American Revolution – The Informative Report-A Break Down Of The Essential Elements

5.W.2, 5.W.6, 5.W.7, 5.W.8, 5.W.9, 5.W.10

The informational report will be based upon a Revolutionary

War topic (event, person, document, location). You must

select your topic and have it approved by your teacher prior

to beginning the research.

Your informational report will consist of 3-5 paragraphs. The number of paragraphs you choose to write will be based on the topic and the amount of information you need to share in order to convey the information in a complete manner. You will use the templates provided to brainstorm and complete the research. These templates will assist you in narrowing your focus for your writing. You will need to secure 3 sources of research. Be sure they are reliable (no Wikipedia)!!!

Your teacher will provide these templates to you. You will receive one copy only. Be

sure to keep these pages in a secure location and do not lose them!

The following will be the required elements of your informational report. Examples of each have been

included in this power point for your reference.!

CoverThe background of your cover must include pictures that relate to your topic and are pleasing to the eye. You will also include a creative title, your name, date and your

homeroom teacher. This is the ONLY document that will be completed at home. It will be printed and stapled to

the front of your report.

2 quotes from your research must be includedYou must cite your resource! Information will also need to

be included in the bibliography.

3 non-fiction text featuresThese features must be selected based on the

appropriateness of your topic. You may choose to do more than 3 but be careful the features do not overpower

the writing!

8-10 Text Dependent Vocabulary WordsThese words are content related words that must be included in your writing. You will want to bold print the words so they

stand out in your writing (much like we see in our social studies text). These words will also be the words you will

include in your glossary.

GlossaryThe text dependent vocabulary words you selected will be

listed in a glossary. These words must be listed in alphabetical order and include the definition. This part of your report will

be placed behind your informational writing.

BibliographyYou will include a list of resources you used to prepare

yourself for your writing. You will place this feature behind your glossary page in your final report.

It’s very important to know WHERE you got your information from!!!

Make sure to write down the authors name, the title of the article and the date it was published…it’s important to give credit where it is due – you don’t want to be a copy cat!

Example of rewording…

Many Patriots were tired of having the British in their towns and streets. Stress levels were high and anger was boiling inside both parties. On one such day a patriot by the name of Edward Garrick insulted one of the British guards, this angered him and he ran over and hit him in the face with his rifle. Crowds grew to watch the scene and soon more British soldiers arrived to help the guard and control the crowds

Example of Citing..The Patriots were outraged at what had

happened to Garrick, “they began to throw snowballs, rocks and sticks at the

soldiers”(Brooks, The Boston Massacre) one guard was hit in the face and shot his gun into the crowd, this cause the skirmish to go out of control. “When the skirmish was over, three people lay dead..and eight were wounded.”

(Brooks, The Boston Massacre)

Text Dependent Vocabulary WordsFor Example:

Many store workers, town folk and food service people quit purchasing tea because of the tax the British put on it.

If I replaced the underlined words with text vocabulary it would sound better…Many merchants, Patriots and food service workers boycotted purchasing tea because of the tax placed on it by King George.

Writing A Bibliography

BookAuthor Last name, First name. Title. City of publication: Publisher, Copyright date.

ExamplesSmith, John. The big book of libraries. Buffalo, NY: Happy Publishers, 2005.Johnson, Julie and Melissa Gray. Caring for your pet. New York: Smith Publishing, 2006.Online Magazine Articles Author's last name, first name. "Article title." Magazine title. Publication date. Database name. Date viewed <Website address>.

ExampleGordan, David. "Alone on the Ice." National Geographic Kids. Feb 2005. SIRS Discoverer on the Web. 6 June 2006 <http://discoverer.sirs.com>.

Magazine article Author last name, first name (if there is one). “Title of Article.” Magazine. Date: Pages.

ExamplesJones, Mary. "Snakes are fun!" National Geographic for Kids. May 22, 2005: 2-5.

"Benjamin Franklin." Cobblestone. Sept. 16, 2002: 7-9.

Internet SiteAuthor last name, first name (if there is one). “Title of Article or Page.” Date of publication or lastrevision (if known). Name of sponsoring institution or organization. Date of access . Examples “Big Apple History.” 2005. Educational Broadcasting Corporation. Aug. 23, 2006 <http://pbskids.org/bigapplehistory/index-flash.html>.

Newman, Aline Alexander. "Smart Animals." 2006. National Geographic for Kids. Aug. 23, 2006 <http://www.nationalgeographic.com/kids/>.

It is imperative that you stay on top of your work. Getting behind can result in some

tough days of catching up. Be sure to manage your time well, ask questions and refer to your

materials that have been provided! Your teacher has taken time to gather these

references for you… USE THEM!