Impressive Informational Text

For the past few weeks, our students have been working on report writing. Students chose a state or country of their choice to research information on. They used books and information researched on the computer to complete a graphic organizer that organized their notes. They then transferred their notes into chapters in their seed journals. Students learned how to engage their reader by adding a question or an interesting fact. Then Students used a rubric to assess their work. Finally, students published their reports including pictures with captions as well as charts, graphs and/or procedurals.
Here are a few chapters taken from some students' reports.
Welcome to Australia! (Introduction from a report written about Australia)
Australia is an island country located entirely south of the equator. Have youheard the expression "The land down under"? Well, that's about Australia. Would you want to learn more about Austalia? Then, you should read my report about Australia. My report can teach you about the land, the people, and the animals of Australia + much, much more.
Philadelphia (A chapter taken from a report on Pennsylvania)
Have you ever been to the most popular city in Pennsylvania? Well, here are a few facts on that city. Do you like cheese steaks? Well, I bet you didn't know that a philly cheese steaks home is in Philadelphia. "Slurp, Slurp" I love rootbeer and guess what!? Rootbeer was first made in 1866 in Philadelphia. Wow!
Conclusion (Conclusion taken from a report about Ohio)
So now you know Ohio's climate, food, state flag, capital, tourist attractions and nature. So now your head is full o ffacts and information! Everyone will think you're the cool kid because you know all about Ohio!
Don't you want to read the rest of our reports? :)

Energy

What is energy? Energy is the ability to do work. It can cause motion or create change. Energy comes in different forms and can change from one form to another. We use different forms of energy every day.
Forms of energy include:
Light- sun's energy
Heat- makes particles move faster
Sound- happens when matter moves back and forth
Mechanical- energy of moving objects or movement
Electrical- can pass through wires
Our students worked in cooperative groups to gather information about a type a energy. They created posters to show examples of ways that people use energy and how it causes a change in motion. Then each group presented their information to teach the class. Wow! we sure learned a lot from each other!!