Animal Information Reports

Overview

Today students are introduced to information reports: what they are for, how they are structured, and what makes them informative. They compare this text type with other familiar texts.

Learning intentions

• Students will be able to explain the purpose of an information report.
• Students will identify common features of an information report (facts, headings, topic focus).
• Students will describe how information reports differ from stories and procedures.
• Students will use visual and word cues to locate key information about an animal topic.

Success criteria

• I can tell you what an information report is for (to inform).
• I can point to a title/topic and say what each section is mainly about.
• I can sort sentences into “information report facts” and “not suitable for reports”.
• I can use at least two report features, such as a heading or specific factual language, in my own example.

Curriculum links

• Understands and uses text structures and language features to suit purpose and audience.
• Uses effective listening and speaking to contribute ideas and respond to others.
• Reads and interprets information in texts, identifying main ideas and key details.
• Creates short written texts that maintain topic focus and use appropriate punctuation.

Lesson structure (45 minutes)

1. 4 min – Hook: “What makes it informative?” Show 3 short samples on the board (one information-report style set of facts, one story-like set of sentences, one instruction/procedure). Students turn and talk: “Which one teaches you facts and why?”

2. 7 min – Mini-lesson: Purpose of information reports Teacher explains that information reports are written to give information about a topic (usually an animal) using factual statements. Model using simple think-aloud language: “This sentence answers: what is it? where does it live? what does it do?”

3. 9 min – Explore structure: beginning, sections, and ending Display a short model animal information report (teacher-created). Mark up with colour/labels for:

• Title (topic)
• Headings for sections (e.g., Habitat, Features, Diet)
• Fact sentences within each section Students chorally read one section and answer: “What is the section mainly telling us?”

4. 10 min – Sorting activity: text-type differences In pairs, students receive sentence strips. They sort into two piles:

• “Good for an information report” (factual, topic-focused, no make-believe)
• “Not for an information report” (story events, imaginary language, commands without facts) Teacher circulates, prompting with questions like “Is this a fact? Does it keep the topic focus?”

5. 8 min – Language focus: factual wording Teacher builds a chart titled “Report wording helps readers”. Students add examples such as:

• “The…”
• “It has…”
• “They live in…”
• “Food includes…” Students practise changing one story-like sentence into a fact sentence together.

6. 6 min – Shared writing: mini report paragraph Whole class creates one short paragraph for a shared animal topic using a provided heading (e.g., “Habitat”). Teacher writes the first sentence, then students contribute additional facts. Focus on correct sentence boundaries and capital letters/full stops.

7. 1 min – Exit ticket: check understanding Students complete a quick response: “An information report is for… (one sentence).” Teacher collects for next lesson planning.

Resources

• Teacher-created short model information report about an animal (1 page or projected)
• Three short text samples (facts, story, procedure) for the hook
• Coloured labels or sticky notes for identifying title, headings, and fact sentences
• Sentence-strip set for sorting (fact vs not suitable)
• Factual wording chart (The…, It has…, They live…, Food includes…)
• Shared writing topic prompt and a selected heading (e.g., Habitat)
• Exit ticket slips or a response area on desks
• Student notebooks or writing journals
• Pencils, erasers, and highlighters/colour pencils for marking features

Assessment

• Observation of pair sorting decisions and justification (“Is it factual? Does it inform?”).
• Teacher conference during shared writing: whether students can generate factual sentences and maintain topic focus.
• Exit ticket to gauge students’ understanding of the purpose of information reports.

Differentiation

• Support: Provide sentence starters and a word bank; include an annotated model with headings already labelled; allow audio read-aloud of model text.
• Support (SEN): Use fewer sentence strips and a pre-highlighted “fact clue” for sorting; offer sentence frames with blanks for key details.
• Extension: Ask students to add a second heading and create two additional factual sentences in the shared writing, aiming for variety (features + diet).
• EAL: Use visuals (icons for habitat/food/features), rehearse vocabulary in short speaking turns, and accept first-draft oral contributions before writing.
• Language scaffolds: Offer a checklist of report features (“title/topic, heading, facts, full stops”) for students who need structure.

Assessment evidence for teacher use

• Can students distinguish information reports from stories and procedures?
• Do students understand and use report structure elements (topic, headings, sections)?
• Can students produce factual, topic-focused sentences suitable for an information report?