How To Easily Write An Animal Report With Kids

Are you writing animal reports with your students? Want an easy step-by-step process to support your students? Check out this simple process.

How To Write An Animal Report In 7 Steps

There are seven steps to follow when teaching your students to write about animals in an animal report. They are:

1. Choose Your Animal
2. Research Your Animal
3. Make Jot Notes
4. Write a Draft
5. Revise and Edit
6. Write a Good Copy
7. Illustrate Report

Be sure to grab your step-by-step animal report writing posters in the Touch of Honey Freebie Library.

What are report writing skills?

Report writing is a type of informative writing. ... and what is informative writing? Informative writing is meant to give information to the reader. The information increases the reader's knowledge about a topic. When students write a report, they are learning to share information with others. 

Why teach reports about animals?

We want kids to practice their writing ... and kids love animals ... so ... writing animal reports is a great way for students to practice their writing skills! As they write their reports, students learn how to:

• conduct research to find out about their animals,
• write sentences that contain important information, and
• create reports that provide information to their readers.

My Animal Report - 7 Steps

The following steps are illustrated using pictures of the templates found in the Animal Report Writing package. The Animal Report Writing package contains digital pages. Students can complete their jot notes, drafts, and final copies of their reports using Google Slides.

"My students were able to use this resource with little help. It is well organized and gives them step by step guidance. I look forward to using it again this year." - JoAnne V. (Animal Report)

Whether you use this package or your own materials, follow this process as you walk your students through the report writing steps.

Step One: Choose Animal Topics To Write About

There are different ways that students can choose the topic for their animal reports. Students can:

• choose their own topic.
• pick an animal out of a hat.
• be assigned an animal.

"This is a well planned out project. I invited my students to select an animal from the list that they wanted to learn about. Then over three weeks in the computer lab, they were charged with learning about their animal and took notes on the pages provided. Their final project was written and they received a writing grade for their hard work. My principal said she really like this project. Thank you!" - Peggy R.

Be sure to grab the Animal Topics Freebie in the Touch of Honey Freebie Library. This freebie can help your students choose animal topics to write about.

Step Two: Research Your Animal

Students can use different sources to find information about their animals depending on the resources you have available. Students can use:

• websites such as National Geographic For Kids and San Diego Zoo,
• books,
• magazines, and
• trading cards. 

Step Three: Make Jot Notes On Animal Research Report Template

Making jot notes is a difficult skill for students to master. Provide your students with jot note templates with targeted questions to support them with this process.

"Using this step by step template was extremely helpful when guiding my students to write an informative report for the first time ever. The students were able to be successful from step one of jotting notes, to writing the final copy." - April M. (Animal Report)

"I loved this resource. It was a perfect packet to use as I introduced writing a research paper. The note taking options for different level students was perfect. The note taking step helped the students pick important information instead of writing everything! I only had to get books from the library in order to make this project a success! Loved this resource!" - Nancy B.

Step Four: Write About An Animal In Draft

Once students have finished writing their jot notes, they can write their draft reports. Students take the information they have gathered on their jot note templates and make them into paragraphs for their reports.

Step Five: Revise and Edit

Teachers can support their students as they revise and edit with differentiated writing checklists. Choose a checklist that matches the individual learning needs of your students. Students work through the checklist to make their writing better.

"My students are loving this! They are easily able to follow the report and complete a full report independently. I love the extra lines to help students print neatly. This helps editing and when they write their good copy." - Kristine M. (Animal Report)

Step Six: Write Animal Report Good Copy

After students edit and revise their draft reports, they're ready to write the good copy of their report. Students can use differentiated templates or their own writing paper for the good copy of their reports.

Step Seven: Illustrate Report

The last step of the report writing process is adding color with illustrations to enhance what students have written in their reports.

How To Differentiate Writing Instruction

• Give reluctant writers templates that require them to only find one fact for each research category.
• If students need a challenge, provide them with a template that encourages them to find three or more facts about each research category.

"I am using this for our research/informational writing unit. I love how there are differentiated pages for learners of all types, visual steps of the process, and the rubrics at the end!" - Kristin Y. (Animal Report)

For more differentiation ideas check out 5 Ways to Differentiate Instruction When Report Writing With Kids.

Printable and Digital Versions

The materials shown in this blogpost are a part of the Animal Report resource. Materials are available in both printable and digital versions. The resources can be found on TeachersPayTeachers.

Related Blogposts:

• How To Write Perfect Jot Notes With Kids When Informative Writing
• 5 Ways to Differentiate Instruction When Report Writing 
• How To Write An Awesome Habitat Report

Until next time,

P.S. Do you struggle teaching writing to your kids? Are you looking for writing tips, strategies and ideas?

• Check out ideas in  Teaching Writing 101 
• Find materials in the Writing Resource Club

Not sure if any of these are for you? Check out the Touch of Honey Freebie Library. Download a freebie and begin using in your classroom today.