Sherrie  Lee        slideshare.net/orangecanton            @orangecanton            teachersherrie.wordpress.com  

Lesson Plan

Report Writing

Writing the Introduction of a Report

Prepared by Sherrie Lee

Levels

Intermediate to Advanced, Grade 11 equivalent

Aims

Students will be able to:

• understand the structure and format of the Introduction section of a report.

• become familiar with the common words and phrases used in the Introduction

section.

• write out an Introduction section of a report based on a given scenario.

Total Class Time

80 minutes

Preparation Time

Find the relevant section on Introduction from the textbook: 1 minute

Find supplementary material on the topic from the Internet: 30 minutes

Design the handouts: 30 minutes

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Resources

Chapter on the Report Introduction from Writing & Presentation Skills

Video clip from the Internet, Sleep deprived teens

News article from the Internet, Sleepless in Singapore, about late-night sleeping habits

among Singaporean youth

Handout for report writing exercise (Appendix A)

Presentation slides for lesson (Appendix B)

Introduction of the Activity with Background

In this lesson on report writing, students learn how to write the Introduction section of a

report by looking at examples and using a guided template to write an Introduction based

on a scenario and given information.

Procedure

1. Tell students that they will be watching a video clip. Provide them with questions to

guide their viewing: What is the problem presented in the video? Who would be

interested in finding out more about the problem? How would they find out more

about the problem? (3 minutes)

2. Have students watch a video clip S. (4 minutes)

3. Refer to questions introduced earlier and elicit answers from students; write answers

on the board. (10 minutes)

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4. Tell students that they will be writing a report to the person or organization they

mentioned in the earlier activity, but first, they need to know how to write a report.

Tell students that there will short quizzes during the presentation on the report. (2

minutes)

5. Present information on what a report is for and the overall structure of a report. (5

minutes)

6. Organize students into 4 groups of 4 and 2 groups of 5, explaining to them they will

need to organize and match the parts of a report to the corresponding description.

Monitor groups and provide just enough assistance so that all groups are able to

complete the task accurately. (5 minutes)

7. Present the answer to the class once all groups have completed the activity.

Congratulate them on a job well done. Tell students that they will now focus on one

particular section of the report, the Introduction. (1 minute)

8. Present information on the Introduction, pointing out common words and phrases,

tenses and format. Give quizzes in between the presentation to check students’

understanding. (20 minutes)

9. Organize students into pairs or groups of 3 if necessary and give them instructions on

writing an Introduction based on the information on the handout. (2 minutes)

10. Distribute handout and worksheet to students. Students work on activity while teacher

monitors their progress and provides assistance as needed. (15 minutes)

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11. Give feedback on parts of the activity they most students were confused about;

answer any other questions students might have during this review. (10 min)

12. Assign students homework to read the news article the in-class exercise was based on.

Student to come up with questions for the questionnaire to find out the reasons behind

late-night sleeping among Singaporean teenagers. (3 min)

Caveats & Options

1. Students may feel overwhelmed with the technical information related to report

writing. Be sensitive to students’ needs and slow down or explain again when

needed.

2. Tell students to use the sample of the Introduction in the textbook as a reference

when doing their report writing exercise.

3. Monitor students’ participation during group and pair work to make sure every

student is participating.

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References

Jaganathan, J. (2007, June 15). Sleepless in Singapore. The Straits Times. Retrieved from

http://www.asiaone.com/Health/Wellness%2B%2540%2BWork/Story/A1Story20

070625-15642.html

MedStar Health. (2009, February 26). Sleep deprived teens - Franklin Square Hospital

Center. [Video file]. Retrieved from http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eIagl-

SyLA8

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Appendix A

Handout on Report Writing

Report Writing - Introduction There has been increasing concern over the sleeping habits of young Singaporeans. The Straits Times published a newspaper article by Jessica Jaganathan entitled “Sleepless in Singapore” on June 15, 2007. This article has generated concern about the sleeping habits of many Singaporeans, and, in particular, school-going youths. These late-night sleeping patterns may have detrimental effects on a person’s mental and physical health. The Health Promotion Board is concerned about young Singaporeans’ late-night sleeping patterns. You have been asked to lead a team to gather more information about the situation with the aim of coming up with a campaign to encourage more young Singaporeans to have sufficient sleep. The report has been commissioned by Dr John Cheng, the Director of Youth Health Division, Health Promotion Board. You have decided to look into the following aspects of the issue: youths’ sleeping habits, their nocturnal activities, and their awareness of the consequences of late-night sleeping. You designed a questionnaire and conducted the survey on 1,000 school-going youths. You also read several other newspaper articles and various health journals.

Based the information given, write the Introduction of a report and include the following details:

• Title of report • Introduction section of the report (including the following):

o Purpose o Background o Method of investigation o Scope

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A Report on _________________________________________________________

1. _______________________

1.1________________________ The purpose of this report _______________________________________________. The report will also ____________________________________________________.

__________________________

An article in _____________________________ by Jessica Jaganathan claimed that ____________________________________________________________________. _________________________________ is concerned about ___________________ ____________________________________________________________________. The report has been ___________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________. __________________________

Questionnaires ________________________________________________________. References ___________________________________________________________. __________________________

Apart from ____________________, this report _____________________________ ____________________________________________________________________.

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Suggested Answer

A Report on the Sleeping Habits of Young Singaporeans

1. Introduction

1.1 Purpose The purpose of this report is to investigate reasons behind young Singaporeans’ habit of sleeping late. The report will also make recommendation on how to get teenagers to sleep earlier 1.2 Background An article in The Straits Times (June 15, 2007) by Jessica Jaganathan claimed that Singaporeans are sleeping less and this may have detrimental effects on a person’s mental and physical health. The Health Promotion Board is concerned about the late-night sleeping habits of young Singaporeans.

The report has been commissioned by Dr John Cheng, the Director of Youth Health Division, Health Promotion Board. 1.3 Methods of investigation Questionnaires were issued to 1000 school-going youth. References were also made to newspaper articles and various health journals. 1.4 Scope Apart from respondents’ profile, the report looks into three possible reasons for young Singaporeans’ late-night sleeping habit: sleeping habits, nocturnal activities, and an awareness of the consequences of late-night sleeping.

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Appendix B

Lesson Presentation Slides

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