Writing Workshop Expository Writing: Informative Report

Assignment: Write an informative report about a historical subject. (Your audience is your teacher, classmates, and other students in your school.) Informative Report: Assignment What part of history do you think is exciting—the people, the places, the buildings, the battles? For this report, you’ll have a chance to learn more about your favorite historical figure, event, or issue.

Informative Report: Prewriting Choosing a Subject Finding and Evaluating Sources Taking Notes Writing a Thesis Statement Organizing the Report Getting Started Assignment Feature Menu

To choose a subject for your report, start by thinking about historical figures who interest you. Informative Report Prewriting: Choosing a Subject Mohandas K. Gandhi Mother Teresa Thomas A. Edison Marie Curie Nelson Mandela Can you list some others?

Next, think about historical sites, objects, or events that interest you. Informative Report Prewriting: Choosing a Subject The Declaration of Independence Civil War Battle Sites Purchase of Alaska The Civil Rights Movement

Once you have chosen a topic, write a question to guide your research. Otherwise, your topic may be too broad and unmanageable. Informative Report Prewriting: Choosing a Subject Too broad How did Gandhi develop his philosophy of nonviolent resistance? Mohandas K. Gandhi Question The American Civil War What role did navies play in the Civil War? Too broad Question

Freewriting is a good way to begin exploring your question. You might already know more than you think you do. Informative Report Prewriting: Choosing a Subject How did this individual contribute to history? Gandhi led a mostly peaceful movement that helped win independence for India from the British. Why is this historical event important and memorable? Gandhi’s belief in nonviolent approaches to causing social and political change influenced many leaders, including Martin Luther King, Jr. [End of Section]

Informative Report Prewriting: Finding and Evaluating Sources Plan to use at least three sources for your report. Whenever possible, use some primary sources such as mapsdiariesletters Primary sources were written by people who experienced an historical event firsthand.

Informative Report Prewriting: Finding and Evaluating Sources Secondary sources are interpretations of primary materials. Some examples are encyclopedia entries documentaries newspaper articles Secondary sources are written by people who did not experience an event firsthand.

Is the source factual (nonfiction)? Evaluate your sources before you use them for your report. Ask yourself these questions: Informative Report Prewriting: Finding and Evaluating Sources Is the information up-to-date? Is the information trustworthy? [End of Section]

Source list for Gandhi paper 1. “Gandhi, Mohandas Karamchand,” World Book Encyclopedia, Vol. 8, pp ex.htm (biographical information) As you take notes, keep a list of your sources. Informative Report Prewriting: Taking Notes Give every source a number. Numbering your sources will make it easy to keep your notes organized.

1, page 24 Gandhi’s type of social action was based on courage, truth, and nonviolence. He said nonviolence took courage. He called his method Satyagraha. Record each fact or idea on a separate card or slip of paper. Informative Report Prewriting: Taking Notes Write the source number and page number on the card. Summarize the information.

Plagiarism is using someone else’s words or ideas as if they were your own. Informative Report Prewriting: Taking Notes 1, page 24 “Gandhi developed a method of direct social action, based upon principles of courage, nonviolence, and truth, which he called Satyagraha.” If you copy something word for word—even on a note card—be sure to put quotation marks around it. It’s usually better to paraphrase—or restate—information in your own words.

To avoid plagiarism, you will need to credit the source of the information, even if you put it in your own words. Informative Report Prewriting: Taking Notes 1, page 24 “Gandhi developed a method of direct social action, based upon principles of courage, nonviolence, and truth, which he called Satyagraha.” According to the World Book Encyclopedia, Gandhi created Satyagraha—a way of resisting authority without resorting to violence.

Stay focused on your question as you research and take notes. Informative Report Prewriting: Taking Notes 1, page 24 Indira Gandhi was not related to M.K. Gandhi, but she became the first woman prime minister of India. She was assassinated in This is an interesting fact, but... it doesn’t have anything to do with Mohandas Gandhi’s philosophy of nonviolence. [End of Section]

Informative Report Prewriting: Writing a Thesis Statement Your thesis statement tells what the point of the paper will be. To develop your thesis statement, start by answering your original research question. How did Gandhi develop his philosophy of nonviolent resistance? Question ThesisGandhi’s nonviolent philosophy grew out of his religious beliefs and his personal experience with discrimination.

Informative Report Prewriting: Writing a Thesis Statement You might need to ask a series of questions before you arrive at a good thesis statement. Question AnswerShips were used to blockade harbors, and there were also several major battles. What role did navies play in the Civil War? Did any of the battles have lasting significance? Question The battle between the two ironclad warships, the Confederate Merrimack and the Union Monitor, showed that wooden warships had become outdated. Thesis

Informative Report Prewriting: Writing a Thesis Statement The thesis statement usually appears in the introductory paragraph. Before the Civil War, American naval campaigns were fought in wood warships. The course of naval history changed, however, in 1862, when a battle between two ironclad warships, the Confederate Merrimack and the Union Monitor, showed that wooden warships had become outdated. The thesis states both the topic of the paper and the most important conclusion you’ve reached. [End of Section]

Organize important information into an outline. Start by sorting your notes into major categories. Informative Report Prewriting: Organizing the Report Then, divide your categories into subcategories. Each subcategory will be developed into a full paragraph. Ironclads Merrimack Monitor the battle Wooden ships Ironclads

Decide how you will organize your information. Event 1 Informative Report Prewriting: Organizing the Report Chronological (time) order Order of importance Event 2Event 3 Most important idea Important idea Least important idea

Informative Report Prewriting: Organizing the Report Introduction Body Conclusion Hooks reader’s interest; clearly identifies subject of report. Discusses each main idea in one or more paragraphs; supports each main idea with facts, examples, and quotations. Summarizes or restates main idea(s); draws conclusions. [End of Section]

Informative Report Drafting: Getting Started Go ahead! History is made by people with new and different ideas. Your research may lead you in a different direction than the one you had in mind—to different questions or even to a different conclusion.

Writing Workshop Expository Writing: Informative Report The End