Genre:
Report

Purpose: To inform / organize information about a topic 

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Organization: 

• Reports begin with a general statement that classifies the subject of the report (e.g., “Coyotes are a type of wild dog.” “Jupiter is a planet in our solar system.”) 

• Information is then organized into subtopics 

• Cohesive paragraphs: Each subtopic is organized in a logical way (typically with a topic sentence that introduces the subtopic, followed by sentences that follow an internal flow) → “Coyotes live in North America and parts of Central America. Many coyotes live in grasslands. Grasslands are flat areas of land that are mostly covered in grasses.” 

 

Language features: 

• Verb conjugation: Present tense 

• Grammatical person: 3rd person (it/they) 

• Generalized participants (“Coyotes,” not “The coyote that occasionally visits my backyard”) 

• Specialized vocabulary (related to the topic) 

• Logical connectors to accomplish a variety of purposes, such as... 

• To add information (additionally, for example) / (además, por ejemplo) 

• To provide contrasting information (however, instead) / (sin embargo, al contrario) 

• To illustrate cause/effect (as a result, thus) / (por causa de / por lo tanto) 

• Noun groups to “pack” information 

• Nouns + modifiers 

• Examples of modifiers include… 

• Adjectives: nocturnal animals 

• Prepositional phrases: the television at the back of the shop  

• Clauses: shiny white plane painted to look like an eagle / her father, who always made her feel safe and secure