"All About..." Reports

Kindergartners at Chets Creek have been writing nonfiction pieces for the last month. Some of the classes started with Procedural pieces (also called Instructions or "How to...") and some with Informational pieces or Reports. When introducing Informational non-fiction most of the classes start with a report on something that the children know lots about - themelves. They write "All About Me" Reports. As these reports are finished the children then choose something that they know a lot about to write a report. Some write "All About Tee-Ball or Soccer or Ballet." Others write "All About My Pet Dog or My Best Friend or My Family." Below is one such report on the "Inuits," one of the tribes that was studied during the Kindergartners units about Native Americans. Notice the rich vocabulary that was learned during this unit. Most of the reports follow this same format with a Title, Table of Contents, 3-5 "Chapters," and then some closing such as "fun facts," or a simple closing statement or even a "how to..." tucked in.










All About Inuits











Table of Contents

Inuits Look Like.........1

Where Inuits Live......2

What Inuits Do...........3














Inuits Look Like P. 1

They have mukluks.
They have snow goggles.
They have parkas.
They had clothes.






Where Inuits Live P. 2

Inuit igloos are made out of ice.
The Artic is where they live.
Snow falls.
Snow is on the ground.







What Inuits Do P. 3


Inuits fish.
They ride on umiaks
They throw harpoons.
They hunt for animals.





Fun Facts


They hunt for food.
They have harpoons.
They play games.
They live in igloos.
They hunt for animals.










Commentary:
This report is a good example of a kindergartner reporting information on a particular topic. It meets the kindergarten standard for Reports. It begins by naming the topic (Inuits) in the title. It includes an organizational structure with a Table of Contents and then writing for each of the three "chapters" (What Inuits wear, Where they live, and What they do) related to the Chapter Titles and a closing of Fun Facts. The report includes facts and specific information with content appropriate vocabulary. It maintains a focus and stays on topic without any extraneous information. The writing is accompanied by illustrations that even include labels. The author closes the paper with "fun facts" that include most of the information that has been previously stated.

This report also meets the Language and Conventions Standard for Kindergarten. The author uses a variety of sentences. The vocabulary is outstanding and demonstrates much of the vocabulary that was presented during this unit. Many of these words with pictures were available on a Word Wall for this unit. The author also spells many sight words correctly. Other words are spelled phonetically. The piece demonstrates beginning knowledge of spacing. It also demonstrates directionality and is readable by adults.