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Chapter 1
Information round up
Non-chronological reports
Idea 1
Elementary essentials!
When teaching child authors about non-chronological reports, it is important to know exactly what they are! The DfES (2006b: 1) presents them as being āreport texts [that] describe the way things are. They help readers understand and envisage the item/s being described by categorising information, for example under appearance, climateā. By creating āprecise and detailed information āpicturesāā (p.1), non-chronological reports serve as useful resources for child authors to actually learn, be they about particular places, events, sports, hobbies or animals. Of interest is the way that these reports are written, this being (as the name suggests) in non-chronological order ā that means that it is not written in time order. However, it is important to remember that the order in which the content of the report still makes sense within the piece of text.
To be effective, a quality non-chronological report should contain the following essential elements (the examples given below pertain to a non-chronological report about pets):
- A title ā this should be short and succinct, e.g. The Perfect Pet.
- An introduction, e.g. āWhen choosing a pet there are many different species from which to choose. However, when choosing a pet, it is vital that the prospective owner fully researches the species and the care requirements that the pet will need prior to acquiring their new life-long friendā.
- Paragraphs for each different aspect relating to the subject matter, e.g. Why choose a pet? Which pet will suit your lifestyle? Small caged animals, More Exotic Pets.
- Sub-headings for each different aspect relating to the subject matter, e.g. within the paragraph āWhy choose a pet?ā the sub-headings could be: Health benefits, A loyal companion, and Pets that do a job.
- Subject or topic-related vocabulary or technical language, e.g. veterinary, injections, cages, kennels.
- Key facts relating to the subject matter, e.g. different breeds of a particular species, life-expectancy of a particular species, statistics relating to choice of breeds.
- Written in the same tense throughout the entire text (usually the present tense; however, the past tense may be used for reports of an historical nature).
- Impersonal language, e.g. āThe owner should be responsible for keeping their dog under controlā NOT āMr. Brown is responsible for keeping his dog under controlā.
- A conclusion, e.g. āMaking the decision to own a pet is life-changing as they are likely to gradually become a loyal companion and member of the family. If the prospective owner takes the time beforehand to carefully consider their choice of pet then this liaison should be successful for both the owner and animal alikeā.
Diagrams, illustrations, pictures or photographs may also be included to enhance āthe visualā of the non-chronological report; however, the writing and its content should be the main focus for the child author.
The following activities can be used for both Lower and Upper Key stage 2, with differentiation made not only through the choice of exemplar text to be used, but also through teacher expectations (e.g. the amount to be written/read), the resources available to support child authors in their writing/reading (e.g. dictionaries and online thesauruses) and the writing/reading targets that are set for individual child authors/ability groups:
- Give child authors a set of cards comprising of each of the essential elements and extracts from a non-chronological report. Ask child authors to work together to match the essential element to the textual example, offering verbal reasoning for the decisions they make to evaluate their learning/understanding.
- Provide child authors with an example of a non-chronological report and a series of sticky notes. Ask them to use the notes to identify and label the different essential elements within the text, comparing their responses with each other.
- Present each child author with two different examples of a similar non-chronological report (content-wise) and some coloured highlighters. Challenge them to find the essential elements in each non-chronological report, comparing which one has used each element more effectively in the report and why they think this.
- Organise child authors into teams and play Jeopardy where professionals give the answer to a question about one of the essential elements of non-chronological reports, and the teams have to guess what the question is, e.g.
The answer: Present.
The question: What tense are non-chronological reports usually written in?
Gold star!
Help child authors to not only learn but also use interesting sentence starters in their non-chronological report writing with reference to the interactive Wheel of sentence starters for non-chronological reports by kedalziel (see http://tinyurl.com/y9zslfs8), Switching the Template to vary the interactive interface.
Idea 2
Vocabulary blast and planning support!
Vocabulary
When teaching child authors, it is important that they (and professionals) are aware of, understand and can use the key vocabulary (see Table 1.1) that is associated with non-chronological reports:
Table 1.1 Non-chronological reports: key vocabulary
| Vocabulary | Definition | Example | Knowledge |
| Non-chronological | Not in time or sequential order. | A report about a specific event in history may present information relating to this period in a non-chronological manner. | Child authors need to be aware of the difference between chronological (sequential in time or order) and non-chronological writing, and the fact that chronology is not required within a non-chronological report. |
| Subject specific/topic related vocabulary | These words are specific to the subject matter contained in the report. | A report on electricity might contain vocabulary such as bulb, wire, circuit and power. | Child authors need to know the words that are specifically connected to the subject matter of the report they are writing. Reference to dictionaries should be encouraged for definitions. |
| Third person | Written about another person or things and not directly about yourself (the writer). | The subject of the writing is referred to using the pronouns he, she or it, or a name or a noun. | Child authors need to be able to differentiate between writing in the first person (when they are writing about themselves) and the third person. |
| Impersonal language | Words that do not make direct reference to a particular person. | Words that generalise rather than refer to a particular person or object, e.g. dogs instead of Oscar the dog. | Child authors need to be able to write in an impersonal manner, avoiding referring to particular people or things. |
Planning support
The following planning grid (see Table 1.2) could be used by child authors to first analyse a quality example of a non-chronological report (completion of the second column) which they can then use to support the development of their own innovative ideas that form the basic plan for the writing of their own text (completion of the third column):
Table 1.2 Non-chronological report planning grid
| Paragraph | Ideas/examples from different texts | Innovation ā my ideas |
Heading The title for the report | | |
Opening paragraph A number of connected sentences that tell the reader what the non-chronological report is about | | |
| Paragraph One | | |
| Paragraph Two | | |
| Paragraph Three | | |
| Paragraph Four (if needed) | | |
Closing paragraph Final points or engaging facts to āsum upā | | |
| Other ideas/phrases |
Gold star!
Haselkorn (2017) asserts, āUnicorns may not be real, but the unicorn trend definitely is.ā Capitalise on this trend by visiting https://tinyurl.com/y7w8jnk6, paying particular attention to pages 16ā17 and 19. Help your child authors to produce some wonderful non-chronological reports about these fantastical, mythological beasts using some of Pie Corbettās creative activities.
Idea 3
Textual inspirations!
There is a vast amount of well-written and not so well-written examples of non-chronological reports to be found in printed form and on the internet. It is useful for child authors to be exposed to both of these types so that they can compare and critique these, identifying why one non-chronological report is better than another. However, some good examples include:
- National Geographical Kids (see www.natgeokids.com/uk/) ā the magazine usually contains at least one or two non-chronological reports on various historical, geographical or scientific topics that are of interest to child authors.
- Junior Encyclopaedias ā Dorling Kindersley (see www.dk.com/uk/) is a key publisher to be highly recommended, examples of which include Science, Ocean, Human Body and Dinosaurs.
- The Horrible Histories (see http://horrible-histories.co.uk/), Horrible Geography (written by Anita Ganeri) and Horrible Science series of books (principally written by Nick Arnold) all contain texts which, although not written as non-chronological reports, could be used and adapted by child authors by accessing, updating or challenging the information they provide with reference to other sources.
- Examples of visitor guidebooks and leaflets from local, national and international museums and galleries often contain texts that are written in the style of a non-chronological report that child authors can read and use as a model for their own writing.
- Childrenās annuals often contain more basic examples of non-chronological reports, providing details about characters, places or facts of a historical/geographical/scientific nature. Useful examples include Astronaut Academy (Martin and Farley, 2016) and The Childrenās Interactive Story of Art (Hodge, 2015).
- Visual guides relating to age-appropriate movies also provide good examples of non-chronological reports. Some more recent publications include:
- J.K. Rowlingās Wizarding World: Movie Magic Volume One: Extraordinary People and Fascinating Places (Revenson, 2016),
- Wonder Woman: The Art and Making of the Film (Gosling, 2017), and
- Star Wars: The Ultimate Visual Guide (Wallace, 2012).
- Reports taken from newspapers provide examples which relate to current events in the news, be they on a local, national or worldwide scale. However, obviously these need to be carefully chosen in order to ensure that they are of a suitable nature and are āreadableā for the child authors. The childrenās newspaper First News is a valuable resource, which is written in a child-friendly manner and which deals with weekly worldwide issues.
