text;
• cartoons;
• illustrations.
Adult audience:
• longer text;
• graphs;
• pie charts.
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Report writing activities
• Find the facts: Read a factual text to the children and
they must write down two or three of the important
facts. Order these according to the children’s ideas of
importance.
• Text Titles: on OHP display a short report. After the
children have read it, ask them to provide a heading for
the text.
• Text analysis: use the text as above but this time ask
the children to suggest what each part of the text is
about. This will enable them to see how the text is
constructed.
• Ask the expert: The children prepare an oral report to
be presented to the class on a topic of their choice.
They must be prepared to answer questions about their
chosen topic so they need to read up on it. This is a
meaningful way of encouraging them to read for
information.
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• Beat the Panel: a group of children is given a
report to read on a chosen subject (perhaps
related to a topic being studied in the
classroom). The group is then given a nominated
time to read the report and to become ‘experts’
on the subject. At the same time, the rest of
the class is required to read the same article
and compose questions to ask “The Experts”
about the article. The panel gains points for
each correct answer and the class gains points
for those questions that the panel cannot
answer. This activity encourages the reading of
factual texts and develops the ability to
recognise important facts in a report.
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• News reports: individuals or a small group of
children are given the task of presenting a
report on the week’s news. Emphasis is on
reporting the facts and not opinion.
• Write, Read, Write: children are given a
picture from a report or a copy of a report
with the text blocked out and only the
pictures, diagram and title visible. They write
their own report for the pictures and share
these with partners. The original text is
uncovered and read by the children who then
rewrite their reports to include the facts in
the original text.
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• Writing to headings: The children can
compose their own reports using guided
headings. This is a very good way to help
children organise their information for
reports. For example: If the children are
writing about a class topic on animals, the
headings may be:
–
–
–
–
Description;
Habitat;
Food;
Enemies; etc
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• Grouping Information:
– provide the children with a series of
facts related to a particular topic. The
children must group related facts ready
for writing.
– The children brainstorm all the
information related to a set topic and
group this information into related
facts. They then provide a heading for
each of these groups of information.
Grouping activities help children develop a
structure for report writing.
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What I want to write about dolphins
Description
Enemies
Habitat
Breeding
Food
Movement
Communication
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What I know about dolphins
•Live in the sea
•Live in large groups called
schools
•Are very intelligent
•Are mammals
•Get caught in driftnets
•Have a nostril on the top of
the head
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What I need to know about dolphins
• FOOD
What do they eat?
How do they catch it?
How much do they eat daily?
• HABITAT
Where are they found?
Why?
Are they migratory?
• DESCRIPTION
How many kinds of dolphin are there?
What is the average size of an adult
dolphin?
How small is a newborn dolphin?
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My research guide
I can get help from…
•The school library
•The local library
•Danny’s Dad
•Encyclopaedias
•The Marine Centre
•The Zoo
•The Aquarium
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summary of text types met so far
recount
personal
factual
partic- speaker/
ipants writer
time
connec
tions
past
specific other or
class
past
temporal
explanat
ion
report
procedure
class
class
hearer/
reader
timeless timeless imperative
causal
temporal/
causal
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