Writing reports – Developing Comprehension

In Year 1 the students have been learning about non-fiction books. Last week they read reports about seals and then wrote their own reports about harp seals.

In order to write a report a student must achieve an understanding of the content they need to report on. This teaches them to think about what they have read. Comprehension is one of the most important skills a child must develop from a young age and can be developed at home as well.

You can help your child by adding a few little things to your reading routine:

• Hold a conversation and discuss what your child has read. Ask your child probing questions about the book and connect the events to his or her own life. For example, say “I wonder why that girl did that?” or “How do you think he felt? Why?” and “So, what lesson can we learn here?”.
• Help your child make connections between what he or she reads and similar experiences he has felt, saw in a movie, or read in another book.
• Help your child monitor his or her understanding. Teach her to continually ask herself whether she understands what she’s reading.
• Help your child go back to the text to support his or her answers.
• Discuss the meanings of unknown words, both those he reads and those he hears.
• Read material in short sections, making sure your child understands each step of the way.
• Discuss what your child has learned from reading informational text such as a science or social studies book.

https://www.readingrockets.org/helping/target/comprehension

Here are a few of the creative reports they wrote:

The harp seals habitat is ice and water. The diet of a seal is fish and the pup’s diet is milk. The pup’s fur is white, after 2 weeks the grey hair comes under the white fur.
Kwanda Dyakalashe

The harp seal has milk for 12 days and it also has fish. It lives on ice and water. Its fur turns grey.
Zach Gouws

The habitat of a harp seal is ice and water. The diet of a baby seal is fish. A mother seal eats fish The baby seal has with fur for 12 days. After 2 weeks their fur turns grey.
Divyanshi Bajpai

The habitat of a harp seal is ice and water. The diet is fish and milk. They are white and then turn grey.
Fernando Erasun

The habitat of a harp seal is ice and water and their diet is fish and milk. Their fur is white. Under the white fur grey fur grows.
Paige Fuchs

The harp seal swims in water. They live on ice. They eat fish. Baby seals drink milk. After that the baby fur turns grey.
Callum Greyling

Ann Cordner
Year 1 teacher