Grade by Grade
D. Composition: Expressing Ideas and Creating Texts · Writing for Every Purpose

Writing an Information Report

D2.1 D1.3 D1.4 D2.4 A3.1About 40 minutes
Learning goals
  • I can write an information report with a title, an introduction, sections and a conclusion.
  • I can use headings to show what each section is about.
  • I can write facts in my own words, not opinions.
  • I can tell that a report is usually in the third person.

Words to know

information report
A text that gives true facts about a topic.
introduction
The beginning of a report. It tells the topic.
heading
A short title for one section that tells what the section is about.
conclusion
The ending of a report. It sums up or shares one last big idea.
caption
Words under a picture that tell about it.

Sharing what you learned

Remember Kai's beaver notes from the research lesson? He sorted them into Looks, Home and Food. Now he turns those notes into an information report. A report gives true facts so the reader can learn about a topic.

A model information report

Beavers

Beavers are large animals that live in Canada and other places. The beaver is one of the symbols of Canada.

What Beavers Look Like

Beavers have thick brown fur and a wide, flat tail. They have big orange front teeth. Their teeth never stop growing, so chewing wood keeps them from getting too long. Beavers have webbed back feet that help them swim.

Where Beavers Live

Beavers live near ponds, lakes, rivers and streams. They build dams across streams with sticks and mud. The dam makes a pond. In the pond, they build a home called a lodge. The door of the lodge is under the water, which helps keep beavers safe.

What Beavers Eat

Beavers eat bark, leaves, twigs and water plants. In the fall, they store branches under the water near their lodge, so they have food all winter.

Beavers are amazing builders. Their dams make ponds where many other animals can live too.

A wet beaver with orange front teeth and a wide flat tail sits by its stick dam, holding a chewed branch.
Look for the facts from the report: thick brown fur, a wide flat tail, big orange front teeth, and a dam built from sticks. AI-generated image
PartWhat it doesIn the model
TitleNames the topicBeavers
IntroductionTells the topic and grabs interestBeavers are large animals that live in Canada...
Sections with headingsEach section tells about one subtopicLook Like, Live, Eat
Facts in the writer's own wordsTrue information, not opinionswebbed back feet, lodge door under water
ConclusionWraps up the reportBeavers are amazing builders...
The parts of an information report
IntroductionSection 1LooksSection 2HomeSection 3FoodConclusion
A report plan: introduction, one section for each group of notes, then a conclusion.
Worked example

Let's turn notes into sentences

Kai's notes say: webbed back feet, help swim (video). How does he write this in his report?

  1. Read the note. Think about what it means.
  2. Say a full sentence in your own words out loud: Beavers have webbed back feet that help them swim.
  3. Write it under the correct heading: What Beavers Look Like.

Beavers have webbed back feet that help them swim. A full sentence, in Kai's own words, in the right section.

Worked example

Let's keep facts and opinions apart

Which sentence belongs in the report? (a) Beavers are the cutest animals ever. (b) Beavers build dams with sticks and mud.

  1. A report gives facts: things that are true and can be checked.
  2. (a) cutest ever is what someone thinks. That's an opinion.
  3. (b) can be checked in a book or video. It's a fact.

(b) belongs in the report.

Just for fun

Beavers have see-through eyelids that close over their eyes underwater. Built-in swimming goggles!

Point of view in a report

The report talks about beavers: They build dams. Their teeth never stop growing. It doesn't say I or me. Reports are usually written in the third person, because they are about the topic, not about the writer.

That's different from a personal narrative, which uses I (first person).

Add text features

Make your report easy to learn from:

  • Headings for each section
  • A picture or diagram with labels
  • A caption under a picture, like A beaver lodge in a pond

These are called text features. You saw them in non-fiction books!

big orange front teeththick brown furwide, flat tailwebbed back feet
A beaver, drawn with labels. A labelled diagram is a text feature that helps readers learn the parts.
Hands-on activity

Write your own animal report

You need: the notes you sorted in the research lesson (or new notes from 3 sources), paper, pencil, crayons.

  1. Write a title and a 1 to 2 sentence introduction.
  2. For each group of notes, write a heading and 2 to 3 sentences of facts in your own words.
  3. Write a conclusion.
  4. Draw a picture with labels and a caption.
  5. At the bottom, list your sources: Sources: library book, video, Ms. Lee the park ranger.

Your turn

1

What is the purpose of an information report?

2

What are the three headings in the beaver report?

3

Fact or opinion? "Moose have long legs."

4

Fact or opinion? "Moose are boring."

5

What is a heading?

6

Turn this note into a sentence: loons, red eyes, dive for fish.

7

Is the beaver report in the first person or the third person?

More practice: warm-up

1

What part of a report tells the topic at the start?

2

What is the last part of a report called?

3

What words go under a picture to tell about it?

4

What is a beaver's home called?

5

Should a report have true facts or made-up facts?

More practice: on your own

1

Which heading would this fact go under: Beavers eat bark? (Looks, Home or Food)

2

Write an introduction sentence for a report about chickadees.

3

Why do reports have headings?

4

Change this first-person sentence into a report sentence: "I saw that robins eat worms."

5

Kai copied a whole page from his book. Why is that not okay?

Challenge

1

Sort these into two sections and give each a heading: Polar bears have white fur. They hunt seals. They live in the Arctic. They have black skin. They live on sea ice.

2

Write a conclusion for the beaver report that is different from Kai's.

3

How is an information report different from a persuasive text?

Check your understanding

Quiz

1.

What does an information report give?

2.

Which sentence is a fact?

3.

What is a heading for?

4.

Reports are usually written in which point of view?

5.

Where does a caption go?

6.

Which is the best introduction for a report about bees?

For parents and teachers

Big idea (D2.1, D1.3, D1.4, D2.4): Grade 2 students turn research from several sources into an organized text. The information report is a common Grade 2 form that uses research (D1.3), grouping by subtopic (D1.4), and usually third-person point of view (D2.4). It also connects to learning in science and social studies (A3.1).

How to help at home:

  • Read non-fiction books together and notice the headings, labels and captions.
  • When your child writes a fact, ask "How do you know?" and "Where did you learn that?"
  • Help them say each fact aloud in their own words before writing it.

Common difficulties:

  • Mixing in opinions ("Beavers are cute"). Save opinions for the conclusion, or leave them out.
  • Copying sentences from a book. Close the book, say it, then write it.
  • Facts in random order. Use the sorted notes and one heading per section.