Week 5 Information Report Writing

This week in the writing workshop the class reviewed what generalisers were and had a go at using them in sentences.

Following this activity, we added information from the class tool box into our Magpie journal (the tools specifically relevant to the shared writing task we would be working on in this session). These specific tools were: title, sub title, questioning hook and generalisers.

We then discussed what a hook is and how the model text used a question to engage their readers. The students then brainstormed different ways a writer can begin writing a ‘questioning hook’ and shared with the class. Following this activity, students each selected a different way to write their own questioning hook to introduce an African elephant. We then used all of these great generated ideas to co-construct the first two parts of our information text.

Shared writing from class today:

The African Elephant

Could you picture yourself in a safari jeep driving rapidly alongside the largest mammal in the world? This creature is known as the African elephant!

The grey majestic beast of Africa

Wandering through the large continent of Africa, African elephants live in the savannas (the bush) and the rainforests of Central Africa. This varied African environment is home to vast, wet and dry grasslands, tropical rainforests, dark woodlands and harsh desserts. 

Workshop Gallery

Question example

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Home tasks for this week:

1. Animal Research: Undertake some general research on their own chosen research topic, an animal of their choosing. Maybe watch a short video about your creature to get a general idea. Then look for specific information about where they live (habitat); what country, what the environment is like, temperature, is it desert, is it the sea etc. 
2. Create notes in Magpie Journal: Using the specific research you located on an animal, write some key points about the habitat of your chosen creature in their Magpie Journal.
3. Questioning Hook Creation: Attempt writing a hook or two to introduce their information report. You could use the following question starters:
   • • • Have you ever wondered …
       • Could you picture yourself …
       • Would you ever …
       • What is …
4. Think about the shared writing of the African elephant that the class wrote together. Could we use a better word for ‘dark’. Next week we also want to look at our choice of ‘rapidly’ in our hook.

• Optional: Draw a diagram of your creature in the Magpie Journal.
• Optional: Add any technical words, words/phrases that you come across in your research that you like.

Video about the African elephant 

Just for interest if you haven’t watched any.

Featured image attribution:<a href=’https://www.freepik.com/photos/elephant’>Elephant photo created by wirestock – www.freepik.com</a>