ANNOTATED WRITING TASK INFORMATION REPORT Deserts 1

ANNOTATED WRITING TASK –

INFORMATION REpORT

Deserts

Deserts are easily identified by their

_{lack of rainfall.}

_{Most deserts}

get less than 25 cm of rain each year.

_{Many people}

_{think that}

deserts are hot and dry, but this isn’t

_{always the case.}

_{Even though}

deserts are dry, they can be hot or cold.

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_{Hot deserts,}

_{such as the Great Sandy Desert}

_{in Australia, have}

lots of sand and rocks.

_{They can be very hot during summer days,}

but they can also be very cold at night. The air around these deserts

is

_{dry and there are not many clouds. They are usually found in flat}

areas of the country.

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_{Cold deserts,}

_{such as the Gobi desert}

_{in Mongolia,}

_{have sand,}

rocks and ice. They are found in higher areas of land and in mountain

ranges. These mountains stop the rain from getting to the desert

area.

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_Because

_{of the harsh conditions,}

_{not many plants and animals can}

live in deserts.

_{The ones that do live there have adapted over time so}

that they can survive.

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_{The most well-known}

_desert

_{plant is the cactus.}

_{They have a}

thick skin and no leaves so the sun can’t suck out the water.

_Their

long spikes also stop animals from eating them. Other desert plants

have lots of roots that go deep under the ground searching for water.

_{Animals that live in the desert are often nocturnal.}

_{They come out}

at night when it is cooler. Others, such as the marsupial mole,

_{live in}

deep burrows to escape the sun. Desert animals usually get the water

they need from eating other animals and plants.

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_{Deserts are found all over the world.}

_{The largest}

_{hot desert is}

the Sahara

_{Desert in Africa, where the temperature can get over 50}

degrees

_{Celsius. The largest cold desert is Antarctica. It is also the}

Hints For Information Report Writing

Audience/purpose of the text

1. use a title to set the topic

2. introduction has a general opening statement to define the topic 3. use of 3rd person – very formal writing – impersonal style

Text structure

4. short introduction with a few important details

5. different paragraphs to describe different parts of the topic 6. each paragraph starts with a topic sentence

7. the rest of each paragraph gives facts about the topic 8. no special conclusion is used

Ideas

9.–11. link ideas over more than one paragraph

12. text moves from general information (things that live in deserts) to more specific (examples of plants and animals)

13. each idea has facts and details to match

Description

14. use of general nouns 15. use of specific nouns

16. use of noun groups to build up a description 17. use of adjectives to compare

18. use of factual adjectives to give details

Vocabulary

19. use of scientific words 20. use of technical words

21. use of relating verbs to link features

22. very careful use of words – no fancy similes or metaphors

Cohesion

23. correct pronoun referencing 24. use of connectives to link ideas 25. topic words used repeatedly

paragraphing

5. each new feature needs a new paragraph 10. each paragraph begins with a topic sentence

Sentence structure

26. simple sentence

27. compound sentence using the conjunction “but” 28.–29. complex sentences with different clause patterns 30. adverbial phrase to give more detail

punctuation

31. sentences begin with a capital letter and end with a full stop – very few question marks or exclamation marks

32. comma used to separate clauses in a sentence 33. apostrophe used for a contraction

34. commas used to enclose an extra piece of information 35. commas used to separate items in a list

Spelling

Simple words – are, less, but, stop, thick

Common words – plants, largest, harsh, their

Difficult words – nocturnal, continent, identified

Challenging words – Celsius, temperature

Information Report Related Activities

1. Audience/purpose * help your reader understand what your report is about

of the text * you are writing to give them factual information * your title should be short and simple

Write a plan of your report. Think about what features you will discuss and what facts to include.

2. Text structure * organise your writing – you need an introduction (opening statement), and then other paragraphs to explain different features about the topic

* you don’t need a conclusion

* if you have a conclusion, it should be a general statement about the topic

Write a draft of the introduction (opening statement) for your report. You need to: * think about the topic of the report

* give a short description of the topic

Write some draft topic sentences to start each new paragraph. Note that each paragraph should be about a different feature of the topic.

3. Ideas * make your writing your own

* don’t copy ideas from other books you have read * your ideas need to make sense

* you need to move from general ideas and examples to specific ideas and examples

How could you make your report more interesting? Write your ideas. Think about how you can link these ideas through the whole text.

4. Description * use general nouns, for example: deserts, plants, animals * use specific nouns, for example: The Great Sandy Desert,

marsupial moles, cactus plants

* use words to compare, for example: largest, most well-known, hottest, cooler than, similar

* don’t use fancy similes or metaphors

5. Vocabulary * try to use interesting words, not just ordinary words * use scientific and technical words, for example: Celsius,

nocturnal, degrees

* use relating verbs to link features to the topic, for example: is, are, has

* don’t use fancy similes or metaphors * keep the language factual

Write some interesting topic related words you could use in your report.

6. Cohesion * link your ideas

* make sure each sentence makes sense

* make sure your pronouns are referenced correctly, for example:

Deserts are easily identified by their lack of rainfall. * use different words to start each paragraph

* repeat your topic word throughout the whole text List some different ways to join ideas and features in your report.

7. paragraphing * paragraphs make it easier to read and follow the report Make sure that each paragraph:

* starts in an interesting and different way to the other paragraphs * is about a different feature topic

Re-read your draft narrative. Insert this editing symbol [ to show where you need to use a new paragraph.

8. Sentence structure * each sentence needs to make sense

* make sure you have subject/verb agreement, for example: They come out at night. Antarctica is the driest continent on earth.

* make sure your prepositions are correct, for example the position words: on, behind, under, above

* use simple, compound and complex sentences

Re-read what you have written so far and revise/rewrite some of your sentences to make them either compound sentences or complex sentences. Refer to the sample text on page 40 to help you.

9. punctuation * start each sentence with a capital letter * end each sentence with a full stop

* use apostrophes for contractions, for example: isn’t, can’t * use commas to separate items in a list, for example: He

bought bread, milk, butter and eggs.

* use commas to separate clauses, for example: The largest hot desert is the Sahara Desert, where the temperature can get over 50° Celsius.

Rewrite one of your draft paragraphs, including all the punctuation.

10. Spelling * include all four spelling categories The four spelling categories are:

* Simple words – are, less, but, stop, thick * Common words – plants, largest, harsh, their * Difficult words – nocturnal, continent, identified * Challenging words – Celsius, temperature