Information Reports

Our Information Reports

Last week a hedgehog appeared on the playground. We dropped everything and went outside to look.  The children were so excited that I decided that I would use this opportunity as an emotional hook to introduce the children to Information Reports.

First we wrote down our wonderings.  Some of our wonderings were:

What do hedgehogs eat?

Where do they live?

Do they have babies or eggs?

How much do they weigh?

Do they lose their spikes?

Then Trinity, who has a pet hedgehog, became our expert and told us all she knew about hedgehogs.  The children took notes (in words and pictures) as she answered their questions.

The next day, we talked about sources of information and the importance of using several sources of information to verify facts.  We found some interesting sites and videos on the Internet, which gave us more and sometimes conflicting information. For example, we first read that hedgehogs are endangered but then we learnt that in New Zealand they are regarded as a pest because of the negative effect on our native species such as kiwi.

After that, we looked at the structure and content of several Information Reports.

Then we organized all the key information we had gathered onto an Information Web.  We did this as a class. We sorted our information into different categories with headings to make it easier to write our Information Reports. Most of the children have been practicing this skill in reading so it was a great opportunity to transfer this skill.  The children then did their own information web, selecting information that they wanted to include in their Information Report.

Next, I paired the children up and had them work together to write a draft copy.  They had to include a Title, General Statement, Description and an Evaluation.  After the children had written a draft they edited their work for correct spelling, punctuation and meaning.

Finally, the children each published their Information Report.  All the writing is the children’s own words.  They have done an outstanding job and the writing is to a very high standard.

We are learning to write an Information Report

We will know we can do this when we can…

·         Write about a living or non-living thing

• Follow the Writing Process
• Have a Title
• Write a General Statement or Definition
• Write a Description describing what it looks like, where it is found and how it behaves
• Write an Evaluation- stating how I feel about the living or non-living thing
• Write in Present tense using correct grammar and accurate spelling

Pictures to follow ASAP.