20
by Steve W. Dunn and Carrie Smith B ENCHMARK E DUCATION C OMPANY ® ★★★★★★★★★★★ ★★★★★★★★★★★ Readers’ W r i t e r s’ Genre Workshop M y F i r s t Whales Reports Informational Discover
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
by Steve W. Dunn and Carrie Smith
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®
★★★★★★★★★★★ ★★★★★★★★★★★R e a d e r s’ W r i t e r s’
G e n r e W o r k s h o p
My First
d u c a t i o n c o m p a n yc
Whales
ReportsInformationalDiscover
For information about ordering, call Toll-Free 1-877-236-2465 or visit our Web site: www.benchmarkeducation.com.
Photo and art credits: Page 2F: ©Cephas Picture Library/Alamy; Page 6B: ©Peter Arnold, Inc./Alamy; Page 6-7: ©Cephas Picture Library/Alamy; Page 7B, 7C: ©Philip Mugridge/Alamy; Page 12B, 13A: ©WaterFrame/Alamy, Illustrations; Lyn Boyer
How to Use This Book with Children 1. Read about informational reports (pages 2–3).
2. Model how to read a nonfiction text to learn information for your report. Read aloud “A Whale Is Not a Fish!” (pages 4–7).
3. Invite children to retell facts they remember from the text.
4. Read aloud and discuss the mentor reports based on “A Whale Is Not a Fish!” (pages 8–9).
5. Read aloud the nonfiction text “Coral Reefs” (pages 10–13).
6. Read aloud and discuss the mentor report based on “Coral Reefs” (page 14).
7. Review the steps for writing a report and the writer’s checklist (page 16).
8. Use the write-on/wipe-off report frame on the inside back cover of the book to model writing your own reports based on “A Whale Is Not a Fish!” or “Coral Reefs.”
9. Model writing additional reports based on other nonfiction books before asking students to write their own reports.
10. Support students as they write their own reports.
M y F i r s t r e a d e r s ’ & W r i t e r s ’ G e n r e W o r k s h o p
Discover Informational ReportsB e n c h m a r k e d u c a t i o n c o m p a n y 629 Fifth Avenue • Pelham, NY • 10803 www.benchmarkeducation.com
Credits: Creative Director: Laurie BergerSenior Art Director: Glenn DavisDirector of Photography: Doug SchneiderPhoto Editor: Diane FrenchIllustrations: 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.
Printed in Guangzhou, China. XXXX-XXXX-XXXX
ISBN: 978-1-4509-4495-3
For information about ordering, call Toll-Free 1-877-236-2465or visit our Web site: www.benchmarkeducation.com.
Genre: Informational Reports
Genre Features • title
• pictures
• topic sentence
• facts
Oral Genre Vocabulary• facts
• information
• main idea
• nonfiction text
• photographs
• pictures
• report
• topic sentence
★★★★★★★★★★★ ★★★★★★★★★★★R e a d e r s’ W r i t e r s’
G e n r e W o r k s h o p
My First
Discover Informational
Reportsby Steve W. Dunn and Carrie Smithby Steve W. Dunn and Carrie Smith
What Is a Report?
A report is a nonfiction text. A report gives facts about a topic.
2
Bees
Bees help flowers.
All AboutBees
The Bee NewsBees make honey.
Bees make honey
in a hive.
Why Do People Write Reports?
People write to share information. They share what they have learned.
3
They share what they have learned.
How Do You Write a Report?First, read about your topic.
Whales are the largest ocean animals. They are mammals, like people.
A Whale Is Not a Fish!
4
Some whales have teeth. These whales eat fish and other big animals.
A Whale Is Not a Fish!
5
Some whales do not have teeth. These whales eat very small animals.
Read to learn facts about your topic.
blue whale
6
Whales breathe air. They breathe through a blowhole. They come to the surface of the water to get air.
blowhole
7
Now write your report. First, draw pictures that show your topic.
WhalesThere are many kinds of whales.
Some whales have teeth. Some whales do not have teeth.
facts
8
title
topic sentence
pictures
Next, write a topic sentence. The topic sentence tells your main idea. Then, write facts you learned by reading.
The Biggest Ocean MammalsWhales breathe air.
They swim to the top of the water. They breathe through a blowhole.
facts
9
title
pictures
topic sentence
Read to Learn About a TopicYou can read many facts in this text.
fish
Coral ReefsCoral reefs are in oceans. They are home to many plants and animals.
Fish live on coral reefs. Crabs and lobsters live there, too.
10
lobster
crab
11
12
algae
sea grass
Algae live on coral reefs. Sea grasses also live on coral reefs.
You can find facts in photographs, too.
13
Pollution hurts coral reefs. People hurt coral reefs, too. Plants and animals need coral reefs.
14
Coral Reef Plants
Many plants grow on coral reefs.
Sea grasses live on coral reefs.
Use Facts to Write a ReportRead this report. What facts from “Coral Reefs” did the report writer use?
title
topic sentence
facts
pictures
15
Now tell your own report. What facts from “Coral Reefs” will you use?
title
pictures
topic sentence
facts
Next, Review Your Checklist
First, Write Your Own Report
I remembered to . . .
Read about my topic.
Draw a picture.
Write a topic
sentence.
Write facts from
the book.
16
1. Pick a nonfiction topic.
2. Read a book about your topic.
3. Draw a picture.
4. Write a topic sentence.
5. Write as many facts as you can from the book.you can from the book.
My Report: ______________________________
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®
GENRE: Informational Reports
Discover Informational Reports
Learn the features of an
informational report, and
discover how writers find
out about a topic in
order to write a report.
You’ll learn how to write
your own reports, too!
Carrie Smithis 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. Dunnis 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.
Book Reviews
Book Reviews
Informational Reports
Informational Reports
Journals
Journals
Personal Narratives
Personal Narratives
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