F My irst R e a d e r s W r i t e r s Genre Workshop Informational Reports by Carrie Smith and Steve W. Dunn Dinosau rs Benchmark Education Company
Genre: Informational Reports Genre Features things you did things you saw and thoughts feelings Fr M y i st R e a d e r s W r i t e r s Genre Workshop How to Use This Book with Children 1. Read about informational reports (pages 2 3). Oral Genre Vocabulary 2. Model how to read a nonfiction text to learn information for your report. Read aloud Insects All Around (pages 4 7). Invite children to retell facts they learned from the text (with the book closed). describe feelings 3. Read aloud and discuss the mentor reports based on Insects All Around (pages 8 9). illustrate illustration 4. Read aloud the nonfiction text Dinosaurs Were Big and Small (pages 10 13). journal thoughts 5. Read aloud and discuss the mentor reports based on Dinosaurs Were Big and Small (pages 14 15). illustrations 6. Review the steps for writing a report and the writer s checklist (page 16). 7. Use the write-on/wipe-off report frame on the inside back cover of the book to model writing your own report based on Insects All Around or Dinosaurs Were Big and Small. My First Readers & Writers Genre Workshop Informational Reports Benchmark Education Company 629 Fifth Avenue Pelham, NY 10803 www.benchmarkeducation.com Credits: Creative Director: Laurie Berger Senior Art Director: Glenn Davis Director of Photography: Doug Schneider Photo Editor: Diane French Illustrations: Bill Greenhead and Lyn Boyer 2012 Benchmark Education Company, LLC All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopy, recording, or any information storage or retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publisher. 8. Model writing additional reports based on other nonfiction books before asking children to write their own reports. 9. Support children as they write their own reports in small groups or independently. Printed in Guangzhou, China. XXXX-XXXX-XXXX ISBN: 978-1-4509-5768-7 For information about ordering, call Toll-Free 1-877-236-2465 or visit our Web site: www.benchmarkeducation.com. Photo credits: Title Page D: Phil Degginger/Alamy; Page 4B: Mark Gabrenya/Alamy; Page 6B: Nigel Cattlin/Alamy; Page 6C: Hornbil Images/Alamy; Page 6C: Carsten Reisinger/Alamy; Page 6E: Graphic Science/Alamy; Page 11A: Mike Danton/ Alamy; Page 11B: imagebroker/alamy; Page 12B: Chuck Eckert/Alamy; Page 13: Lou-Foto/Alamy Illustrations: Lyn Boyer Informational Reports by Carrie Smith and Steve W. Dunn
What Is a Report? Why Do People Write Reports? A report is a nonfiction text. A report gives true information about a topic. People write reports to share facts they have learned about a topic. A volcano is an opening in the ground that reaches deep into Earth. Red-hot melted rock, ash, steam, and poisonous gases can ooze, pour, or blast out of a volcano. When this happens, we say that the volcano erupts. Volcano Times Will this volcano erupt? Scientists are keeping watch on this volcano for signs that it may be about to erupt. Yesterday, scientists detected a small earthquake in the area. This could be a sign that the volcano will erupt. All About Volcanoes The lava from a volcano can be more than 2,000 degrees Fahrenheit. 2 3
How Do You Write a Report? First, learn about your topic. You can learn by reading nonfiction books. Insects All Around Insects are everywhere. Some are as small as a dot. Others are four inches long! All insects have three body parts and six legs. Some insects have antennae. They use their antennae to smell and feel. Some insects make sounds. Some insects can fly. antennae 4 5
A nonfiction text gives facts. Some insects are pests! Mosquitoes bite people. Beetles eat leaves. Termites hurt homes. Some insects are helpful. Bees carry seeds. Bees make honey, too. Insects are all around! mosquito Colorado potato beetle termite 6 7
Write about what you learned. First write a topic sentence. The topic sentence tells the main idea of your report. Then write facts you learned from the books. Draw pictures or choose photographs that show the information. Title Many Kinds of Insects Title Insects Topic sentence There are many kinds of insects. Facts Butterflies and crickets are insects. Mosquitoes and termites are also insects. Some insects help people, but other insects are pests. Pictures antennae wings Pictures legs Topic sentence Facts Insects are animals. You can find insects everywhere. Some insects have antennae. Some insects can fly. All insects have six legs and three body parts. 8 9
Read to Learn About a Topic This nonfiction text tells many facts. The photographs give information, too. Dinosaurs Were Big and Small Many people think all dinosaurs were huge, but that is not true. Some dinosaurs were as small as a bird. Brachiosaurus was one of the biggest dinosaurs. It was as heavy as six elephants! Its neck was about thirty feet long. That is as long as two minivans. This dinosaur ate plants. 10 11
Tyrannosaurus Rex was another big dinosaur. It was about as long as a bus. It had powerful jaws and sharp teeth. This dinosaur ate meat. 12 Microraptor was dinosaur. It had and feathers all It was less than a very small four wings over its body. two feet long! 13
Use Facts to Write a Report Your report can describe. Your report can compare and contrast, too. Title One Big Plant Eater Title Two Very Different Giants! Topic sentence Brachiosaurus was a very big dinosaur that ate plants. Pictures Facts Brachiosaurus had a very long neck. Its neck was thirty feet long! Pictures neck Topic sentence Brachiosaurus and T-Rex were similar and different. legs Facts They were both big dinosaurs. Brachiosaurus had a very long neck. T-Rex had sharp teeth. Brachiosaurus ate plants, but T-Rex ate meat. 14 15
First, Write Your Own Report My report: 1. Pick a nonfiction topic to learn about. 2. Read books about your topic. 3. Write a topic sentence (the main idea). 4. Write as many facts as you can remember from the books you read. 5. Draw pictures to support your facts. Next, Review Your Checklist I remembered to... Topic sentence (main idea): Read a book about my topic. Write my topic sentence or main idea. Facts I remember: Write facts from the book that I remember. 16 Draw pictures to support my facts.
GENRE: Informational Reports Informational Reports Find out how you can share what you Enjoy all of these My First Readers & Writers Genre Workshop titles! know by writing a Book Reviews Informational Reports Journals Personal Narratives report. You ll learn the features of a good report and read sample reports to discover how writers organize their facts and details. Book Reviews Informational Reports Journals Personal Narratives Carrie Smith is an award-winning novelist and author of short stories who has also written and edited hundreds of books for children. She lives in New York City. Steve W. Dunn is a former teacher and principal. He now works with teachers and principals across the country on how to help their students become better readers and writers. B e n c h m a r k E d u c a t i o n C o m p a n y