report of information introduction a writer’s checklist choosing a topic forming research...
TRANSCRIPT
Report of Information
Introduction
A Writer’s Checklist
Choosing a topic
Forming research questions
Finding good sources
Taking notes
Organizing your information
A Writer’s Model
Your Turn: Write a report of information
Introduction
What do these people have in common?
Edison invented the light bulb.
The Wright brothers invented the airplane.
Columbus was an explorer.
They’re all known for their curiosity.
Introduction
Much of the knowledge we have of the world came from curious explorers, inventors, and researchers who had questions—and wanted answers.
Like these people, you can search for answers to your questions about the world by writing a report of information.
A Writer’s Checklist
When writing a report of information, you should:
Choose a topic by starting with an interesting subject and then narrowing it.
Form research questions to guide your research.
Find good sources of information.
Take notes on information that answers your research questions.
Organize your information with an early plan, an outline, and a main idea statement.
Choosing a topic
The first step in writing a research report is to think about a subject that interests you and that you would like to know more about.
Try these strategies to identify an interesting subject:
Look through magazines and newspapers for ideas.
Think about what you have learned in your history, science, or social studies class.
Make an “I wonder” log (I wonder why cats purr, …who invented the microwave, …how helicopters fly).
Choosing a topic
Make sure that your topic is the right size for a research report and is:
Not so big that you can’t cover it well in a short report.
a history of the country of Italy
Not so narrow that you won’t have enough to say about it.
why chocolate ice cream is so good
Choosing a topic
If your subject is too broad, you will have to narrow it. Keep narrowing until the broad subject has become a focused topic.
Broad Subject Fish
More Narrow Freshwater Fish
Focused Piranhas
Choosing a topic
Elizabeth recently saw a television special about the world’s most beautiful beaches. One of the beaches was in the Turks and Caicos Islands.
Topic: the Turks and Caicos Islands
She had not heard of these islands before and wanted to learn more about them.
Forming research questions
Once you have chosen a focused topic, you need to form research questions. Begin by listing what you know about the topic.
What I Know
Beautiful beachesMany resortsLocated just below the BahamasWarm all year
Since Elizabeth had never heard of the Turks and Caicos Islands before watching the television program, her list is short.
Forming research questions
Next, develop some questions that show what you still need to know about your topic. These questions will guide your research. Here are Elizabeth’s questions:
•Who lives in the Turks and Caicos Islands?
•When is hurricane season in the Turks and Caicos?
•Why do so many tourists enjoy the islands?
•How do people earn a living on the islands?
What I Need to Know
Forming research questions
You also want to find information that your audience will want to know. Ask yourself these questions about your audience:
If you repeat information that your readers already know, they might become bored with your report.
Give your readers enough information to understand your topic by thoroughly explaining important ideas.
Explain why the information is important for readers to know.
What do my readers already know about my topic?
What do my readers need to know about my topic?
What can they do with the information?
charts, maps, photographs, and other visuals
Graphics
personal interviewsExperts
The Internet
documentaries, biographies, interviews
Television and Radio
books, magazines, newspapers, DVDs, CDs
The Media Center
Next you must find sources of information that will help you answer your research questions. Places you can look include:
Finding good sources
keyword searches
Finding good sources
As you begin looking at sources, evaluate each one you find. Some might not be worth your time. You want to use only those sources that are reliable. You need to know that:
• The facts are accurate. (Be sure the purpose of the writing is to inform).
• The information is current. (Check the publication date.)
• The author is qualified. (Look for experience and education in the field.)
Finding good sources
Whenever you find a good source, carefully list the information about it. Elizabeth wrote down information about each source on note cards.
Bloch, Arlene (Travel Agent). Personal interview. 17 October 2008.
1
Later, when she took notes, she just wrote the source number (found at the top right of her source card) to remind her where the information came from.
Taking notes
Write down the information you learn during your research. You might use note cards, paper, or computer files.
Each note you take will be in the form of
a summary,
a paraphrase, or
a direct quotation
Taking Notes
A summary note will capture just the main ideas of a source, without all of the details.
A paraphrase note will capture both the main ideas and the details from a source.
A direct quotation uses the exact words in a source.
Taking Notes
Presenting someone else’s words or ideas as your own is called plagiarism. Plagiarism is not acceptable—it is cheating, just like copying someone’s answers on a test.
To avoid accidental plagiarism, be extremely careful as you take notes. Put direct quotations in quotation marks. Every other note from your sources must be in your own words.
Taking notes
Elizabeth decided to take her notes on index cards. Here is what one of her note cards looks like:
3Where the people come from
Many Turks and Caicos Islanders are descended from Africans. Their ancestors were brought to the islands to work on cotton plantations.
subject
source number, from her source note cards
her own words
Taking notes
Your notes should be thorough. However, you don’t want to waste time writing down unimportant information. You should answer “yes” to both of these questions about anything you note:
Does the information relate to the
questions I need to answer?
Will the information interest my
audience or give them a clearer
understanding of my topic?
Organizing your information
After doing her research, Elizabeth had a big stack of note cards. She needed to organize all of these ideas. One good process to do this involves three steps: STEP 1 Make an early plan.
STEP 2 Create an outline.
STEP 3 Write a main idea statement.
Organizing your information
STEP 1: Make an early plan.
The people of Turks and Caicos
The physical aspects of Turks and Caicos
The way of life on Turks and Caicos
What to do when visiting Turks and Caicos
Sort your notes into sets of related information, and give each set a category heading.
After Elizabeth sorted her cards, she had four stacks. She decided that the following headings described the four big ideas.
Organizing your information
STEP 2: Create an outline.
Use the organization from your early plan to create an outline. In an outline, you show the order in which you will present your ideas and how main ideas and details relate to each other. The frame for an outline looks like this:
I. HeadingA. Main Idea
1. Detail2. Detail
B. Main Idea1. Detail2. Detail
II. Heading
Organizing your information
Elizabeth used the headings from her early plan and then filled in her main ideas and details. Here’s how one section of her outline looks:
II. The people of the islands A. Can see island’s history in current population
1. Many are descended from Africans who were brought to work on cotton plantations2. British descent also
noticeable, as islands are still a British Crown Colony
Organizing your information
STEP 3: Write a main idea statement.The main idea statement, or thesis, appears in the introduction of your report. It tells what your topic is and the main points you will make about that topic. As soon as your audience reads this statement, they should know what your report is about.
Organizing your information
To write your main idea statement, look at the main headings of your outline. They should all add up to your main idea statement.
The beautiful Turks and Caicos Islands are the peaceful home of many interesting people and a popular vacation spot for tourists.
Here is Elizabeth’s main idea statement:
A Writer’s Checklist
Use the checklist as you look at the following Writer’s Model and as you evaluate and revise your own report of information: Choose a topic by starting with an interesting
subject and then narrowing it. Form research questions to guide your
research. Find good sources of information. Take notes on information that answers your
research questions. Organize your information with an early
plan, an outline, and a main idea statement.
If you traveled across the Atlantic Ocean to a spot halfway between Miami, Florida, and Puerto Rico, where would you be? You would be in the middle of more than 30 islands. Some people call them the “forgotten islands,” but these islands have a name and are known to hundreds of thousands of people. The beautiful Turks and Caicos Islands are the peaceful home of many interesting people and a popular vacation spot for tourists.
interesting opening
main idea statement
Of all the Turks and Caicos Islands, only eight have people living on them. Many of these people are the descendants of Africans who were brought to the islands to work on the cotton plantations. Others are of British descent, as the Turks and Caicos Islands are still a British Crown Colony. Still others among the 30,000 people who live full-time on the islands have come from all around the world. English is the official language that joins them all together.
people of the Islands
facts and details
The Turks and Caicos Islanders earn their living in many different ways. While they run the same businesses that you find in most other countries, many islanders work in the tourism industry as well. More than 200,000 guests visit the Turks and Caicos Islands each year. They come for the pleasant climate and the beautiful sandy beaches. Fishing is also a good source of money for the islanders. Some of them sell the beautiful conch shells of the islands all over the world.
way of life
support for topic sentence
support for topic sentence
Most visitors to the Turks and Caicos Islands are looking for a relaxing holiday in a tropical setting. Many spend their time in or near the warm ocean waters. However, tourists who do some research find out that hurricane season (June 1 to November 30) is not the best time to visit.
Whether you live among the many interesting peoples of the Turks and Caicos Islands or just vacation there, you will find the experience hard to forget.
what to do when visiting
restatement of main idea
Write a report of information in response to one of the prompts below. Then, use the Writer’s Checklist as a guide to evaluating and revising your work.
Write a report about a place that you have visited (or have always wanted to visit) on a trip.
Write a report about an invention that you would like to learn more about.
Your Turn: Write a report of information
The End