WRITING TO INFORM WRITING TO INFORM The ReportThe Report

You will need to selectselect and organiseorganise informationinformation

Can I find the right style?

What do I do?

The Five ElementsThe Five Elements

• Factual information

• Formal Style

• Formal Language

• Logical paragraph structure

• Appropriate introduction and conclusion

You are going to learn how to

• restrict yourself to the facts

• use formal style and structure

• cluster and organise information

• introduce and conclude a report

• plan, organise and write your report

The Big PictureThe Big Picture

The big report on The big report on your secondary your secondary

schoolschool

Purpose

Do I have to

The purpose of your report isThe purpose of your report is to to give information to primary seven give information to primary seven pupils who will be attending pupils who will be attending this school this next year.this school this next year.

to informto inform

audiencepurpose

Kinloch is a village at the foot of the Campsies

Kinloch is a poky wee village near Glasgow

Formal writing usesFormal writing uses facts facts not opinionsnot opinions

Facts Facts notnot Opinions Opinions

Facts Facts should be accurateshould be accurate

opinions are oftenopinions are often vague

many ancient houses were still standingmany ancient houses were still standing

Moss on the walls and all the houses Moss on the walls and all the houses

looked the samelooked the same

does formal style mean?

Use precise facts

Write in the third person

The buildings The buildings have been have been unchanged for unchanged for centuries , centuries , though though elements of elements of decay are now decay are now presentpresent

You should You should have seen the have seen the moss on the moss on the walls. It’s walls. It’s ready to fall ready to fall down down

formal?formal? informal?informal?

Writing a reportSTYLE AND TONESTYLE AND TONE

• Thumbs Up• formal tone• precise information• impersonal tone• factual information• formal English

• Thumbs Down• informal tone• vague information• personal comments• “flowery language”• slang/colloquial terms

Writing a reportLANGUAGE TIPSLANGUAGE TIPS

• Thumbs Up• present tense• sentences• full stops/ capital

letters• reported speech• full forms of words • (it isit is not it’s)

•Thumbs Down•past tense•non sentences•exclamation marks•direct speech•shortening of words

Planning your Report

What word in the TITLE What word in the TITLE is a useful keywordis a useful keyword

Brainstorming:Brainstorming:Get things down on paper Get things down on paper so you can organise your so you can organise your ideas.ideas.

Brainstorming: coming up with ideas that you can use

Listing: size – biglocation –in townpupils – S1 – S6

facilitieslibrary

computersfuel zone

SchoolSchool

Brainstorming

Clustering: mapping out ideasClustering: mapping out ideas

lots of subjects

uniformuniform

schoolschool

FuelFuelZoneZonepupilspupils

computerscomputers

lots of lots of subjectssubjects

teachersteachers

head head teacherteacher

librarylibraryS1–S6S1–S6

BIGBIG

clubsclubs

friendsfriends

Building up your Report

introduction

main text (logical sequence)

conclusion

structure the structure the reportreport

I. IntroductionIntroduction• grab attention• state purpose of

report

II. BodyBody• build up facts• logical paragraphs

linked to similar ideas

III.III. ConclusionConclusion• summarise main

points

INTRODUCTIONINTRODUCTION

• Your first sentence Your first sentence must include your must include your topictopic

• Now introduce the Now introduce the aspects you are aspects you are going to discussgoing to discuss

Opening sentence:Opening sentence: introduce topicintroduce topic

Next steps:Next steps: list all linked aspects for list all linked aspects for discussion . . . . . . . . . . . .discussion . . . . . . . . . . . .

Keep it straightforward!Keep it straightforward!Keep it factual!Keep it factual!

Keep it factual!Keep it factual!

Keep it straightforward!Keep it straightforward!

““Supercool is a large secondary Supercool is a large secondary schoolschool in in

the centre of the city . . .”the centre of the city . . .”

Supercool Supercool SecondarySecondary School School is a large secondary is a large secondary schoolschool in the in the

west sector of Metropolis.west sector of Metropolis. ItIttakes both boys and girls. takes both boys and girls. There are approximately There are approximately 800 pupils in the 800 pupils in the schoolschool,,ranging from first year to sixth year. ranging from first year to sixth year. As well as the Head Teacher, there are As well as the Head Teacher, there are Heads of Department for every subjectHeads of Department for every subject

and about fifty teachers overall.and about fifty teachers overall.

The school uniform is mostly The school uniform is mostly purple and blue in colour. Boys purple and blue in colour. Boys wear blue trousers wear blue trousers and purple and purple sweatshirts. Girls sweatshirts. Girls have the choice of have the choice of blue trousers blue trousers or skirt, and a purple or skirt, and a purple top. The school logo top. The school logo is printed on the is printed on the sweatshirts.sweatshirts.

The Body or Main SectionThe Body or Main Section

• Decide what is most Decide what is most importantimportant

• Cluster your ideas Cluster your ideas togethertogether

• Organise your Organise your information logicallyinformation logically

locations?

FacilitiesFacilitiesrulesrules

homeworkhomework

ConclusionConclusionTie up the main points by linking to the purpose Tie up the main points by linking to the purpose

of the writingof the writing

Students at Supercool Secondary hope that the pupils from all associated primaries are looking forward to starting their secondary school life in the Autumn, and that the information given in this report will be helpful to them.